Author Event! Joe Vallese discusses "It Came from the Closet"

Join us on April 5th at 4pm as we host Joe Vallese, who will be discussing It Came from the Closet: Queer Reflections on Horror local poet and horror enthusiast, Sylvia Vaccaro.

About the book:

Through the lens of horror—from Halloween to Hereditary—queer and trans writers consider the films that deepened, amplified, and illuminated their own experiences.

Horror movies hold a complicated space in the hearts of the queer community: historically misogynist, and often homo- and transphobic, the genre has also been inadvertently feminist and open to subversive readings. Common tropes—such as the circumspect and resilient “final girl,” body possession, costumed villains, secret identities, and things that lurk in the closet—spark moments of eerie familiarity and affective connection. Still, viewers often remain tasked with reading themselves into beloved films, seeking out characters and set pieces that speak to, mirror, and parallel the unique ways queerness encounters the world.

It Came from the Closet features twenty-five essays by writers speaking to this relationship, through connections both empowering and oppressive. From Carmen Maria Machado on Jennifer’s Body, Jude Ellison S. Doyle on In My Skin, Addie Tsai on Dead Ringers, and many more, these conversations convey the rich reciprocity between queerness and horror.

About the editor:

Joe Vallese is editor of the LA Times bestseller It Came from the Closet: Queer Reflections on Horror (Feminist Press 2022; Saraband Books UK 2023) and coeditor (with Alicia A. Beale) of What's Your Exit? A Literary Detour through New Jersey (Word Riot 2010). He is Clinical Associate Professor of Expository Writing and Faculty Fellow in Residence at New York University. He is currently at work on a variety of queer horror stories told through a variety of mediums.

About the moderator:

Sylvia Vaccaro is a poet and writer living with her cat Dolly in Pawtucket, Rhode Island. She received a degree in English literature and writing from the University of Rhode Island and her poetry has appeared in Peach Mag, OCCULUM, and Vagabond City Lit. Her work focuses on the intersections of queerness, pop culture, and religion. She is part of the Queer Writers Group at LitArts RI and a member of the three-time champion PVDHorror Trivia team, The Final Gays.

Signed copies of the book will be available for purchase.

We'll see you there!

Host or Publisher Symposium Books Staff