Hey campers,
Happy Monster Camp Monday!
First, I want to thank you all for the love and support you’ve given to this brand new project so far. I launched MC just a little under a week ago on my 27th birthday because I felt like I needed an outlet to be 100% authentic and honest about what I care about, what my opinions are, and how horror can be transformative. This project has been in the works for half a year now, and while it’s a relief that everything is coming together, it’s also fucking terrifying. It’s always an intimidating practice to put yourself out there and expect criticism, differing viewpoints, and sometimes, flat out hate. But that’s why I wanted to do this—to fully experience my bandwidth for criticism, share what I think to anyone willing to listen, and pressure myself to do more. The kind words, subscriptions, and reads are so appreciated and make it all worth it. Can’t wait to learn from you all and get to know each other better through this project.
Speaking of getting to know each other, if you don’t listen to the Fear Queers podcast or you aren’t part of the LGBTQVHS community, you most likely know nothing about the person writing these posts. Let’s get acquainted, shall we?
I’m Beyza, my pronouns are they/them, and I’m a queer nonbinary writer and content creator born and raised in Chicago. I spend my days working in social media marketing for a nonprofit, and my nights consist of hanging out with my cats and partner, watching movies and TV, online shopping (Taurus, obvi), reading, podcast editing, drinking a lot of Diet Coke, and now, Monster Camp.
I started Monster Camp to connect with like-minded people and continue to help grow this exciting, vibrant queer horror community. So in the spirit of connection, here are just a few of my favorite things:
Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Collecting VHS
Yellowjackets (Jackie 4ever 💔)
Halloween (franchise + season)
The Last of Us parts 1 and 2
Jennifer’s Body
Scream franchise
Literally just Sarah Michelle Gellar
Thrifting/antiquing adventures
Podcasts
Video games
Marvel franchise (specifically Kate Bishop + Spider-man)
Killing Eve (and more generally, just sapphic psychopaths/antagonists)
aka Harley Quinn, Jennifer Check, Yelena Bolova…you get the vibe
The ‘90s + Aughts
What about y’all? Leave a comment below and tell me about your favorite franchises, final girls, and found footage flicks!
🖤 Stay queer, spread fear,
Your ambiguously-gendered camp counselor, Beyza
Nice to meet you Beyza! My name is Reina. I'm a horror and dark fantasy writer, new to Substack and already loving it! During the day I teach 4th graders. I enjoy thrift shopping/antiquing as well. My husband and I like to choose a weekly movie to watch on the weekends and half the time it's some sort of thriller or horror. One of my favorite classics is Nightmare on Elm Street. Last week we watched The Night House on HBOmax. It was trippy, we enjoyed it!
I'm looking forward to seeing where Monster Camp goes. I saw that you have audio available, but couldn't find your podcast on the podcast app I use (it's a small app). Where can I find it?