The third annual Southern Gothic Festival returns to Camden on Friday, October 9, and Saturday, October 10, bringing together acclaimed authors, historians, storytellers, podcasters, musicians, and investigators for a thoughtful—and suitably spooky—exploration of the South’s darker side.
Set among the historic streets and famously haunted places of South Carolina’s oldest inland city, the festival considers Southern Gothic in both its literary and supernatural forms.
Programs will explore how contemporary writers continue a tradition shaped by eccentricity, moral complexity, inequality, religious fervor, and troubled history, while also celebrating the ghosts, legends, folklore, and uncanny landscapes that remain part of Southern culture.
According to Amy Schofield, Kershaw County Library Director, “The idea started with a suggestion from Robb Hinson, who works the front desk at the Camden Library and is an unapologetic book pusher. Excited about recently attending a Grady Hendrix book reading, Robb suggested the concept. From there, it's been a library effort every year with help from staff and volunteers, and support from our Friends group, the Arts Commission, Historic Camden, and the City of Camden.”
Schofield continues, “Each year of the Southern Gothic Festival has brought a different kind of excitement. The first year, we wondered if anyone would come; the second, we wondered if we could successfully turn it into a larger, two-day festival—and now, in our third year, I’m cautiously confident enough to simply be excited about what we’ve put together. We have an extraordinary range of writers, musicians, storytellers, podcasters, and historians exploring everything from contemporary Southern horror, folklore, and haunted houses to race, masculinity, true crime, and the continuing influence of writers like Edgar Allan Poe.” But, more than anything, she says, “I’m excited that the festival keeps expanding the conversation about what Southern Gothic means today while still being a really fun place to spend a couple of days immersed in the darker, stranger corners of the South.”
The festival begins Friday at 5:30 p.m. at Broad & Vine with “Agnes of Glasgow: The Legend and Lore,” featuring Brandon Schexnayder, creator and host of the acclaimed Southern Gothic podcast. The podcast combines careful historical research with atmospheric storytelling to investigate the history behind the South’s legends and hauntings.
Agnes is said to have traveled from Scotland to Camden during the American Revolution in search of her fiancé, a British soldier, only to die before finding him. Buried in Camden’s Quaker Cemetery, her spirit is still said to wander nearby, continuing her search. Schexnayder will discuss the research behind a new podcast episode devoted to Agnes, examining what can be documented, how the story has changed across generations, and what local ghost stories reveal about the communities that preserve them.
Broad & Vine will be open during the free program, with food and beverages available for purchase. No tickets or reservations are required.
