ALTOONA, Pa. — Penn State Altoona faculty members Brian Onishi, associate professor of philosophy, and Jeff Stoyanoff, assistant professor of English and of women's, gender and sexuality studies, have released a new episode of their "Horror Joy" podcast. In the latest “Meet the Maker” episode, Onishi is joined by Aimee Pokwatka to talk about her novel “Accumulation” and the link between horror and joy.
Pokwatka said she distinguishes pleasure from deeper joy and argues that horror places us in “communion with terror,” reminding us of death, grief and shared human vulnerability in ways that can be sustaining. She explains “Accumulation’s” haunted-house frame as a flexible metaphor for women’s labor, repetition, doubt and entrapment — including financial constraints — while noting that her real house, a found doll and a sighting of a ghost informed the novel.
The full episode can be accessed on podcast providers or on Red Circle.