Pixel Scroll: Emmys, StokerCon Guests, LAcon V Notes, and Horror Fairytale Reads

# What happened in this Pixel Scroll

This edition collects brief reports and excerpts published Sept. 15–16, 2026 on File 770. The items are practical updates for readers who follow genre awards, conventions, and writing trends.

Emmys: genre works performed strongly

StokerCon guests

Honor. R. J. Joseph (also identified as Rhonda Jackson Garcia) will be a Guest of Honor. The announcement pairs her with other named honorees: Nancy Collins, Joe Hill, T. Kingfisher, and Hailey Piper.

Kate Elliott's LAcon V report: panels and people

Writer Kate Elliott posted multi-part LAcon V reports on Patreon. File 770 reprints excerpts that give practical, on-the-ground impressions of attending Worldcon as an introvert who prepared for heavy programming.

Elliott describes adjusting her mindset for sustained social engagement, balancing five panels, a reading, a table talk, and an autographing. She accepted a joint signing with Martha Wells organized by their editor, which she characterized as enjoyable.

On panels, Elliott stresses that they are conversations, not prepared speeches. She points out two possible panel dynamics: organic discussions that allow panelists to riff off one another, and flatter formats where a moderator fires questions and each guest answers in turn. Her experience at LAcon V leaned toward the better outcome: skilled moderators and panelists who behaved like reasonable adults.

She highlights a Saturday morning panel on "Older Women in SF and F." Contrary to expectations about attendance, it drew a solid audience and an engaged discussion among panelists who were women over forty. Elliott lists practical angles for that topic: identifying works with older women protagonists, examining stereotypes and roles older women are given, and considering ways to broaden representation.

CrimeReads: horror novels that twist fairytales

File 770 links to a CrimeReads feature titled "Happily Never After: 5 Horror Novels Influenced by Dark Fairytales." The piece argues that fairytales already contain eerie elements, which horror writers exploit to create darker retellings. The Pixel Scroll quotes a passage describing the appeal: childhood stories carry an inherent eeriness that horror can deepen.

What this means for readers and followers

• If you track awards, the Emmys' genre presence is notable this year: genre projects captured a significant share of categories.

• If you attend panels or run programming, Kate Elliott's report is a compact reminder to structure panels as conversations and to allow time for organic exchange.
• If you read horror, CrimeReads' list offers four other titles to consider alongside Premee Mohamed's novel for fairytale-derived dread.