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200 Years Later, 'Frankenfest' Celebrates Real Story of Frankenstein

Universal Studios
Boris Karloff, director James Whale, and cinematographer John J. Mescall on set of Bride of Frankenstein (1935)

2018 marks the bicentennial of the publication of Mary Shelley's "Frankenstein; Or, The Modern Prometheus," and Southwest Florida is marking the anniversary with a celebration to honor the enduring relevance of the novel 200 years later.

Frankenfest is a series of events at New College of Florida in Sarasota, including discussions, movies, lectures, a concert, a play and even a computer game-writing marathon.

English Professor Miriam Wallace is the driving force behind Frankenfest. She joins Gulf Coast Live to discuss the upcoming festivities as well as give some insight into the many misconceptions people have about Dr. Frankenstein's so-called "monster."

Rachel Iacovone is a reporter and associate producer of Gulf Coast Live for WGCU News. Rachel came to WGCU as an intern in 2016, during the presidential race. She went on to cover Florida Gulf Coast University students at President Donald Trump's inauguration on Capitol Hill and Southwest Floridians in attendance at the following day's Women's March on Washington.Rachel was first contacted by WGCU when she was managing editor of FGCU's student-run media group, Eagle News. She helped take Eagle News from a weekly newspaper to a daily online publication with TV and radio branches within two years, winning the 2016 Society of Professional Journalists Mark of Excellence Award for Best Use of Multimedia in a cross-platform series she led for National Coming Out Day. She also won the Mark of Excellence Award for Feature Writing for her five-month coverage of an FGCU student's transition from male to female.As a WGCU reporter, she produced the first radio story in WGCU's Curious Gulf Coast project, which answered the question: Does SWFL Have More Cases of Pediatric Cancer?Rachel graduated from Florida Gulf Coast University with a bachelor's degree in journalism.