������

A CORDIAL INVITATION TO COMPARATIVE LITERATURE CLUB’S GOTHIC LOVERS’ OPEN MIC…
“There is no exquisite beauty… without some strangeness in the proportion.” – Edgar Allan Poe, "Ligeia"
“Nevertheless, life and death are mysterious states, and we know little of the resources of either.” – Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu, Carmilla
“Poor Matilda! She sleeps in the Grave, and her broken heart throbs no more with passion.” – Matthew Gregory Lewis, The Monk
“Good and evil are so close as to be chained together in the soul.” – Robert Louis Stevenson, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

Image

In collaboration with Kleefeld Contemporary, the Comparative World Literature Club presents a haunting night to remember at our upcoming event: Gothic Lovers’ Open Mic. On the evening of All Hallow’s Eve, we invite writings of all sorts and styles under the theme of “Gothic aestheticism."

In light of this theme, one might express melancholic, sublime, and macabre characterizations of the human condition. In accordance with Gothic literary traditions, a piece might invoke atmospheric and/or supernatural uncanny in unsettling and unsightly ways. The grotesque within Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, the suspense of Bram Stoker’s Dracula, or even the decadence in Oscar Wilde’s The Picture of Dorian Gray are principal motifs to keep in mind. Further, the legacies of these Gothic narratives in contemporary works like Nosferatu (2024) and The Daughter of Doctor Moreau (2022) should be considered. Also applicable are works emulating the tonality of campfire stories, cryptid sightings, and uncanny folklores that arise around this autumnal time.

Date: Thursday, October 30th, 2025
Time: 4:30 – 6:30 P.M.
Location: Carolyn Campagna Kleefeld Contemporary Art Museum

*Please come with a short story, poem, or prose under 500 words to read beside the Museum’s current exhibition, Solastalgia. Scan the QR code above to access our sign-up sheet.

A sign-up sheet will also be available upon entry. Participants are welcome to read their writing or recite another author’s work with which they resonate. Due to time constraints, we cannot guarantee that everyone will get the chance to read their contribution. You may also come to listen and enjoy the program. All students and faculty welcome—no RSVP required!
For inquiries, please contact: csulbcomplitclub@gmail.com