Next up at Writing the Occult...

Love & Death

How do I love thee? Let me count my bones…

    How do I love thee? Let me count the ways… The bouquet is in hand; the champagne’s on ice. But why are the roses black? And who thought a cemetery was the perfect date location?

    (Us, actually, but anyway.)

    The stage is set for a very special Valentine’s Day in 2026, as Writing the Occult tackles the different worlds of love and death. Forget finding a restaurant for V-Day, or Galentine’s, or whatever you celebrate / commiserate on this most auspicious of occasions. From love spells to death rituals through all things obsession, lover’s leaps, and the romance of graveyards, our celebration of matters of the heart is going to be as far removed from Hallmark greetings as you can get. Can we add your name to our dance card?

    Full schedule to come.

    Writing the Occult is a boutique series of events brought to you by the Society of Ink Slingers, in partnership with Alex Davis Events. Our approach is to bring together the fiction world with folklore and academia to bring a well-rounded view to a specific area of interest to both speculative fiction writers and those with a hankering for the esoteric.
    Follow @societyofinkslingers on Instagram for announcements.

    © Society of Ink Slingers, 2024. All rights reserved.

    Explore the full 2026 season

    Writing the Occult: Seekers
    30 May 2026
    Join us for Writing the Occult this spring as we get into the minds of those who seek proof. Who demand to know what’s going on behind the smokescreen. Whether they’re amateur ghost hunters on weekend urban explorations or official bodies seeking the science behind the phenomena, they’re welcome in our school of thought. Let’s go seek some proof.

    Writing the Occult: Time & Place
    5 September 2026
    It’s something we don’t really think about, that importance of the here and now, the time and place that anchors us to our lives. From the Bermuda Triangle’s disappearances, to the Philadelphia Experiment’s cloaking of a battleship, to tales of technology in use that really shouldn’t be possible, time and place anchor so many occult tales—which is why we’re diving in. We’re going there. And then. And the future, maybe. You coming?

    Writing the Occult: Harbingers & Spirits
    12 December 2026
    Whether superstition or folklore, old wives’ tales or truth passed down through generations, our worlds are full of harbingers and spirits. Every family has a tale of nature’s symbolism, every culture has its own spirit guides, every place has its hauntings. And since it’s December in Britain, that can only mean one thing: It’s time for some spooky stories.

    Writing the Occult: Cryptids & Creatures
    29 November 2025
    Featuring: Grady Hendrix, Richard Freeman, V Castro, Tiffani Angus, Tiffany Morris, Kayleigh Dobbs, Alex Davis, Hero Owen, Zoe Burgess, A.W. Earl

    Writing the Occult: Belief
    6 September 2025
    Featuring: Dr Francis Young, Lilith Dorsey M.A., Wole Talabi, Deborah Hyde, Brandon R Grafius, Ella Snyder, Dr S Jonathon O'Donnell, Jordan S. Carroll, Sarah Elliott, and Chris Hawton.

    Writing the Occult: Relics
    10 May 2025
    Featuring: Cat Irving, John J Johnston, Ally Wilkes, Rebecca Stone Gordon, Steve Toase, John Buglass, and Jon Dear.

    Writing the Occult: The Uncanny
    18 January 2025
    Featuring: Dr Elizabeth Dearnley, Zebib K. Abraham, E. Saxey, Dr Vicky Brewster, Dr Steph Lay, and Chris Hawton

    Writing the Occult: Hauntology
    30 November 2024
    Featuring: Evelyn Hollow, Professor Robert Edgar, Adam S. Leslie, Dr Icy Sedgwick, Lindz McLeod, TC Parker, Mina Ikemoto Ghosh, and Robert P. Ottone.

    Writing the Occult: Connection to Land
    15 June 2024
    Featuring: Ally Wilkes, Eve Smith, Caroline Wise, Dr Kevan Manwaring, Tiffany Morris, Xan van Rooyen, Akintoba Kalejaye, Penny Billington, Kerry Hadley-Price, Lindz McLeod, Shona Kinsella, Renan Bernardo, Paul Hardisty, Lisa Brideau, and Lindsey Trout Hughes

    Writing the Occult: The Fae
    6 April 2024
    Featuring: Dr Elizabeth Dearnley, Gabriela Houston, Mark Norman, Morgan Daimler, Villimey Mist, Yvette Tan, Somto Ihezue, Avra Margariti, Yve Chairez, Khaya Maseko, Tanya Akrofi, Chinelo Onwualu, Komal Salman, and Xueting C. Ni

    Writing the Occult: Ritual
    27 January 2024
    Featuring: Tracy Fahey, Dr Adam Scovell, Lee Murray, Eden Royce, Dr Helen Frisby, LMK Sheppard, Robert P. Ottone, Stephanie Ellis, Kev Harrison, Lindsey Trout Hughes

    Writing the Occult: Vampires
    28 October 2023
    Featuring: Jewelle Gomez, Deborah Hyde, Dr Sam George, Scott J Moses, Beverley Lee, Nicole Eigener, Katalina Watt, Dawn Kurtagich, A.W. Earl, Erica Robert Pallo, A.R. James, Rebecca Wojturska

    Writing the Occult: Witches
    12 August 2023
    Featuring: Alice Tarbuck, Claire Askew, Stacey Thomas, Chelsey Pippin Mizzi, Tiffani Angus, and Lauren McMenemy