On Saturday, April 18, Slay The Lake LGBTQ+ Horror Book Fest will return to Kenosha. The event will feature 13 authors who will gather on the shore of Lake Michigan to slay hatred and bring good books to inspire the next generation of readers and writers.

Local authors and Slay The Lake organizers Jessie Rose and RE Bunch spoke with Our Lives about the upcoming festival.

OL: To begin, what is Slay the Lake? Is it more of a book festival for books that are already written? Or a conference for writers or authors who are working on horror projects?

RE Bunch: Slay the Lake is a book festival for readers to meet indie and traditionally published LGBTQ+ authors and allies. Jessie and I work to bring together authors and readers in our community so that they can find connection, representation in stories, and let the world know they have stories out there. Horror has been a difficult space to navigate in with low visibility for women, BIPOC, LGBTQ+, and those with disabilities. We are working to open that space up more so that more stories can shine and find their audience.

OL: Where did the idea for starting this event come from? Who and/or where did the energy and momentum for organizing the festival come from, and how easy or difficult was it to put together?

RE Bunch: We started organizing these events in January 2025. It’s pretty much been nonstop since then. We got a great reception to our first Slay the Lake events in Kenosha and Chicago, and we were able to raise over $2,000 for LGBTQ+ non profits, and over 200 lbs of food. These pop-up events are also economic booms as well for the restaurants and breweries we host them in, as well as for the authors and creatives who attend. It’s been a lot of work, but it’s been pretty fun at the same time.

Jessie Rose: We weren’t seeing many women, LGBTQ+ and BIPOC authors at horror events and if so, it was often the same authors being tokenized and often not treated well. Horror can be very welcoming if you find the right spaces, but the larger author and reader groups can often be very toxic and harmful, especially to BIPOC authors. That bothered me, but also knowing the income and connections those authors were being denied by not being included in events, that’s something you gain by simply being in the room. I do a lot of author events and it’s mostly because other authors I’ve met at events have recommended me for the event or let me know when to apply. I read in the newspaper that The Final Girl, a queer owned/woman-owned horror themed bar, was opening soon and messaged the owner Chelsea before her sign was up and asked if I could host a horror book fest there. She immediately said yes.

RE and I started chatting and realized we kind of had the same idea and it took off from there. Like a lot of LGBTQ+ folks we realized we didn’t have to keep pushing our way to fit into these other spaces, we could create our own. Our personalities balance each other out, and we’re both two people who see a mountain and say, yeah, we can move that. Our friend and fellow author, Phrique, has also been very supportive and helpful promoting the events. I met him at another event and my first thought was, He’s so cool! If I ever have a book fest, he’s the first author I’m inviting. So, I’m always in awe that he said yes and keeps showing up and offering to help.

OL: This is the second year hosting the festival. What went well last year, and what are you hoping to expand upon or change this year?

RE Bunch: I was really happy with how many people supported the event, and I am always over the moon to see familiar faces re-apply when Jessie and I announce new opportunities. There is a lot of love and trust that goes into creating a space like this, so I am really grateful for that. I am hoping to raise more money for nonprofits, and explore different opportunities to introduce readers to new voices in the horror genre.

Jessie Rose: This year we are doing a ticketed early entry to give readers a little more time with the authors ahead of the crowd. The tickets come with early entry, an event tote bag and a blind date with a horror book. A portion of those proceeds will go to support Dark & Queery: Horror Authors & Readers Supporting Trans Rights, our fundraising campaign to benefit Transgender Law Center. We are also hosting a book drive for LGBT Books to Prisoners during this event. Overall the events have been a blast. As far as expanding, we’re also hosting Chicago Pride Book Fest on June 27th in Tinley Park, IL.

OL: Are there any ideas, projects, groups, events, or other community efforts/connections that have come about as a result from last year’s event, that are particularly important for the Wisconsin writers, artists, horror, and/or LGBTQ+ communities?

RE Bunch: I am happy about how quickly these events have caught on, and even that some people have reached out to see how they might be able to create their own spaces. I have seen more of a collaborative spirit emerge from these spaces and looking for ways to support one another.

Jessie Rose: Slay the Lake is all about connection. It was the first event several of our authors participated in. Since then they’ve been accepted into Wisconsin events that have supported us such as Spooky Frog Horrifying Book Fair in Milwaukee and Kenosha Book Festival. We always recommend queer authors to organizers for events. A lot of those connections come from authors meeting each other, that’s how RE and I met. We are lucky that Miss Kenosha Veronica Vaughn joined us last year as our Slay the Lake Queen in Kenosha and Chicago. We’ve connected with several Wisconsin charities, including LGBT Books to Prisoners in Madison and Kenosha Welcome Center. The Final Girl Bar has provided space for pop up events for us and hosted standalone signings for some of our authors. Risk E. Bismuth invited Slay the Lake to participate in Gather Them in Milwaukee last month and we were able to sponsor prizes for their event. Also, simple things like putting up flyers, when the owners of a local cafe or bookstore are excited about the event, I know that’s a space I can recommend to authors or drag performers to host their own events.

OL: How many people attended last year? How does that compare to what you expect for this year?

RE Bunch: Last time we did Slay in Kenosha at The Final Girl, we packed the house. We had 14 authors and about 100 people attending and going throughout the 5 hour event. I was impressed by how long people stayed to hang out and meet the authors. I’ve been to similar events where people shopped and left pretty quickly, but attendees hung out to talk about their new books, met the authors, and patronized The Final Girl. It was really fantastic.

OL: What are you most excited for? What is your favorite part of the Slay the Lake event?

RE Bunch: I’m excited to meet the new authors in person, and get a copy of Vincent Tirado’s new book “You Should Have Been Nicer To My Mom.” I’m just excited to see everyone.

Jessie Rose: It’s just so much fun. I love seeing readers light up when they meet their favorite authors. Also, there’s lots of singing and dancing. No nervous waiting in line. It’s a big gay party with books!

OL: Is there any other important information I missed?

Jessie Rose: This year’s event is also a book drive for LGBT Books to Prisoners. Their specific needs/requirements for donations can be found on their website.

RE Bunch: We are also hosting Chicago Pride Book Fest at Soundgrowler in Tinley Park, IL on 6/27. We’ll have over 30 authors and creatives from Wisconsin and Illinois. It’ll be our first mixed genre event, and we could not be prouder of it.

OL: What do you want our readers to know about Slay the Lake?

RE Bunch: We’re just two people putting on all these events. It takes a lot of time running up to the day of, and after to make sure these events are successful. I am really proud of Jessie and don’t think we could host these events as successfully without each other. We actually met doing events like this, so it’s really important to me that others are able to find the same connection at Slay the Lake.

Jessie Rose: Everyone is welcome.

RE Bunch is a writer and linoleum printmaker whose most recent novel, “RED HORN”, won first prize in Gothic Horror in The BookFest Spring 2025. Her debut folk horror novella, “THE BY-BLOW PROMISE LAND,” was awarded third prize in Supernatural Creatures in The BookFest Spring 2023. Her work is informed by her lived experience of growing up goth in a small midwestern town, and her extensive travels throughout the US. She blends elements of horror with magical realism, the supernatural and occult, and literary fiction to create tales that enchant and terrify readers. She is also the owner of ANXIOUS DOG PRESS.

Also, tell your dog she says hi. Thanks.

Jessie Rose writes dark thrillers, horror and tales of love gone wrong. Jessie grew up in Alabama, moved to Chicago and made a home in Southeast Wisconsin near Lake Michigan. Their novel “Atomic Love,” a psychological thriller about domestic violence, set in the 1980s L.A. heavy metal scene was published in 2019. They write LGBTQ+ horror and fantasy under the pen name Finley Rose.

Jessie is a graduate of Northeast Alabama Community College & City University of New York.