Reading Groups

Beyond the Tropes: The Vampire Evolution with Marc Abbott

$180

Four Sessions

Out of stock

Sundays, 1:00 pm EDT - 2:30 pm EDT March 27 to June 26, 2022

Online via Zoom

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Meeting Dates:
3/27, 4/24, 5/22, 6/26

Vampires are one of the most popular monsters in horror. Over the years, they have slowly evolved from terrifying night stalkers to tragic anti-heroes and everything in between. We have to love them, hate them, feel sympathy for them and even revere them. But they’re also complicated beings having to navigate the society they live in which is a mirror image of the times the author is writing about.

In this session, we will read four vampire novels beginning with Bram Stoker’s classic Dracula. We will discuss/dissect the evolution of the vampire lore in the hands of POC authors, compare their tropes to the original Dracula and look at the role the vampire plays in the worlds they occupy and how they relate to society.

Session I: Dracula by Bram Stoker
Session II: The Black Vampyre by Uriah Derick D’Arcy
Session III: Invisible Chains by Michelle Renee Lane
Session IV: Dark Corner by Brandon Massey

Led by

Marc L. Abbott

Marc L. Abbott

Marc L. Abbott is the author of the YA novel The Hooky Party and the children’s book Etienne and the Stardust Express. His short stories “Welcome to Brooklyn, Gabe” and “A Marked Man” are featured in the Bram Stoker-nominated horror anthology New York State of Fright and the Hell’s Heart horror anthology. He is the co-author of Hell at the Way Station, the two-time African American Literary Award-winning horror anthology with award winning author Steven Van Patten. He is also a contributing writer of the book Cocktail Guide to the Galaxy. Abbott is a 2015 Moth Story Slam and Grand Slam Storyteller winner. He is the writer and performer of the storytelling solo shows Love African American Style and Of Cats and Men: A Storytellers Journey. He is the host of the monthly storytelling show Maaan, You’ve Got to Hear This! in Bushwick, Brooklyn. Abbott is one of the hosts for the podcast “Beef, Wine and Shenanigans” and an active member of the HWA New York Chapter and Gamma Xi Phi Fraternity.

About this series

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