The World Horror Society has announced that the 2011 World Horror Convention will be held in Austin, Texas, from 28 April to 1 May. Convention co-chairs Nate Southard and Lee Thomas have already announced author Sarah Langan as their first Guest of Honor.
The WHS says that Austin was chosen for “its unique style and rich genre history. The original Texas Chainsaw Massacre was filmed near the city, and the remakes of both Chainsaw Massacre and Friday the 13th were filmed in town. Austin also serves as home to the largest urban bat colony in North America, and at sunset 1.5 million bats fly over the city, truly marking it as a horror locale. (There’s a reason the city’s motto is ‘Keep Austin Weird’.)”
Southard said “Texas has a long history of strange fiction, serving as home to such luminaries as Robert E. Howard, Michael Moorcock, and Joe R. Lansdale. Bringing the World Horror Convention to Austin is a natural. It’s a vibrant city with a taste for the eccentric and a love of the arts. Further, its central, southern location makes it convenient for travelers throughout the US, and visitors from abroad will have no trouble reaching us either.”
Of Langan’s choice, Thomas said “We couldn’t be more pleased. Sarah was at the top of our list, and her enthusiastic agreement to attend really set the tone for what we hope to achieve with this convention. We’ll be inviting additional industry luminaries, and we’ll make announcements when those folks are confirmed.”