This volume was a long time coming, both in content and in delivery, giving our contributors the chance to weave narratives of queerness in the most contemporary of ways.
A special thanks as always goes to Patricia Leavy for her endless loyalty, support and encouragement. Patricia’s boundless commitment to giving back to the community of feminist scholars helps us believe that we can.
We also would like to extend gratitude to Kamden Strunk and Stephanie Shelton for giving this text a home in the Queer Studies in Education series. A major thank you also goes to Jolanda Karada for her support and assistance over the years.
To our “Aca-Community”—the true Children of the Night especially Cait Coker, Lisa Nevarez, and our peers at the National Popular Culture Association, your endless support, ideas, and obsession with vampires has helped turn a disparate group of scholars into a cohesive scholarly Vampire Community.
Amanda dedicates this volume to those who have fought for justice, who were pushed to the fringes and the shadow but fervently protested the status quo and threw bricks to shatter barriers. To my steadfast and supportive parents, Donn and Jo Hobson, who always believe in me. To Blaike, Madison, Noah, and Jase, keep being curious, knowing that you inspire me every day. To Amy, my deepest gratitude for making me laugh and challenging me to think about my work differently.
Melissa would like to dedicate this to the women and girls in her life who queer notions of race and gender. To my flourishing family of nieces, growing into something amazing, Maeve, Freya, Mya, and Kali who have no doubt that it’s better to be a princess (or Queen Kali) and save yourself. To my mother, who continues to convince me with her support that I can, and my brother, who still inspires me to believe I should. And my chosen family, Patricia Leavy, Rebecca Paynich, Sarah Smith, Carrie Cokely who remind me that there is no such thing as being alone.
Our gratitude goes to our contributors who have stuck with us through this surprisingly long process. Their creativity and knowledge queering the vampire image has informed this project, shaping it in ways that expand the boundaries of vampire scholarship.