Learn more about the 2024 Festival of Monsters free public events, Oct. 11-12. Register for the Academic Conference, Oct. 16-18.

We take monsters seriously

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“It is true, we shall be monsters, cut off from all the world; but on that account we shall be more attached to one another.”

— Mary Shelley, Frankenstein,
or, the Modern Prometheus

Monsters play a role in the representation of some of the most challenging problems facing our world: matters of race and religion, social justice, and environmental threats. The Center for Monster Studies at UC Santa Cruz aims to explore the role of monsters in culture and humanities.

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2024 Festival of Monsters

The 2024 Festival of Monsters will be held October 11-18 in beautiful Santa Cruz, California. Ferocious fun will be had at the Festival’s free public events, October 11-12. Then, join monstrous minds as the Center holds its fourth Festival of Monsters academic conference from October 16-18, culminating in our annual Monsters Ball!

Learn more.

The Show Where They Talk About Monsters

In our monstrous podcast, Center Director Michael Chemers talks with host Mike Halekakis about the ways in which monsters chill and thrill us! All 7 episodes of the first season of The Show Where They Talk About Monsters are now available on Libsyn, Spotify, Google Podcast and Apple.

Learn More.