Riccardo, Martin V.
Riccardo, Martin V. (1952–)
(pop culture)Martin V. Riccardo, a writer, researcher, hypnotist, and lecturer on vampires, is the founder of Vampire Studies. He grew up in the Chicago Metropolitan Area and graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Illinois in 1974. Originally created as the Vampire Studies Society in Chicago, Illinois, in 1977, Vampire Studies (“Society” was dropped from the name in 1990) was designed as a means for vampire enthusiasts to share information on the subject. It was the first vampire-oriented fan club to use the word vampire in its title. Riccardo had initially developed an interest in the subject several years earlier when he had heard a lecture by Leonard Wolf, author of A Dream of Dracula. After some extensive research on the subject, he began lecturing on vampires in 1976.
In 1977, Vampire Studies began publishing The Journal of Vampirism, one of the first periodicals devoted to vampires in folklore, fiction, film, and fact. The journal published nonfiction articles, book and movie reviews, news reports, fiction, humor, cartoons, and poetry. A primary interest of the journal was reports of vampires and vampire attacks. The journal folded in 1979 after six issues. While being the center of vampire fandom in Chicago, Riccardo built a large correspondence network and was himself an active member in many of the vampire-oriented fan clubs. He also built a large collection of vampire books, magazines, and comic books. Among the members, contributors, and correspondents to Vampire Studies were Dorothy Nixon and Eric Held, who later founded the Vampire Information Exchange. Jan L. Perkowski, a Slavic studies scholar from the University of Virginia and an authority on the Slavic vampire, was also a contributor to The Journal of Vampirism, as was Dr. Jeanne Youngson, founder of the Count Dracula Fan Club, now known as the Vampire Empire.
In 1983, Riccardo saw the publication of two vampire books: Vampires Unearthed, the first comprehensive bibliography of vampire literature and filmography, has become the basis of all vampire bibliographic work since; The Lure of the Vampire was a collection of Riccardo’s essays. Through the 1980s and 1990s, Riccardo has also written a number of articles on vampires for various vampire and occult periodicals. He coined the term “astral vampirism” to refer to a form of psychic vampirism in which the astral body or ghost form left the physical body for the purpose of draining blood or vital energy. During the early 1990s he concentrated his research on vampire dreams and fantasies. Riccardo does not believe that there are Dracula-like creatures but does believe in the process of psychic vampirism in the sense that people can suck the energy or life force from others.
After The Journal of Vampirism folded, Riccardo continued to stay in contact with the subscribers and others interested in the varied issues related to vampires. Over the years he received thousands of letters from individuals interested in vampires, and reporting their experiences of them. Letters he had received through his correspondence network first suggested a line of research he pursued through the mid-1990s on dream experiences. The work resulted in his book, Liquid Dreams of Vampires (1996). Riccardo is a hypnotist by profession. From 1984 to 1985 he edited Hypno-News of Chicagoland. He also has an interest in the larger occult world and in 1981 founded the Ghost Research Society. For six years in the 1980s he hosted the Midwest Ghost Expo, a yearly convention for ghost researchers and enthusiasts. He also has coordinated programs on a variety of occult topics from reincarnation to ancient Egypt.
In the 1990s, Riccardo hosted the Vampire Fan Forums, gatherings of fans and personalities in the vampire world for lectures, discussions, and fun. He is a popular lecturer on vampires and the occult in Greater Chicago. He received the Count’s Award for Meritorious Service at Dracula ‘97: A Centennial Celebration for his many years of work in building vampire fandom.
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