About the Project

What began as an innocuous conversation in our office, this project now seeks to examine the changing image of the zombie in popular culture. While scholarly interest in the zombie is relatively new and seeks to analyze how this shambling creature dominated the Western imagination, Ashley Szanter and Jessica K. Richards hope to move attention towards the new romanticized and sexualized zombie creature. 

The recent explosion of literature, film, and television showcasing a kinder and gentler zombie speaks to a trend in popular culture. Like the vampire before it, audiences demanded a zombie that could also play the love interest--and popular culture responded in kind. The collection is now under contract with McFarland Publishers and seeks innovative chapters on this transformed zombie monster.