Gothic Crossroads 2025

A conference exploring and celebrating the multi and interdisciplinary crossings of Gothic and Horror Studies.

Manchester Centre for Gothic Studies,
Manchester Metropolitan University, 25th-27th June, 2025

Plenary Speakers

Prof Rosario Arias (University of Malaga, Spain)

Dr Maisha Wester (Global Professor, University of Sheffield, UK)

Physical crossroads have long been sites where the human, divine and demonic were felt to converge and potent sites for magical, religious encounters, rituals of transformation, binding of undesirable spirits, siting of gallows and links to ancient cosmology. This conference also considers the crossroads as a space where the boundaries between differing spheres are negotiable, asking what it means to walk in the interdisciplinary pathways and cross currents of the Gothic.

The crossroad is a geographical location and ancient symbol closely associated with folklore where two or more realms touch. It is historically and imaginatively connected with travellers and travelling, strange encounters, omens, choice and indecision, danger, suicide, criminality, apocalypse and renewal, guilt and judgement, punishment, ritual and ceremony, lovers’ meetings, hanging, summoning, access to Gods, devil dealing, casting out and death. The choice between paths can also lead to repercussions and consequences of “the wrong path”, “the path not taken” and “straying from the path”.

This conference invites creative and scholarly consideration of any aspect of these areas or any other creative/critical spin on themes of crossing/crossover/cross currents, travelling, intersection, interception, (con)junction, incursion, deviation and transitioning in any/all aspects of cultural production as it relates to Gothic and horror.

It also proposes the crossing as a metaphor for presenting and thinking on the interdisciplinary work of the Gothic and the intersectional/transnational spaces where the gothic is engaged and approached. Thus, we are particularly interested in “paths less travelled” and contributions from scholars and ECRs working in the intersections where the cultural work of Gothic and horror studies crosses boundaries and spheres, engaging with fields and disciplines beyond the traditional, and where new “crossings” can be discovered. This includes, but is not limited to: Gothic and horror in gaming, architecture and heritage, creative writing and practice, comics and graphic novels, scriptwriting, theatre, music, geography, plant studies and environmentalism, anthropology, libraries and archives, sociology and social studies, broadcasting, publishing, media and graphic design. We are sure there are more, so feel free to surprise us with your wanders, crossings, and encounters!

Submission Instructions

Please submit a 250-word abstract for 15-minute presentations by 15th March 2025 to Dr Emma Liggins and Dr Eleanor Beal at gothic@mmu.ac.uk

For all submissions, be sure to include your name, a short (50-word) biographical sketch, institutional affiliation (if any), and contact details. Please send your submission as an attachment (as opposed to a link to a server such as Googledocs).

Submissions for panels should be sent as a single submission with three to four 250-word abstracts, a brief statement of the theme of the panel and the information above about each of the presenters.

Submissions for workshops should indicate the length of the workshop (max. 45 minutes).

Creative event submissions, for example, exhibitions and installations or any event where facilitation help may be needed before and on the day should try to highlight requirements in the abstract.

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Gothic Crossroads Provisional Programme

View our exciting programme of Gothic and Horror plenaries, academic panels and papers, workshops, readings, screenings and social schedule. While this schedule is as firm as possible on posting, it may be subject to small changes, but we will endeavour to let attendees know in advance.

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Gothic Heritage Fair

We will be hosting a Gothic and Heritage fair on the first day of the conference, with stalls from libraries, museums, galleries and historic houses in the UK. If you’re a local heritage organisation who’d like to offer a stall, you can sign up via this form or email gothic@mmu.ac.uk for more information.

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Registration

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Venue

The conference takes place at:

Chester Street
Manchester
M1 5GD
United Kingdom , United Kingdom.

The link to the venue contains further information on access and travel (see also below) and some suggestions on places to eat.

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Accommodation

If you are planning to stay overnight in Manchester, there are lots of hotels within a 10-minute walk of campus with reasonable rates and many of them bookable through Booking.com.

If you want guaranteed flexible rates, inclusive breakfast and need alternate ways to pay (budget code, invoicing etc.), then Marketing Manchester have created portal to book accommodation. This is also worth a look for their links to restaurant and travel info:

If you prefer to browse for budget, then we recommend:

Holiday Inn Express, Oxford Road, link here

Hotel Ibis, Princess Road, link here

Motel One, St Peters Square, link here

(slightly more expensive) Townhouse Hotel, Portland Street, link here

We also recommend:

Midland, 16 Peter St – right fancy, with a spa, on the site of Peterloo

Jury’s Inn, 56 Great Bridgewater St – high-mid price

Hotel Novotel, 21 Dickinson St – good cheap hotel

Premier Inn, 7-11 Mosley St – good cheap hotel

Whitworth Locke, 74 Prince’s St – nice, serviced apartments

Townhouse Hotel, Portland Street, Manchester

New Union Hotel, City Centre, 111 Princess St, Manchester M1 6JB

Hatter’s Hostel, 50 Newton St – excellent hostel in the middle of the action

Piccadilly Central, 38 London Road Piccadilly Central, Manchester, M1 2PF – budget friendly with excellent reviews)

Verdene Hotel, 454 Moss Ln E, Manchester M14 4PW – down to earth BnB near Oxford Road

Luther King House Hotel, Brighton Grove, Manchester M14 5JP – cheap and cheerful

YHA Manchester Hostel, Potato Wharf, Manchester M3 4NB – more of a  hotel than hostel, budget friendly with beer garden looking over canal and a swimming pool.

Hotel Campanile, 55 Ordsall Ln, Regent Rd, Salford M5 4RS – closer than it looks to Oxford road

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Accessibility Notes

This is an in-person conference with some recorded sessions available after the date. However, we want to work with all contributors to make sure that the conference is physically accessible for them. If you classify yourself as having a disability, please select this at registration and we will be in touch for details. We have a clear code of conduct which is used to maintain a welcoming atmosphere and a comfortable space for all participants. We aim to be an inclusive conference for all. If you have any questions, queries or requests at this stage or at a later stage, please do not hesitate to contact us at gothic@mmu.ac.uk

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