Category: Program

Presented by M. Leigh Hood

Dig up the buried history of America’s Vampire Panic, its European roots, and the Panic’s lasting impact on Gothic fiction. Learn how to spot, treat, and probably not survive a case of ‘vampirism’ in your own family and how the good people of New England addressed the crisis.

M. Leigh Hood is a rare beast of the Cincinnati wilds, most often found walking her monstrous hound, Shuck, or working hard to exacerbate her carpal tunnel syndrome at the computer. Her work appears in Fairy Tales Punk’d Volume II, Cincinnati Magazine, and the in-development MonThology project.

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Presented by Dr. Delenza Verity O’Connor (aka Cat Hays)

Just what were in those “miracle cures” from the Victorian era? What started the alcohol temperance movement? How did the Salvation Army come to be, and what was its role in substance use treatment and recovery?

Join Dr. Delzena Verity O’Connor on a journey to learn more about the evolution of the substance use, treatment, and recovery field in the U.S. between the 1700s to the early 20th century, and how it influenced today’s modern substance use recovery movement.

On another plane of existence, Dr. O’Connor moonlights as Cathleen Hays, CMA (AAMA), CRSS; serving as a Recovery Specialist with the McLean County Recovery-Oriented System of Care (ROSC). In their work in both the local and statewide recovery communities, Cathleen and the McLean County ROSC team collaborate with people with lived experience of substance and mental health recovery, along with volunteers from local community and statewide businesses, agencies, and organizations to develop and build a network of substance use and mental health recovery support services for McLean County’s and Illinois’ recovering citizens.

In her off-duty hours, Cathleen is an avid reader, an obscure history enthusiast, a crafter and artist, a LARPer (live action roleplayer), an active community volunteer, and an all-around nerd and geek.

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Presented by M. Leigh Hood

Explore stories of “werewolves” from the Middle Ages to modern times and their influence on gothic fiction.

Before we called them serial killers, gruesome killers who targeted the weak – or killed at random – had a different name. Fiction reflects truth, and truth sometimes mirrors fiction. Dig into the origins of werewolf lore and explore the legends, hunts, and trials that put werewolves into the history books.

M. Leigh Hood is a rare beast of the Cincinnati wilds, most often found walking her monstrous hound, Shuck, or working hard to exacerbate her carpal tunnel syndrome at the computer. Her work appears in Fairy Tales Punk’d Volume II, Cincinnati Magazine, and the in-development MonThology project.

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Presented by Kalpar

The nineteenth century saw the advent of numerous new and strange technologies. The adoption of these new technologies often lead to superstitious beliefs about the technology or opens new questions about the world around us. Learn how science and the supernatural advanced hand in hand in the nineteenth century.

Kalpar – Polymath, historian, ferroequinologist, numismatist, these and other fancy words could be applied to Kalpar with varying degrees of accuracy. Kalpar has a fascination with the technology of the nineteenth century and how it affects our world today.

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Presented by Professor Lena Foltz-Pendarvis & Magister Aloysius VonDiesel

The Titanic was not only a bridge between Europe and America but also between the old and the new. It was the most luxurious, opulent ship of its time while also boasting a number of engineering and mechanical advancements. Join Professor Lena Foltz-Pendarvis and Magister Aloysious VonDiesel as they delve into the dichotomy of tradition and technology related to the Titanic.

Professor Lena Foltz-Pendarvis is an independent lecturer on a variety of history topics – ancient, recent, and shockingly, events that have yet to happen. Equally at home on a dig site, in a lecture hall or on the deck of an airship, Foltz-Pendarvis travels the world in search of new discoveries and knowledge. She delves into her extensive trove of interesting facts to enlighten and entertain audiences from London to Sydney and from Tokyo to New York. Just don’t ask her to examine any statuary…..she has a strange aversion to them.

A student of many disciplines, Magister Aloysius VonDiesel has spent decades in the pursuit of knowledge in such diverse fields as engineering, entertainment, illumination, and even the new sport of horseless carriage racing! As a proud Bavarian, VonDiesel has not only distinguished himself in the pursuit of the perfect brew, but helped to inform and entertain Steampunk audiences across the multiverse. It’s even been rumored that he has assisted, on occasion, the seasonal delivery of gifts and trinkets to deserving children, although these rumors are completely unsubstantiated….

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Presented by Kimberly Gray & Crysta K. Coburn

There are ghosts all over Chicago. From Resurrection Cemetery to the Biograph theater, the Second City has its fair share of spirits. Join the hosts of the Haunted Mitten Podcast as they take a break from discovering the spooky in Michigan to talk about all the weird and haunted places that dot this spectacular city.

Kay Gray has been researching the paranormal for over fifteen years. Together with Crysta K Coburn, she hosts the Haunted Mitten Podcast, going into its fifth season this Fall. She has been published in two Steampunk anthologies, The Queen of Clocks and Other Steampunk Tales, and Fairytales Punk’d. She has always had a love of Chicago, and can’t believe she gets to talk about it professionally! Kay can be found online @kgraywrites on most platforms.

Crysta K. Coburn has been writing award-winning stories for most of her life. Her first short story was published at the age of sixteen after winning runner-up in a local writing contest. She earned her bachelor’s degree in creative writing from Western Michigan University in 2005. She is a journalist, fiction writer, poet, playwright, editor, podcast co-host, and one-time rock lyricist. She served as editor for The Queen of Clocks and Other Steampunk Tales; Cogs, Crowns, and Carriages; and Gears, Ghouls, and Gauges (the latter two with Phoebe Darqueling). Find her online at crystakcoburn.com as well as Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter @CrystaKCoburn.

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