SPEAKERS AND PRESENTERS

The Haunted America Conference returns to Alton, Illinois and Lewis and Clark College over the weekend of June 26-29, 2025! Here’s a look at some of the speakers, special guests, and workshop presenters for this year!

CONFERENCE HOST: TROY TAYLOR
Troy Taylor is the founder of the Haunted America Conference, as well as an author, tour creator, lecturer, and founder of American Hauntings Ink, which presents haunted history through books, tours, events, and ghost hunts across the country. He is the author of more than 150 books on ghosts, crime, and the unexplained in America and one of the hosts of the American Hauntings Podcast. He has appeared in numerous television shows and documentaries and his book about the St. Louis Exorcism of 1949 is currently under contract to be turned into a film by a major studio. He is also the owner of the American Oddities Museum and currently resides in Alton, Illinois.

JIM WILLIS
Jim has spent the last 35 years chasing after ghosts, monsters, and all things strange and spooky. He still feels lucky to have been given the opportunity to write about his travels and exploits in over a dozen books because he’s convinced the whole “published author” but just sort of fell into his lap. Truth be told, he was always obsessed with visiting weird places and then digging into the history behind those places. It never dawned on him that there were others out there who shared his obsession and wanted to hear about his experiences. Then came that fateful day in 2003 when Weird NJ’s own Mark Moran and Mark Sceurman came calling and the rest, as they say, is weird history. Jim currently resides in Ohio and runs the “Strange and Spooky World” and “Ghosts of Ohio” websites while not writing more books!

ERIN TAYLOR
Erin Taylor, MS, LPC, (Troy's favorite cousin) is a licensed mental health therapist in Colorado, with close to 20 years of mental health community experience. She has been exploring the paranormal formally since 2013 (informally for years), but only starting to write in the past couple of years. Erin has published four books: Sleeping Among Spirits, Unfinished Business (2 versions!), and Strange Colorado, Vol 1- and is working on more! She is a regular contributor for American Haunting's Morbid Curious, along with published articles in Haunted Magazine and American Paranormal Magazine. You can find her books on Amazon, and her author pages on Facebook and Instagram.

RICHARD ESTEP
Richard Estep is the author of 35 books (also known as “a quarter-Taylor”) ranging across multiple genres. He appears in the television shows “Haunted Hospitals,” “Paranormal 911,” “Paranormal Revenge” and several others. Richard regularly presents at conferences and public events. Richard lives in his adopted home state of Colorado and serves as a 911 paramedic.

VICTORIA JAYE
Victoria Jaye is an author, podcaster, and writer in the paranormal/horror analysis spheres. Her book, The Black Hours: Modern Demonic Experiences & Folklore expanded her master's thesis work from Utah State University. Victoria's podcast, Demon Folklorist, can be found on Spreaker and on several other podcasting platforms where she talks demons, folklore, and horror movies. Her research interests are demonic narratives, experiences, phenomena, and media. Victoria also analyzes horror movies for her column, The Novelty Shoppe, on Morbidly Beautiful. She is currently expanding her research into classifying other types of negative supernatural experiences.

APRIL SLAUGHTER
April is a longtime presenter at the Haunted America Conference and a part of the American Hauntings family. She is the author of three books and numerous articles on ghosts, hauntings, spirit communication, psychical research, the unexplained, and death and funeral customs. She is also the founder of “Slaughter Skulls,” an accomplished artist, and gourmet chef who operates a business that features her other passion, “Slaughterhouse Catering”. She was born and raised in Utah, where she developed a love for history and genealogy, and currently resides there with her twin daughters.

SHERRI BRAKE
Sherri is a Haunted America Conference veteran and a returning favorite, as well as being an author, lecturer, and paranormal investigator. She owns the award-winning "Haunted Heartland Tours" and has instructed classes on the paranormal while finding time to consult on a few paranormal television shows, lead yearly adventure tours to Ireland and Scotland, and offer tours and ghost hunts in several states. She has written numerous books on hauntings in Ohio and West Virginia, is a member of a number of different historical and heritage societies and lives on a 100-acre farm in central West Virginia with her family. Their house is "slightly" haunted!

KATIE ENNIS
Katie Ennis aka "The Ghost Tourist," is a YouTube creator who produces and hosts a show about ghost stories and paranormal tourism. As The Ghost Tourist, she has traveled to some of the country's hottest paranormal vacation destinations, from Salem to Death Valley, seeking out the macabre, fascinating, and strange. Katie’s background is in the film and television industry. She works full-time as a picture editor on shows such as DEXTER: ORIGINAL SIN and Disney’s DESCENDANTS: RISE OF RED and she brings this storytelling capability to her work as “The Ghost Tourist.” Beyond the thrill of a fright, ghost stories are meant to challenge, to make us question our carefully constructed views of reality. Often, the stories themselves are what haunt a place, but in her travels, Katie has witnessed a surprise or two.

KARI BERGEN
Kari Bergen is an intuitive assemblage artist, paranormal investigator, lover of strange and forgotten history, and owner of the art and antique oddities shop, Ephemera Obscura. She is a lifelong sensitive who has spent the last 20+ years studying the metaphysical and investigating the paranormal. Author of “The Ghost of Floyd Collins” article in Troy Taylor’s “The Morbid Curious” No. 4. She has given presentations for Atlas Obscura on topics such as “Victorian Mourning”, “Postmortem Photography”, and the “History of Disaster Tourism”, and after-hours talks at Haunted America Conference on “Dreaming of the Dead”, “Messages from the Dead”, the “Care and Handling of Haunted Objects” and “Residual Hauntings”. She and her haunted doll orphanage appear in the documentary, “A Haunting in Blue Hill”.

AMANDA R. WOOMER
Writer, lecturer, and dark historian Amanda R. Woomer (she/her) was born and raised in Buffalo, NY. She is a featured writer for the award-winning Haunted Magazine and The Morbid Curious, as well as the owner of Spook-Eats. She is the author and co-author of 15 books for kids and adults, including Harlots & Hauntings, A Very Frightful Victorian Christmas, and The Art of Grieving. Most recently, she worked with Troy Taylor on Hell Hath No Fury 3. She is also the creator of The Feminine Macabre and the curator of The Traveling Museum of Memento Mori. Follow her spooky adventures at On her website, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.

MATTHEW JACKSON
Matthew Jackson began actively researching the paranormal in 2009. After a string of unexplainable events — the strangest being in 2003 when a discarnate voice whispered in his ear and then chucked a glass of water at his head at the exact location of an unsolved murder from 1970 — he began delving into connections between tragic history and supernational occurrences. He instantly became drawn to Instrumental Trans Communication (ITC) and has developed a passion for Electronic Voice Phenomena (EVP) and using Spirit/Ghost Boxes in his sessions. He has investigated many locations, including iconic ones such as the Lizzie Borden House, and has braved the halls of Waverly Hills Sanatorium on numerous occasions. Matthew is also the proud owner of some of the most unique spirit boxes in the field — all of which he’ll be presenting at this year’s event during his Saturday night workshop!

THE THREE APPALACHIAN WITCHES
Ashley Conner, Misty Conner, and Pat Bussard O’Keefe are descendants of the mystics of the mountains, Appalachian granny women, also known as granny witches. Each is a talented psychic, medium, and Reiki Master/natural healer. This popular witchy trio are authors, and their latest books are: Three Appalachian Witches: Moon Magick, Mirror Magick, and the Witches Ladder, Appalachian Granny Witch Magick, and Appalachian Conjuring. They also host a bi-monthly podcast, Appalachian Cauldron, answering with insight and humor, magickal and personal questions posed by their audience. These busy conjurers were featured in the documentary Season of the Witch, which can be found on many streaming services. Pat, Ashley and Misty are currently working on their own documentary about Appalachian granny women titled, There’s Magick in Them Mountains. The film is set to premiere in the fall of 2025. These Three Appalachian Witches have traveled the country conducting seances, gallery readings, energy healing sessions, classes, and workshops on a plethora of spiritual and paranormal topics.

LAREN PIKE
Dubbed “That Bone Lady,” Laren is an expert in Osteomancy with 19 years of experience in the practice and a generational Ozark Folk Practitioner with 25 years of experience taught by her grandfather. She gained a following on social media asking questions about cryptids, conspiracies, and anything ridiculous. Working in conjunction with the spirit and bones of her familiar Mella, she seeks to teach how to handle and respectfully work with animal spirits and read bones as a form of divination.

TOBIAS AND EMILY WAYLAND from the SINGULAR FORTEAN SOCIETY
Tobias Wayland is a passionate Fortean who has been actively investigating the unusual for over a decade. The first several years of his investigative career were spent as a MUFON field investigator and following that he investigated independently prior to becoming the head writer and editor for The Singular Fortean Society. Tobias is a frequent guest on various podcasts and radio shows, has written several books and contributed articles to periodicals on the paranormal, has appeared on television and in documentaries, and is often invited to speak at paranormal conferences and events.

Emily Wayland is an ardent craftsperson and devoted monster enthusiast. An accomplished artist, designer, and photographer, Emily is responsible not only for The Singular Fortean Society’s aesthetic but also for the examination of any photographic or video evidence. Emily’s art and designs have been featured in various paranormal art shows around the Minneapolis area, and on television and documentaries featuring the work of The Singular Fortean Society. In addition, she has designed all the covers for The Feminine Macabre anthology series, as well as contributed an essay for its second volume. Her expertise is also sought after as a speaker and guest at conferences and on podcasts.

LARRY EISSLER
The author, filmmaker, paranormal researcher, and first-time Dead of Winter presenter presents the most haunted location, stories, and evidence from his show “Expedition Entity,” a PARAFlixx original series starring Larry and Dan Norvell! Discover some of the most amazing locations from the show, like the Tinker Swiss Cottage, Brodhead Manor, and the Freeport Masonic Temple, and more — and see how the Expedition Entity team proves that you don't have to spend a fortune for high-quality investigations!

LISA KRICK
Lisa is a member of the American Spectral Society and the American Hauntings family. Although she's been experiencing the paranormal her entire life, she has only been investigating for just shy of 20 years. She is an audio enthusiast and has been working with the Estes Method of communication for over five years now, continually tweaking the vanilla version for the best fit for the American Spectral Society. She's also been working with dark mirror scrying for close to ten years, having learned this art from the esteemed Rosemary Ellen Guiley. When Lisa's not traveling around the country, spending time in dark places with unseen company, she relaxes with her dog, Kamali, and her family in southern Georgia. She also spends her free time as an Indie film actress and production assistant. Lisa's "real life" endeavors include being a Realtor, a Reiki Master, and an End of Life Doula.

LUKE NALIBORSKI AND LEN ADAMS
Presenting Strange Stuff
A longtime favorite at the conference, “Strange Stuff” was created in 2002 by supporter John Brill. After his health became too poor to continue, John passed the reins for the session to Len and Luke, who have carried on the tradition he envisioned of “breaking the ice” at the start of the conference and allowing attendees to present their own stories of ghosts and paranormal events. So, come prepared to share if you’d like!

The hosts — Luke and Len — are both longtime guides for American Hauntings in Alton and Southwestern Illinois. Both are the authors of several books about ghosts. Luke is also the owner of “I Had That Toy,” a nostalgia and collectible shop in Belleville, Illinois, and is a returning vendor at the conference.

AMERICAN HAUNTINGS PODCAST | CODY BECK
Cody Beck is writer and producer for Cinemablend and the creator of the American Hauntings Podcast, which he co-hosts with Troy Taylor. The podcast started in 2017 and is currently in its eighth season of delving into the dark side of American history.

JEFF WITHAM | TRAVELING BOARDS OF WONDER MUSEUM
Jeff’s Traveling Boards of Wonders LLC was founded in 2021. This is Jeff’s passion and he loves to share his knowledge and the artistry of his collection. He started off with 75 boards on display and the collection has since grown to over 200 boards from all over the world, created by dozens of artists. The museum not only displays boards that have been handmade by various artists, it also features historical boards, as well as presenting the history of the boards, how they were created — and even a few that are allegedly haunted!