The Nexus of Horror: An Interview With Paula Guran
Paula Guran is one of the most accomplished editors in the business. She began with Dark Echo, one of the first email newsletters, which she created in 1994; her 49th anthology, The Year’s Best Dark Fantasy & Horror: Volume Two, will be published by Pyr Books on October 19th.
I sat down with Paula this morning to talk about her new book, and discovered she had a lot to say — lively anecdotes from a two-decade career, what it is about horror that keeps her coming back, how the pandemic has affected modern horror, the best new novels of the past few years, and the amazing writers we should all be paying more attention to.
It was a lively and enormously entertaining discussion with one of the most wildly read and keen-eyed observers of the industry, a woman who’s demonstrated an uncanny talent for spotting and showcasing some of the most talented new writers working today. Check out the entire 35-minute interview here.
Great to see a live interview! Fascinating perspective from Paula. Long live AOL. I once lived in Akron (go Ohio!). Was feeling a comforting Alan Alda vibe from John.
LOL! That’s better than being told I look like Bill Murray. đ
I was thinking more of Jamie Farr…
LOL. I wish I had Klinger’s fashion sense!
I was thinking maybe Mathew Broderick? (He sports a beard every now and then). Kudos to John, either way, especially given that this is a new departure for Black Gate. Then again, I guess Guran made for a good interviewee?*
I got âThe Betweenâ based on this conversation. Itâs certainly a gripping read, and very well written. A quick google reveals that Tananarive Due actually teaches a course on Peeleâs âGet Outâ, which I havenât seen, although I did see âUsâ. The latter was pretty good imo.
* âSeeing a lot of bad fiction teaches you a lot about good fiction.â Yup.
Interesting interview. Thanks for doing this. I see Guran’s anthologies all the time online but given my lack of bandwidth these days, I still tend to stick with the editors I’m most familiar with: Ellen Datlow, Ross Lockhart, etc. One criticism or “push back” I might offer: I’m all for new authors and fresh takes, but I think “year’s best” anthologies should do more than introduce new authors. I think such anthologies are a great way to expose people to experienced writers in the field. I’m happy that Stephen Graham Jones is still a major contender, but does Laird Barron, Nathan Ballingrud, etc. still get love these days? Is that an “old white guy” gripe?
If it is, James, I’m with you. I’d love to see more Ballingrud, whatever the venue.