Guest List by Announcement Date

The Definitive Guide

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Dragon Con welcomes guests from around the globe – with new people announced all the time! Take a look at the inventive minds, luminaries, and celebrities you’ll be spending the weekend with.

Announced: 03/21/2023

  • Annie Stegg Gerard

    Annie Stegg Gerard is a gallery artist and illustrator known for her mythical and captivating oil paintings of women, nature and mythological figures.

  • Justin Gerard

    Justin Gerard is an independent artist who has worked within the publishing and film industries providing illustrations for clients such as Disney, Dreamworks, Warner Brothers, Sony, Riot, Blizzard, Hasbro, Wizards of the Coast and Riotminds.

  • Thomas Gofton

    Gofton founded Lynnvander Studios. He has produced and designed multiple tabletop games, including Shadowrun Takedown and Battletech Aces. He is the owner of streaming platform Six Sides of Gaming.

  • Dakota Krout

    Dakota Krout is an internationally bestselling author of fantasy and LitRPG with over 35 titles in his Completionist Chronicles, Divine Dungeon, Full Murderhobo, and Year of The Sword series.

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Announced: 03/20/2023

  • Andrew Aydin

    Andrew Aydin is a #1 New York Times bestselling author and National Book Award winner. Andrew is co-author with Rep. John Lewis of March and Run, co-writer of The March, VR experience for TIME Inc, and has written characters such as Captain America and Batman for Marvel and DC Comics.

  • Margaret Downey

    Margaret Downey has had a prolific career in skepticism creating unique events and services. Dressed in the character of a "Friggatriskaidekaphobia Treatment Nurse," she helps cure superstitions. Downey organizes and provides the costumes, banners, and signs for the Skeptics entry in the Dragon Con parade.

  • Alicia Fox-Lenz

    Fox-Lenz is a Steward of the Mythopoeic Society and scholar interested in studying Tolkien through a Cultural Studies lens and expanding the mantle of mythopoeic literature to interactive narrative platforms. 

  • J. B. Garner

    Z-tier author/S-class editor, but generally awesome, Jamie Beth (J. B.) Garner has written over a dozen novels across multiple genres and edited hundreds more.

  • Audrey Martin

    Dr. Audrey Martin is a planetary scientist who studies the composition of asteroids and is a collaborator on NASA's Lucy mission. She is also a Walkabout the Galaxy podcast co-host!

  • Bryce O'Connor

    Bryce O'Connor is the CEO of Wraithmarked Creative, which has raised over $700,000 in Kickstarter funding for various deluxe editions of popular independent and traditionally published sci-fi/fantasy novels. He is also a #1 Audible Store bestselling author, with his collective works having sold over 500,000 copies world-wide.

  • Matthew Scott Penick

    Matthew Penick is the founder of the theatrical design company Ribbons and Rivets. He began showing wares at local Renaissance Festivals and conventions but grew to shipping custom orders globally.

  • ALAN J. PORTER

    Alan J. Porter is a writer, and podcaster. He has over 30 fiction and non-fiction book publishing credits and hundreds of magazine articles on multiple subjects.

  • Spat

    Spat Oktan of SpatCave Studios is an FX Makeup Artist, Costume/Prop Maker and Author known for his MOBCon book series and his crazy makeup effects.

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Announced: 03/19/2023

  • L.H. Nicole

    L.H. Nicole is a young adult fantasy author whose stories feature strong, independent female leads, epic adventures, fantasy worlds, and creatures and unforgettable heroes. 

  • Cassandra Quave

    Cassandra Quave is a disabled writer, speaker, podcast host, professor, explorer, and plant scientist leading drug discovery research on molecules from nature.

  • David Sherrer

    David Sherrer is the Marketing Director and Lead Game Designer of Chenoweth Press. His debut card game Cat Magic: The Game released in 2022 and was funded on Kickstarter.

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Announced: 03/18/2023

  • Anthony Francis

    By day, Anthony Francis teaches robots to learn; by night, he writes science fiction and draws comic books. His latest novel is Jeremiah Willstone and the Clockwork Time Machine.

  • Hansi Oppenheimer

    Hansi Oppenheimer is a documentarian who has interviewed fans & creators in different genres for over a decade. Her podcast series, The Grr in Fangrrl, focused on women in horror.

  • Sean Patton

    Sean Michael Patton is a costume design veteran and principal for SMP Designs and has designed more than 40 stage productions, eight short films, five features, and numerous media projects.

  • Phillip Pournelle

    Pournelle is a science fiction author, war game designer, operations analyst, and military strategist. He has published several short stories on military conflict and contributed to the latest Janissaries novel.

  • Kevin Stallard

    Kevin Stallard has been in Information Security for more than 35 years and an avid video gamer for more than 40. He is currently Director of Security Architecture for Activision/Blizzard/King.

  • Torrey Stenmark

    Torrey Stenmark is an organic chemist, associate instructor, and an award-winning costumer. She has taught almost every chemistry course on offer at Shoreline Community College.

  • Urbnpop

    Chris Hamer aka URbnpop Is an Georgia Based Artist, Who Paints, Draws Comics and Envisions the world in a Very different way.

  • J. P. Valentine

    J.P. "Nixia" Valentine has penned bestsellers across the progression fantasy spectrum. The Nothing Mage, This Quest is Bullshit!, Dungeon Devotee, and The Stargazer's War are but a few.

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Announced: 03/17/2023

  • Samantha Avila

    Samantha Avila is an Art Director working in film and TV. Recent credits include Guardians of the Galaxy: Vol. 3, Spider-Man: No Way Home, Our Flag Means Death, and Westworld.

  • Will Aymerich

    Will Aymerich is The Founder of the The Southern Church of Vinyl, Co-author of the book Souls of Norcross, founder of The Darkside Syndicate a popular paranormal investigation team from Atlanta.

  • Madi Buckingham

    Madi Buckingham is a Historian on the Lore Team within Story & Franchise Development at Blizzard Entertainment. In the last five years, Madi has contributed to over 50 publications and 15 game credits crossing the universes of Diablo, Overwatch, StarCraft, World of Warcraft, Hearthstone, and Heroes of the Storm.

  • Chesya Burke

    Burke is as Assistant Professor and the director of Africana Studies at Stetson University. She is a Podcaster and author. Her collection, Let's Play White, is being taught in universities.

  • Cathalson

    Cathalson is an American author and screenwriter of over 50+ publications. He is a fiction developer for Edgar Rice Burroughs Inc., AntiMatter Games, and creator of the game - StoriVenture.

  • Richard J Estep

    Appearing on numerous TV shows and the author of 34 books, Richard Estep writes and presents on topics ranging from the paranormal, true crime, history, and writing/publishing.

  • Nicoli Gonnella

    Nicoli Gonnella writes Unbound, a bestselling LitRPG saga that has five books published and many more to come.

  • Jen L. Grey

    Jen L. Grey is an USA Today Bestselling author of urban fantasy and paranormal romance. In her stories, you'll find angsty fated mate stories with tons of action.

  • Will Harris

    Will Harris is a paleontologist, educator, and cohost of the Common Descent Podcast, where he applies his experience as a fossil hunter, researcher, and educator to entertaining and educational discussions.

  • Howard Andrew Jones

    Writer and editor Howard Jones received critical acclaim from Publisher's Weekly for his trilogy and historical fantasies from St. Martin's and has just signed a five book deal with Baen.

  • Charlie Kaufman

    Charlie Kaufman has worked in extensively in environmental consulting, academia where he studied coastal erosion, and emergency management responding to natural disaster impacts. He currently works for the government so he is here to help.

  • Jeffrey L Kohanek

    Jeffrey L. Kohanek writes fast-paced epic fantasy adventures packed with action, intrigue, and snark. With over 26 published novels, his author journey has just begun.

  • Shemer Kuznits

    Shemer Kuznits is a bestselling, Israeli LitRPG author with 11 books to his name, including the popular series Life Reset, Earth Force, and Biomancer.

  • John Jackson Miller

    New York Times bestselling author and Dragon Award winner John Jackson Miller has written novels and comics in many universes. Star Trek novels include Strange New Worlds: The High Country; Star Wars works include Kenobi and Knights of the Old Republic; plus titles for Battlestar Galactica, Halo, and Mass Effect.

  • Gary Poole

    Gary Poole is the editor of John Ringo's Black Ride Rising series of anthologies, morning radio host, screenwriter, and founder/host of the popular Robot Battles TM competitions.

  • Jim Zub

    Jim Zub is a writer, artist, and art instructor who has worked for a wide array of publishing, movie, and video game clients, including Marvel, DC Comics, Disney, Capcom, Hasbro, Cartoon Network, and Bandai-Namco. He juggles his time between being a freelance comic writer and a professor teaching drawing and storytelling courses in Seneca College's award-winning Animation program.

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Announced: 03/16/2023

  • Sweeney Boo

    Sweeney Boo is a comic artist and illustrator. When she's not busy drawing witchy girls and hairless cats, she works with various publishers. She is also the author and illustrator of graphic novel Eat, & Love Yourself, and Over My Dead Body out with Harper Collins.
  • Martha Carr

    Martha Carr is a bestselling author of urban fantasy/action adventure novels. She was a stringer for the Washington Post, national columnist, co-creator of Oriceran Universe, author of best-selling UF series, The Leira Chronicles. Martha has a new book, Eamon, first in the Queen of the Flightless Dragons trilogy.

  • Michael Cho

    Michael Cho is a freelance cartoonist/illustrator based in Toronto. Cho has drawn a few stories and a large variety of covers for publishers including Marvel, DC, Image, Boom and others. His first graphic novel, Shoplifter, was published by Pantheon and debuted on the New York Times Best Seller List.

  • Mike Crugnola

    Mike Crugnola is best-known for role playing characters like Jebeddo and Deeran on the D&D live play podcast Adventure Incorporated, the Pokedexpert on Ask the Pokedexpert, and as a Swoontower Soccer host.

  • Jeff Dekal

    Jeff Dekal is a freelance illustrator. After being educated about art history in college, he was inspired to focus more on figurative art. Dekal is currently working in the comic industry as a cover artist. His clients include Marvel, DC, Creature Entertainment, and Dark Horse.

  • Tini Howard

    Tini Howard is a comic book writer and swamp witch from the Carolina Wilds. Currently, she writes Euthanauts, Assassinistas (with Gilbert Hernandez), and Hack/Slash: Resurrection, with occasional stories for two of her favorite things: Rick and Morty and WWE. Previous work includes Power Rangers: Pink and The Skeptics.

  • Creees Lee

    Creees is a variant cover artist, and is the interior artist for Black Mask's Lab Raider. He has worked for Image, Dynamite and Chapterhouse Comics. 

  • Mark Meer

    Mark is known worldwide for his work on Bioware's Mass Effect Trilogy, voicing Commander Shepard, the Vorcha, and more. Other voice credits include the Baldur's Gate and Dragon Age series, Hinterland Studio's The Long Dark, ChaosForge's Jupiter Hell and Starro the Conquerer in WB Games' Gotham Knights.

  • Tony Moy

    Tony Moy is an international comic artist known for The 4Forty2nd. He creates artwork for D&D, X-files, and more. He teaches watercolor and streams on Twitch and Paint Bros.

  • Trevor Valle

    Trevor Valle is a paleontologist, science writer, and professional DM who has appeared on Doomsday: 10 Ways The World Will End and Mammoths Unearthed, as well as a TTRPG writer, Actual Play regular, the dinosaur creator for Atlas Games' Plangea D&D setting, and Creative Director of the GeekyJerseys D&D jerseys.

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Announced: 03/15/2023

  • R.J. Blain

    USA Today Bestselling author R.J Blain writes paranormal romance and urban fantasy with a comedic twist, blending thrills and chills with hilarity and mayhem.

  • Greg Hildebrandt

    Artist Guest of Honor Greg Hildebrant is known for his iconic illustrations, including the original Star Wars movie poster. He has created pieces for comic books, movie posters, children's books, posters, and novels for properties such as Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, Marvel, and DC Comics, to name a few.

  • Sue Kisenwether

    Sue Kisenwether has been podcasting about sci-fi TV and movies since 2010. Currently, she co-hosts Women at Warp, exploring Star Trek through a feminist lens.

  • Cheralyn Lambeth

    Cheralyn is a professional costume, prop, and puppet builder whose work includes films (The Muppet Christmas Carol, The Patriot, The Hunger Games), TV shows (Dinosaurs!, Homeland, Legacies), & live/interactive properties (Star Trek: The Experience, Avenue Q). She also currently holds the Guinness World Record for Largest Collection of Finger Puppets.

  • Larry Niven

    Hugo & Nebula Award-winning author Larry Niven is a legend in the field of science fiction. Among his many stories and novels are Ringworld and The Magic Goes Away. He co-authored such best-sellers as The Mote in God's Eye, Lucifer's Hammer, Footfall and the Bowl of Heaven novels.

  • Chelsea Quinn Yarbro

    Literary Guest of Honor, Chelsea Quinn Yarbro has sold over 97 books and 83 shorter works in many genres in her 57-year-long career,. She is best-known for her Saint-Germain series of historical horror stories. She writes in a number of genres and under five different pseudonyms.

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Announced: 03/14/2023

  • Kevin McLaughlin

    Kevin McLaughlin is the multiple USA Today bestselling author of over 100 SF&F novels. He loves traveling around the world to help teach newer authors the art and craft of producing books readers love!

  • Jean Marie Ward

    Jean Marie Ward writes fiction, nonfiction and everything in between. Her credits include a multi-award nominated novel, numerous short stories and two popular art books. 

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Announced: 03/13/2023

  • Curt Anderson

    Curt Anderson is a professional magician and speaker. He has performed across the country, around the world, and on world-wide television. His brand of performance is a fusion of magic, mental feats & physical stunts that will leave you wondering what is real and what is magic.

  • Jessica Cage

    Jessica Cage is an International Award Winning, and USA Today Best Selling Author from Chicago, IL. She is an independent publisher who focuses on writing strong characters of color in fantasy. Jessica recently signed with Webtoon to produce exclusive content for their new reading app, Yonder.

  • Delilah S Dawson

    Delilah S. Dawson is the New York Times bestselling author of Star Wars: Phasma and Galaxy's Edge: Black Spire, The Violence, the Minecraft Mob Squad series, the Hit series, the Blud series, the Shadow series (written as Lila Bowen), and the Tales of Pell, written with Kevin Hearne.

  • Rita DLaVane

    Rita D'LaVane is your 2019 Duchess of Funk of the What The Funk?! All BIPoC Burlesque Festival. Voted Savannah's Best Burlesque Performer 2020, 2021, 2022 and Mx. Ohio Burlesque 2022.

  • Mark Dos Santos

    Illustrator and comic artist Mark Dos Santos has worked with celebrated creators such as Steve T. Seagle (IMPERIAL), Garth Ennis (A Train Called Love), and Bill Willingham (Lark's Killer). He has created book covers for Silence in the LibraryStar Trek TNG, and Hugo award-winning writer, Morgan Gendel (Planet 6).

  • Stephen Granade

    Stephen Granade is a physicist, writer, and interactive narrative designer specializing in robotics and machine learning. He was most recently on the Science Channel's NASA's Unexplained Files, and his game, Professor of Magical Studies, is out now from Choice of Games.

  • Kevin Grazier

    Kevin R. Grazier Ph.D. is a planetary physicist who was on the Cassini Mission to Saturn team. He has served as the science advisor for several television series and feature films and is the co-author of the Hollyweird Science series of books.

  • Clay Shepard Griffith

    Clay Griffith (with wife, Susan) is the co-author of the Vampire Empire series, the Crown & Key trilogy, and Flash: The Haunting Of Barry Allen and Arrow: A Generation Of Vipers. He is a comic book writer for characters such as The Tick and Kolchak: The Night Stalker.

  • Hans R House

    Hans House, MD, is a Professor of Emergency Medicine at the University of Iowa. He lectures frequently both nationally and internationally on travel-related and emerging infectious diseases.

  • Dan Jolley

    Dan Jolley has written professionally for 30+ years in comic books, video games, children's books, and novels. He is most well-known for co-creating the Jason Rusch incarnation of DC Comics' character Firestorm, co-writing the narrative for the game Dying Light, and scripting the Eisner-nominated graphic novel JSA: The Liberty Files.

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Announced: 03/10/2023

  • Kurt Boutin

    Boutin currently hosts This Week in MCU, Story Time with Kurt, This Week in Batuu, Plus Size Stories, and publishes daily Fat Guy vlogs focusing on weight loss on TikTok.

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Announced: 03/06/2023

  • Darin M. Bush

    Darin M. Bush is an award-winning science-fiction and fantasy short-story author. He is the founder and executive producer of Tables of Content, a virtual sci-fi convention.

  • Kirstyn Carlson

    Kirstyn Carlson is a Systems Integration and Test Engineer for NASA's Artemis Program at Kennedy Space Center, working on the Orion Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle. 

  • greendragon

    Stage director, public speaker, and singer Kirsten Z. Cairns is a senior staffer for TheOneRing.net. Often seen at events as a panelist for TORn, a performer, or interviewing cast members, Cairns brings knowledge of literature, music, theatre, and fantasy to all her interactions with fans and celebs!

  • Brett A McGuire

    MIT Prof. Brett McGuire has a PhD in Chemistry and has worked with the National Radio Astronomy Observatory and Harvard & Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics. His specially is Astrochemistry.

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Announced: 03/05/2023

  • Veronica Dashiell

    Veronica Dashiell is half of the husband and wife puppetry team Felt Nerdy. They have been performing at conventions and local theatres across the Southeast for over ten years together.

  • Charles Kelso

    Charles is half of the husband and wife puppetry team of Felt Nerdy. They have been performing together for over ten years at conventions across the Southeast.

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Announced: 03/02/2023

  • James J. Butcher

    James J. Butcher is a new urban fantasy writer and author of Dead Man's Hand, the first book in the Unorthodox Chronicles. He is the son of Jim Butcher, author of the Dresden Files, Codex Alera, and Cinder Spires.

  • Bob Novella

    Bob Novella is a co-founder of the New England Skeptical Society. He co-hosts the Skeptics' Guide to the Universe podcast and is co-author of its two books.

  • Toni Weisskopf

    Toni Weisskopf has been the publisher of Baen Books since 2006. Baen is known for its innovative e-publishing program, which has expanded under Weisskopf's leadership to include titles from other publishers. She is interested in space science and serves on the Board of Advisors of the Interstellar Research Group.

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Announced: 03/01/2023

  • Christian Hubicki

    Dr. Christian Hubicki is a robotics professor and a castaway on CBS' Survivor:David vs. Goliath. Hubicki's research in controlling walking robots has been honored internationally and featured in media outlets.

  • Logan Jenkins

    Logan Jenkins is one host of the podcast Very Random Encounters, book author, and creator of the TTRPG, I'm Sure You're All Wondering Why I've Gathered You Here This Evening.

  • Greg Leatherman

    Greg is an award winning game designer for the TTRPG Glitter Hearts and is a founding member of the actual play podcast Very Random Encounters.

  • Lee Terrill

    Lee is an avid player of all genres of table top games. She has cohosted the actual play podcast Very Random Encounters for the last 6 years with her three amazing friends.

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Announced: 02/28/2023

  • Tina Hesman Saey

    Dr. Tina Saey is an award-winning science journalist. She is a senior writer covering molecular biology at Science News magazine.

  • Alain TheDungeonMeowster

    Alain is a happy-go-lucky improv performer and tabletop storyteller, the co-creator of Goblins & Growlers and the Quid Pro Roll podcast among others. 

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Announced: 02/27/2023

  • Marie Brennan

    Marie Brennan is the author of the Hugo-nominated The Memoirs of Lady Trent; the first book of that series was nominated for a World Fantasy Award.

  • Henry Hanks

    Henry Hanks has written about geek culture for sites such as CNN.com, Syfy.com and Joblo.com. He has participated in Dragon Con panels for over 20 years.

  • Lucas Hernandez

    Lucas Hernandez is the education coordinator at the South Carolina Aquarium. He is also a member of the Sprites of Life podcast, that discusses what games can teach us.

  • Brandon H Strauss

    Brandon Strauss is finishing a doctorate at Texas A&M, where they currently teach about medical and veterinary entomology and stink up the lab with decomposition research.

  • Alex White

    Alex White is the author of The Salvagers Trilogy and the Starmetal Symphony, as well as books for the Alien and Star Trek franchises. 

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Announced: 02/25/2023

  • Jeff Burns

    Jeff Burns is the creator of superhero comedy series Super Knocked Up and the host of improv comedy show Super Geeked Up. He's also a sci-fi/fantasy author, contributing to anthologies and penning over thirty Riley Rose Erotica books when he's not traveling the galaxy with Spike Spiegel and Faye Valentine.

  • Joshua I. Cutchin

    Joshua Cutchin is a full-time author and musician specializing in speculative non-fiction. He is the author of seven critically-acclaimed books. In 2019, he was featured on History Channel's Ancient Aliens.

  • Leighann Lord

    Leighann Lord is a stand-up comedian who has performed at Dragon Con for several years. She is the author of Dict Jokes and Real Women Do it Standing Up. Leighann has also co-hosted on StarTalkRadio, with Neil de Grasse Tyson. She has been seen on Comedy, HBO & Showtime.

  • Thomas Parham

    Dr. Thomas Parham is a professor of communication and media studies at Palm Beach Atlantic University and a WGA member with produced credits.

  • Sean Weiland

    Sean is a program manager for Kingsisle Entertainment, an award winning voice actor, and bartender. His was a contestant on America's Next Top Podcaster Season 4.

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Announced: 02/24/2023

  • Ian P Harris

    The skeptic comedian Ian Harris is known for his biting social commentary on third-rail subjects. If you cannot prove it with science, Harris will likely poke holes in it... in a hysterical way. Clever comedy, science, social commentary, characters, and sometimes impressions!

  • Steve Jackson

    Steve Jackson has been designing games for 45 years and has no plans to stop. His creations include Munchkin, Illuminati, the GURPS and Fantasy Trip role-playing systems, Ogre, Car Wars, and Zombie Dice. He is a citizen of the Internet until Texas cleans up its act.

  • Jay Novella

    Jay Novella is a skeptical activist, a science popularizer, author, producer, and host. He is best known for The Skeptics' Guide To The Universe, a top 10 science podcast.

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Announced: 02/23/2023

  • Kevin J. Anderson

    Kevin J. Anderson has published 170+ books, more than 58 of which have been national or international bestsellers. He has written numerous novels in the Star Wars, X-Files, and Dune universes, as well as a unique steampunk fantasy trilogy, Clockwork Angels, with Neil Peart, legendary drummer from Rush.

  • Andrew Lee Griffith

    Andrew Lee Griffith is a pop culture artist best-known for his stints as the lead artist on books such as Transformers , G.I.Joe, Star Wars and Micronauts. He is currently working on a soon-to be announced creator owned project and has recently provided art for Magic the Gathering.

  • James C Mulligan

    James Mulligan has been a Disney artist for over two decades, with properties featuring everything from the classics to recent favorite Frozen. His design, fine art and gallery work includes Playboy, Coca-Cola, Fox, Dreamworks, Warner Brothers, the Chuck Jones Family, Marvel, DC, Lexus, and the Elvis Presley Estate.

  • Steven P Novella

    Steven Novella is the host and producer of The Skeptics' Guide to the Universe. He is an author of three books and has two popular blogs (NeuroLogica and Science-Based Medicine).

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Announced: 02/22/2023

  • Andy Belanger

    Andy Belanger works as a freelance cartoonist/illustrator. He does work in the mainstream comic market, plus a wide variety of work for the Canadian Film and Television industry. In the mainstream comic market, Belanger has worked for such comic publishers as D.C. Comics, Wildstorm, Devil's Due, and Boom! 

  • Rick Heinz

    Rick Heinz is a best-selling author, professional storyteller, and founder of Storytellers Forge Studios. Primarily his work focuses on sarcastic urban fantasy and tabletop roleplaying games.

  • David Petrie

    David Petrie is a fashion and food-obsessed writer of comedic science-fiction and fantasy. Best known for his Necrotic Apocalypse series, his first book was published in 2018.

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Announced: 02/21/2023

  • Emily Swan aSwanNamedEmily

    Emily Swan (aSwanNamedEmily) is the creator and showrunner of the Doodle Crew art stream, co-host of Sketching Shakespeare art and discussion stream, and member of the In Addition podcast.

  • Elizabeth Donald

    Elizabeth Donald is an award-winning writer of dark fantasy and speculative fiction. Her books include the Blackfire and Nocturne series, and she teaches writing at two universities in St. Louis.

  • Susan Anna Griffith

    Susan Griffith is the co-author of fantasy fiction including the Vampire Empire series, Crown & Key trilogy, and The Flash: The Haunting Of Barry Allen and Arrow: A Generation Of Vipers. She is a comic book writer for characters such as The Tick and Kolchak: The Night Stalker.

  • Mandisa L Thomas

    Mandisa Thomas is the founder and President of Black Nonbelievers.  In 2022, Mandisa was featured in a billboard and newspaper ad for the “I'm Secular and I Vote” campaign.

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Announced: 02/20/2023

  • Charles E. Blue

    Charles Blue is a science writer and science communicator focusing on astronomy, astrophysics, engineering and geophysics. He is a contributor to the NOIRLab Stories blog and the Cosmoview webcast.

  • Addie Dove

    Dr. Addie Dove is a planetary scientist and professor at UCF with a passion for space and science communication. She a cohost on the Walkabout the Galaxy podcast.

  • Savannah Miller

    Savannah is a public health professional that has studied a range of public health topics including climate change and infectious disease. 

  • Mohamed Noor

    Dr. Mohamed Noor is a professor and vice-provost at Duke University and a contracted science consultant for the Star Trek universe. He merges his passions by teaching genetic and evolutionary concepts using depictions from Star Trek in the classroom, in writings, in online videos, and in-person presentations at conventions.

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Announced: 02/17/2023

  • Kevin Cafferty

    Kevin Cafferty is an Emmy nominated documentary filmmaker, head of creative at a Fortune 500 company and podcaster.

  • Jason Dorough

    Jason Dorough is the author of the epic fantasy Teshovar series, has worked as a voiceover artist for more than a decade and is also a content creator on BookTok.

  • Charles E. Gannon

    Dr. Charles E. Gannon's 20+ books have won the Dragon Award, the ALA Choice Award, the Compton Crook Award, and had multiple Nebula nominations. He is best known for the Caine Riordan series of hard sci-fi novels, novels in Eric Flint's 1632 and John Ringo's Black Tide Rising universes.

  • Ed Larson

    Ed is the Founder and CEO of Tampa Deep Sea Xplorers, Inc. (TDSX). Ed is passionate about robotics, underwater exploration, business, science fiction, and the maker movement.

  • F.T. Lukens

    F.T. Lukens is a New York Times bestselling author of YA speculative fiction. Their most recent releases are Spell Bound, So This is Ever After, & In Deeper Waters.

  • Rob Roberts

    Rob Roberts is an internet broadcasting veteran and co-creator of Orange Lounge Radio, the longest running weekly show about video games online since 2002. 

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Announced: 02/16/2023

  • Bill Bridges

    Bill Bridges is a writer and game designer most known for developing White Wolf's World of Darkness and the Fading Suns science-fiction universe. 

  • Crystal Cleveland

    Crystal Cleveland is an award-winning actress, published model, horror-short director, and Gruesome Magazine Youtube host for all things happening in horror films.

  • Lali DeRosier

    Science teacher and education researcher, Lali DeRosier promotes youth involvement in science through student writing, art, and, outreach. She tackles themes of science and diversity in sci-fi, fantasy, and horror.

  • Robert J. Sawyer

    Robert J. Sawyer has won the Hugo, Nebula, and John W. Campbell Memorial Awards, all for best science-fiction novel of the year. The ABC TV series Flash Forward was based on his Aurora Award-winning novel of the same name, and he was one of the writers for that program.

  • Dave West

    Dave West is a writer, interviewer, and podcaster who also hosts game shows, wrestling events, and rock n' roll concerts.

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Announced: 02/15/2023

  • Dane Ault

    Dane Ault is the artist behind Monkey Minion Press, an art company he runs with his wife and business partner, Ashlie Hammond. Monkey Minion Press has been publishing art books, kid's books, and all manner of POPaganda, science, and space-related art prints and posters for over a decade.

  • Thomas Harper

    Thomas Harper leads the American Red Cross International Humanitarian Law Program, where he frequently wields Star Wars and other pop culture to teach the public about the laws of war.

  • Kel Kade

    Kel Kade is a NYT Bestselling fantasy author. Her first novel, Free the Darkness, became the #1 Bestseller in Fantasy on Amazon. Kade's second series is with Tor Books.

  • Jean McGuire

    STL Project Coordinator for Steve Jackson Games. Owner of Wintertree Software, maker of RPG aids like TableMaster, fonts, and more. Author of gaming magazine articles. 3D sculptor. 3-D printing geek.

  • Sarah M Milkovich

    Dr. Sarah M. Milkovich is a scientist and an engineer at NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory. She has spent over 15 years exploring the solar system with a variety of spacecraft. Milkovich enjoys sharing the stories of the people behind the robots.

  • Stephanie Mirro

    Author Stephanie Mirro combined her overactive imagination with a college major in ancient civilizations and a love for all things fantasy to result in a bestselling writing career.

  • Casey Moores

    Casey Moores is an award winning author of military science fiction and fantasy with novels and short stories in the Four Horsemen universe, Fallen World, JTF-13, and many more.

  • Anne Schlea

    Anne Schlea has written two series: The Retribution Universe and The Fallen. She enjoys blending true history into urban fantasy to create dynamic worlds her readers want to step into.

  • Anne Sowards

    Anne Sowards is an executive editor at Penguin Random House, where she primarily acquires and edits fantasy, science fiction, and romance for the Ace and Berkley imprints. The talented authors she works with include New York Times bestsellers Jim Butcher, Patricia Briggs, and Kim Harrison.

  • Benjamin Wallace

    They told him to take things seriously. Instead, Benjamin Wallace wrote a book called Post-Apocalyptic Nomadic Warriors. Now he's making reading more fun than it should be.

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Announced: 02/14/2023

  • TJ Sterling

    TJ Sterling is an former Marvel and DC comics artist. TJ also publishes comics through his own imprint RAE Comics. TJ is also a teacher at the Joe Kubert School of Comic and Cartoon Art.

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Announced: 02/13/2023

  • Dr. Armes

    April Armes is a microbial geneticist and ecologist with a focus on microbe-microbe and microbe-host interactions. By night, April enjoys her hobbies such as dancing, cosplay, and video games.

  • Lothlenan Lothlenan

    Lothlenan (Andrea Tamme) is a Canadian/Estonian illustrator known for her clever recreations of famous historical paintings. She is also a YouTuber and comic artist, with several published works under her belt.

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Announced: 02/12/2023

  • Ellie Raine

    Ellie Raine is the Gothic Fantasy author of the Writer's Digest award-winning epic series, the NecroSeam Chronicles.

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Announced: 02/10/2023

  • John Giang

    John is an acclaimed Cover and Concept Artist. John's covers include: Spider-Man, Batman, and Last Ronin. John's film credits include: Rogue One, Avengers, TMNT, and Transformers. John has jammed with Marvel, DC Comics, Paramount, Disney, Lucasfilm, and Hasbro.

  • Mike Kunkel

    Cartoonist Mike Kunkel has worked for nearly 30 years in Animation and Publishing drawing cartoon stories for Film, TV and Comics. He's won the Annie Award for Best Character Design in an Animated TV Production and is the creator of the 2-time Eisner Award-winning comic series Herobear and The Kid.

  • Mike Jack Stoumbos

    Mike Jack Stoumbos is an author and educator, known for Writers of the Future v38 , Sci-Fi series, This Fine Crew, and editor of the Murderbirds anthology among others.

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Announced: 02/09/2023

  • Matt Frank

    Matt Frank is known in both Japan and America as the "Kaiju King," having been an official Godzilla artist on comics, statues, and posters since 2011. He has also worked on Transformers, Ultraman, Gamera, Power Rangers, and original comics like Miss Medusa and State of the Monsters.

  • Andrea Lorenzo Molinari

    Andrea Lorenzo Molinari, Ph.D. is co-writer of The Shepherd series with Scout Comics and editorial director. He was submissions editor/ editor for Caliber Comics, an editor for Amigo Comics, and has edited books published by Action Lab Entertainment, Behemoth, Second Sight, Cosmic Times, and Lev Gleason's New Friday Comics .

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Announced: 02/08/2023

  • Paul B Currie

    Dr. Paul Currie is a Health Science administrator and recovering Biology and Chemistry professor. He has given numerous talks on the use of pop culture in teaching.

  • Andrew E.C. Gaska

    Andrew E.C. Gaska is the UKGE and Ennie award-winning settings/adventure writer for Free League Publishing's Alien RPG. A franchise consultant to 20th Century Studios on Alien, Predator, and POTA, he's also the lead writer on The Terminator RPG and two Choose Your Own Adventure graphic novels.

  • Bill Holbrook

    Bill Holbrook is the creator of three daily comic strips: On the Fastrack features the modern office through the eyes of Dethany, the corporate Goth. Safe Havens is a science fiction fantasy set in a genetics lab. In 1995 he launched Kevin & Kell, now the longest running daily webcomic.

  • J. Gonzo

    J. Gonzo is a Chicano Comicbook Artist best known as the writer and artist of his own title La Mano del Destino (self-published singles; collected edition – Image Comics) and the artist of La Voz de MAYO: Tata Rambo.

  • Les Johnson

    Les Johnson is a physicist, author, and NASA technologist. His recent books include A Traveler's Guide to the Stars (Princeton Press) , Saving Proxima, The Spacetime War, and The Ross 248 Project (Baen). He leads two NASA space missions and was featured in the March 2019 issue of National Geographic.

  • Joseph Meany

    Joseph Meany, Ph.D., a.k.a. The Crimson Alkemist, is a science consultant for the US Government. He researches materials science applications focused on cutting-edge renewable energy.

  • Mark A Pennington

    Mark Pennington's art career started at Hasbro designing GI Joe action figures. Three years later moved on to freelance art, inking comics for DC, Marvel, Dark Horse, and various others. He also illustrated for gaming cards, children's books, educational books and is currently illustrating Carson of Venus.

  • Lan Pitts

    Lan Pitts was born in Atlanta, now lives in Baltimore, Maryland, where he writes comics and is a Staff Writer for Gamespot. He loves wrestling, The Simpsons, 1980s' animation. He's written for several entertainment sites for almost 20 years and has been writing comics for what feels for so much longer.

  • Stressinabox

    Stressinabox is a content creator with over 2 million followers on Tiktok and an indie author. As an author, she is best know for The Keeper series.

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Announced: 02/07/2023

  • Jarrod Carl Alberich

    Jarrod Alberich is the creator of his own original comic book, Hamilton vs. Burr: A Werewolf Tale. He is the writer for Z2 Comics, a trading card artist for Marvel Comics & UpperDeck, cover artist & inker for White Rocket Books, and a US Air Force combat veteran.

  • Michael Andrew Corrie

    Michael Corrie, aka, "Props To History" is a propmaker/sfx artist and prop-master for Film, TV, and Theatre. Known publicly as Props To History, a film, prop and special effects historian. 

  • Chandra Free

    Chandra Free is the writer/artist of The God Machine graphic novel series, and co-founder of Machina Corpse, a spooky comics imprint. She's an illustrator on books like John Carpenter's Tales For A Halloween Night, Fraggle Rock, Graphic Canon. She is currently working as a character designer.

  • Daniel Govar

    Daniel Govar is a comic, children's book, and fantasy artist known for covers & interiors (Star Wars, Marvel, DC, etc). Currently Daniel is the illustrator for Naomi Novik's 3-book Temeraire omnibus, Artist for various Star Wars Cards sets for Topps, and is releasing his second art book later this year.

  • Matthew L Hawkins

    Matthew Hawkins is a maker, paper toy artist and illustrator. Hawkins weaves humor and energy into bold, whimsical art for humorous and often surprising results. He has made work Disney, DC, Nickelodeon, Nintendo, Sega and WWE.

  • Jason Keith

    Jason Keith is an Eisner Award nominated color artist, who for the past 15 years has colored exclusively for Marvel Comics. Credits include The Avengers, Hulk, Wolverine, Amazing Spider-Man, Mighty Avengers, Guardians of the Galaxy, Ghost Rider, Ultimate Avengers, Star Wars, and Darth Vader

  • Mari Mancusi

    Mari Mancusi is the award-winning author of over 30 books for kids, teens, and adults. She writes Frozen novels for Disney Press as well as sci-fi/fantasy books for other major publishers. An Emmy-award-winning former TV news producer, she also writes branching narrative fiction for mobile gaming companies.

  • Bobby Nash

    Bobby Nash is an award-winning author (comic books, novels, short stories, screenplays, audio). On occasion, he acts in movies and TV shows, usually standing behind your favorite actor, but every once in a while they let him speak.

  • Cherie M. Priest

    Cherie Priest is the author of more than two dozen books and novellas, including the Booking Agents mysteries (Grave Reservations and Flight Risk), southern horror novel The Toll, acclaimed gothic Maplecroft, and the award-winning Clockwork Century series, beginning with Boneshaker.

  • Steve Saffel

    Steve Saffel has been in publishing for decades including at Titan Books acquiring SF, fantasy, horror, and illustrated books. He's the fiction editor for Alien and Predator novels, books based on Marvel Comics (including Black Panther), the Conan fiction, and novels based on Gears of War and Mass Effect.

  • Jamie Tyndall

    Jamie Tyndall is a Canadian - American Comic book cover artist. He is the founder and co creator of Absolute Comics and Merc Publishing with such titles as Miss Meow, Deathrage, Born of Blood and many more.

  • Constance G.J. Wagner

    Constance G.J. Wagner, writer, editor, and Tolkien scholar, has spoken regularly on all things Middle-earth at both academic and fan-friendly events nationally and internationally since 2005. 

  • Thomas Zahler

    Thom Zahler is a comic book creator and animation writer. He created the Line Webtoons hit series Cupid's Arrows and Warning Label as well as the Harvey-nominated Love and Capes (recently with new volumes Home for the Holidays and In the Time of Covid).

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Announced: 02/06/2023

  • Freddy Clements

    Freddy Clements is currently a Distinguished Professor of Drama/ Costume Design at Jacksonville State University, Jacksonville AL. He holds a MFA in Costume design from Virginia Commonwealth University. He has designed costumes for various regional theatres and has extensive experience in Early Twentieth Century Corsetry, Kilt Construction and Costume Technology.

  • Esther Friesner

    Nebula Award winner Esther Friesner (Ph.D. Yale University), is the author of forty-one novels and over two hundred short stories. Editor of eleven anthologies, she is best known for the Chicks in Chainmail series (Baen Books). She is also the author of the Princesses of Myth YA series (Random House).

  • Steph LaMassa

    Astrophysicist Steph LaMassa works at the Space Telescope Science Institute on JWST, a NASA flagship observatory developed and operated in collaboration with the European and Canadian Space Agencies.

  • Corinne Roberts

    Corinne Roberts is an illustrator working in comics and children's books (Bug Bites, Drawing Dragons, the Out and About series, Kitty Game and Unreal Estate). She teaches throughout Michigan and continues her passion of painting in watercolor and pen.

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Announced: 02/04/2023

  • Davey Beauchamp

    Davey Beauchamp is an Artist and Librarian. He has done work for BBC, BBC America, and Penguin UK for Doctor Who. Currently he is art director for Tavern Publishing.

  • EK Johnston

    EK Johnston is the critically acclaimed, New York Times Bestselling author of multiple YA novels, as well as a writer of Stars Wars and Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves tie-ins.

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Announced: 02/03/2023

  • Michael Mammay

    Michael Mammay is a writer and former army officer. His first novel, Planetside, was a Library Journal best SF. Generation Ship, his fifth book is set to release August 2023.

  • Ande Parks

    Ande Parks is an American comic book artist, known for his works as an inker and writer. His greatest notoriety comes from his stint with fellow artist Phil Hester on DC Comics' Green Arrow series, and writing the graphic novels Union Station and Capote in Kansas by Oni Press.

  • Meg M Robinson

    Meg M. Robinson's stories are inspired heavily by mythology—mostly Greek—as well as ancient places, things, and mysteries. She was a 2022 Maggie Awards Finalist for Finding Salus.

  • Stacey Rourke

    Stacey Rourke is a multi-award-winning, best-selling author of works that seamlessly blend dark fantasy with a trademark snarky humor that has made her a powerhouse in the indie writing community.

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Announced: 02/02/2023

  • D.B. Jackson

    D.B. Jackson/David B. Coe is an award-winning fantasy author, and has edited several anthologies. As D.B. Jackson, he writes the Thieftaker Chronicles. As David B. Coe, he has recently published the Radiants supernatural thriller series. He has a Ph.D. in U.S. history from Stanford University.

  • Kim Steadman

    Kim Steadman is a Systems Engineer at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Currently she is a Systems Engineer for the Perseverance Rover Engineering Operations team and the Technical Group Supervisor for the Integrated Planning and Sequencing for Surface Missions group. She has also worked on Opportunity, Curiosity, and Cassini.

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Announced: 02/01/2023

  • Raychelle Burks

    Raychelle Burks is a chemistry professor with a crime lab background. She brings her expertise to examine unusual cases, both real and fictional.

  • Kristin Jackson

    Kristin Jackson is the Director of Communications and Graphic Designer for Frostbite Pictures, and is currently working on International & Domestic indoor/outdoor art for Paramount Pictures.

  • Kavura

    Kavura is one of the hosts of both the StarPodTrek and StarPodLog podcasts. She produces Ladies Trek Library and is in several Star Trek fan clubs and fan films.

  • Sherrilyn Kenyon

    Defying odds is what New York Times bestselling author Sherrilyn Kenyon does best. With dedicated legions of fans known as Paladins, thousands of whom proudly sport tattoos from her genre-defying series, she's become one of the most popular and influential authors in the world (in both adult and young adult).

  • Nayr

    Nayr is a host of StarPodLog and StarPodTrek. Having attended, as well as presented, at literally hundreds of conventions, his panels are engaging, entertaining, and informative.

  • David S Shiffman

    Dr. David Shiffman is a scientist, science journalist, author, and public speaker. He studies sharks and how to protect them, and teaches ocean conservation policy at Georgetown University.

  • R. Alan Siler

    R. Alan Siler is owner of kOZMIC Press. He's the author of three books about Doctor Who, the kid's book Lucy Can't Dance, and essays on numerous pop culture topics. His podcasts include Modern Musicology, Earth Station Trek, Doctor Who A to Z, and Alan's Record Bin.

  • Daviorr Snipes

    Daviorr Snipes is the Director of Diversity & Inclusion for the Stratford Festival Theatre in Ontario, Canada. He is a Peabody Award winning actor working in theatre, film, and voice.

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Announced: 01/31/2023

  • Brian D. Anderson

    Brian Anderson is the bestselling fantasy author of The Godling Chronicles, Dragonvein, The Sorcerer's Song, Akiri (with co-author Steven Savile), and is currently writing short fiction in the Conan the Barbarian Universe. His books have sold more than 500,000 copies worldwide and his audio books are perennially popular.

  • Jon Armstrong

    Jon stars in the NetFlix's Magicians: Life in the Impossible. You have seen him amaze on The Today Show, cause Penn on CW's Penn and Teller's Fool Us to exclaim his act as “the most original I've ever seen!”, and wow Jay Leno on The Tonight Show.

  • Joe Corroney

    Corroney has been illustrating Star Wars artwork for Disney and Lucasfilm and Star Trek artwork for CBS Studios since 1997, as well as a host of other properties. New Star Wars artwork and various other licensees are in the works for publication later this year.

  • Katie Cross

    Magic-lover Katie Cross has published more than thirty books in YA Fantasy because she likes to hang out with dragons in wild places.

  • Ryan DeBruyn

    Ryan DeBruyn was a professional athlete that always wanted to write, and turned his dream into a reality. His works include, Ether Collapse, System Misinterpret, and Ether Flows

  • Keith R.A. DeCandido

    Keith R.A. DeCandido has written tons of novels, short fiction, and comics, in licensed universes from Alien to Zorro and in his own milieus in the fictional Cliff's End and Super City and also New York and Key West. He writes about pop culture for Tor.com.

  • Kevin Eldridge

    Kevin Eldridge produces and hosts The Flopcast, a pop-culture comedy podcast. He is a published science fiction author, an organizer and host of skeptic events, and a comedy musician.

  • AJ Hartley

    A.J. Hartley (AKA Andrew Hart) is the bestselling author of 25 novels including Hideki Smith, Burning Shakespeare, Cold Bath Street, Impervious, Steeplejack, and, with Tom DeLonge of Blink 182, Sekret Machines. He is Professor of Shakespeare at UNC Charlotte, and has a J-rock YouTube channel.

  • Bethanne Kim

    "Be Prepared" is deeply ingrained in Bethanne Kim's writings. She has written a series on Survival Skills and it informs Kim's alternate history stories set in Eric Flint's 1632 Universe.

  • Gini Koch

    Gini Koch writes the fast, fresh, and funny Alien/Katherine “Kitty” Katt series for DAW Books, as well as many other novels, novellas, novelettes, and short stories in all the genres and under a variety of pen names, including G.J.Koch, Anita Ensal, Jemma Chase, A.E. Stanton, and J.C. Koch.

  • Michael G. Manning

    Michael G. Manning is the author of the popular Mageborn series. He has dabbled in software design, fantasy art, and is an avid tree climber. 

  • Nooligan

    HaiNaNu "nooligan" Saulque is an artist, comic creator, and graphic designer based in Sacramento, Ca.  From the cartoons of his youth to films he missed by decades, from golden age comics to classic newspaper strips, you will find a creator who has immersed himself in what he loves.

  • Gray Rinehart

    Gray Rinehart is a writer who sings, and a singer who writes. He's written science fiction and fantasy stories, songs on myriad topics, and is the "Slushmaster General" for Baen.

  • Aaron Michael Ritchey

    Aaron Michael Ritchey is the author of forty-seven novels under various pen names. He's been an Amazon All-Star, and the first book in The Juniper Wars series was a Dragon Award Finalist. His novel, Sages of the Underpass, won the Independent Audiobook Award for best fantasy in 2021.

  • Jeanne C Stein

    Jeanne C. Stein is the author of the The Anna Strong Vampire Chronicles and The Fallen Siren Series written as S. J. Harper. In 2021, she co-authored a Sci Fi adventure trilogy, 180 Degrees Magnetic. Her most recent short story appeared in Shadow Atlas, Dark Landscapes of the Americas.

  • Marisa Wolf

    Marisa Wolf writes science fiction, fantasy, and every point in-between. She is a core author in the bestselling Four Horseman Universe and has over 20 short stories in print.

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Announced: 01/30/2023

  • Bobby Blackwolf

    Bobby Blackwolf is the co-owner of the Voice of Geeks Network podcast network and Twitch channel and has hosted a live internet show and podcast about video games since 2005.

  • Joshua Colwell

    Dr. Joshua Colwell is Chair and Pegasus Professor of Physics at the University of Central Florida. He hosts Walkabout the Galaxy, the fun astronomy podcast.

  • Stephanie Crugnola

    Stephanie Crugnola is a chaotic wholesome content creator specializing in Shakespeare, Collaborative Storytelling , Soccer, and all things niche nerd.

  • Cecilia Dominic

    By day, psychologist Cecilia Dominic helps people cure their insomnia. By night, this USA Today bestselling author writes steampunk and urban fantasy books that keep readers up all night. 

  • Isabelle Hardesty

    Isabelle Hardesty writes YA fantasy stories about girls doing magical things and kicking butt. She is the author of The Destroyer Witch Chronicles series, The Delacourt Shapeshifter Trilogy series, and more.

  • Laura Hayden

    Laura Hayden writes in a wide variety of genres. With fourteen novels under her belt, she's also a founder and a ten-time director of the Pikes Peak Writers Conference.

  • C. Mantis

    A former Marine, C. Mantis fell into being a fantasy author when the pandemic hit and has an insight or three about the process. 

  • Jody Lynn Nye

    Jody Lynn Nye lists her main career activity as "spoiling cats." When not engaged in this worthy occupation, she writes fantasy and science fiction. She has published over 50 books and more than 170 stories. Nye teaches writing seminars and is Coordinating Judge for the Writers of the Future Contest.

  • Noel Plaugher

    Having studied Chinese and Japanese martial arts, and Qigong, Plaugher draws on those experiences to write hard-hitting martial arts fiction and non-fiction. His new novel is The Lady Dragon of Chinatown.

  • Daniel Schinhofen

    Daniel Schinhofen has published over forty books since 2016, receiving name recognition in the LITRPG and GameLit community. He has published in multiple other genres as well.

  • J M Tuffley

    JM Tuffley writes about Pop Culture for various outlets, and contributes to Need Coffee Dot Com's Weekend Justice Podcast.

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Announced: 01/29/2023

  • Bill Mulligan

    Bill Mulligan has worked as a writer, director, actor and special FX creator. He podcasts with Decades of Horror. His first published novel, Raum, is coming soon. 

  • Jessica Ann York

    Jessica Ann York is a horror writer whose work has been featured PseudoPod, Vastarien, Cemetery Gates Media, and more. 

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Announced: 01/28/2023

  • Rhett C. Bruno

    Rhett Bruno is a USA Today bestselling, #1 Audible Bestselling, and Nebula-nominated hybrid author who co-founded Aethon Books and currently serves as its CEO.

  • Richard Lee Byers

    Richard Lee Byers is the author of over fifty fantasy and horror novels as well as numerous pieces of short fiction. He also writes graphic novel and contributes to the development of electronic games. 
  • Jaime Castle

    Jaime Castle is a #1 Audible Bestselling author, including Luna Missile Crisis, Dead Acre, Cold as Hell, The Buried Goddess Saga, Web of Eyes, Jeff the Game Master, and more.

  • Sean Fletcher

    Sean Fletcher is the Amazon bestselling, award-winning author of YA and middle grade fantasy. He can be found speaking about and teaching writing, and working as a professional editor.

  • Berta Platas

    Berta Platas is an award-winning Latina romance author as well as coauthor, with Michele Roper, of the The Faire Folk Saga. The By Honor Bound series, is co-written with Nancy Knight.

  • Tony Sarrecchia

    Tony is a writer-producer with multiple audio drama, and short stories under his belt. He also has a supernatural thriller screenplay in development with Scary Times Productions.

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Announced: 01/27/2023

  • J A Andrews

    JA Andrews thought her degree in aerospace engineering was useless to her as a fantasy author. Until that knowledge helped solve how to ground a dragon in The Keeper Chronicles.

  • Patricia L. Briggs

    Patricia Briggs is the #1 NYT Best Selling Author of both the Mercy Thompson series and the Alpha and Omega series. She lives near the Tri-Cities and often plays truant from her keyboard in favor of her ever growing herd of Arabian horses.

  • Matt Dinniman

    Matt Dinniman is the author of the best-selling series, Dungeon Crawler Carl.

  • K.D. Edwards

    K.D. Edwards' first book in his urban fantasy series The Tarot Sequence, The Last Sun, was published in June 2018.  The Hourglass Throne, is the latest installment in the series.

  • Jackson Ford

    Jackson Ford is a South African author living in Vancouver. He is the author of The Frost Files, beginning with The Girl Who Could Move Sh*t With Her Mind.

  • G. S. Jennsen

    G.S. Jennsen is a bestselling author of 18 novels and numerous short stories. Her novel, Starshine was named one of the best sci-fi novels by a woman in the last 50 years.

  • Bernadette Johnson

    Bernadette Johnson is the author of The Big Book of Spy Trivia, The Big Book of Horse Trivia for Kids, and The Big Book of Cryptid Trivia

  • Philip Ligon

    Philip Ligon is an international bestselling author and Dragon Award finalist. His works range from Steampunk to alternate history to fantasy.

  • Tamsin L. Silver

    Tamsin Silver is a Fantasy author based out of NM. Works include Mark of the Necromancer, The Windfire Series, Untold Legends Series, and a novel/web series, Skye of the Damned.

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Announced: 01/26/2023

  • Jennifer Blackstream

    Jennifer Blackstream is a bestselling author of urban fantasy and paranormal romance fueled by binge-watching TV murder mysteries, a Master's degree in Psychology, and an obsession with mythology and fairy tales.

  • Jay Boyce

    Jay Boyce, daughter of a librarian and wielder of words, is primarily an editor turned writer and perpetual learner. She currently writes A Touch of Power and Rise of the Mystic Mage series.

  • Marc Edelheit

    Marc Edelheit is an avid reader and accomplished author that spends his days – and nights – dreaming and writing about all things fantasy and sci-fi.

  • Chris Jackson

    Chris A. Jackson is the author of over 30 novels in multiple genres. He is the 2020 Scribe award winner for best short story, as well as numerous other awards.

  • Jeffrey Falcon Logue

    Jeffrey "Falcon" Logue has been a professional writer for over seven years. He has published 18 books, having started the dungeon core subgenre with his original, The Slime Dungeon.

  • Tara Lynne

    Tara Lynne is an author, event planner, fandom and geek culture expert, and public speaker. They founded Ice & Fire Con and are host of the Geek Saga and Sagas & Sass podcasts.

  • Megan Mackie

    Megan Mackie is the author of The Lucky Devil Series, the Dead World Series, the Working Masks Series, The Adventures of Pavlov's Dog and Schrodinger's Cat Series, and many more.

  • Thomas Mariani

    Thomas Mariani is a staff writer for Film Cred and host of the podcast Double Edged Double Bill who has been a panelist for eight straight Dragon Con.

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Announced: 01/24/2023

  • Davis Ashura

    Davis Ashura is the award-winning author of three bestselling epic fantasy series, the Castes and the OutCastes, the Chronicles of William Wilde, Instrument of Omens, and The Eternal Ephemera.

  • Nick Eftimiades

    Nicholas Eftimiades is a professor at Penn State University, Homeland Security Program.​ He retired from a 34 year government career that included employment in the CIA, the Department of State, and Defense Intelligence Agency. ​Eftimiades has appeared as an expert on dozens of television and news shows.

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Announced: 01/23/2023

  • David Boop

    David Boop is the author of  The Drowned Horse Chronicle Volume 1, She Murdered me with Science, and Rippers: The Soul Changers. He also edits and writes short fiction.

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Announced: 01/20/2023

  • Jason De La Torre

    JC De La Torre is an author, composer, animator, filmmaker, audio drama/fiction podcast creator, producer, screenwriter, editor, voice actor, and probably a few other things we forgot to mention.

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Announced: 01/19/2023

  • Rita De La Torre

    Rita De La Torre is known for Seekers of the Lost Worlds, Continuum Force, Vampires of White Chapel, and Star Mage: Guardians of Medeltiden.

  • Tony P Henderson

    Tony P. Henderson is a moderator, podcaster, voice over artist known for the Tony P. Oddcast, In Addition and Geek Vs podcasts. 

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Announced: 01/17/2023

  • J.D. Blackrose

    JD Blackrose is the author of The Summoner's Mark series from Bell Bridge Books, and The Soul Wars, The Devil's Been Busy, and the Zombie Cosmetologist novellas from Falstaff Books, and numerous short stories.

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Announced: 01/16/2023

  • Ed Brisson

    Ed Brisson is a comic book writer who first started to garner attention with his self-published crime series Murder Book and the crime/time-travel thriller series Comeback. He's written and co-created four other series published by Image: Sheltered, The Field, The Mantle and The Violent.

  • Nemesis

    Nemesis is a 20+ year veteran of smashing dance club floors in Boston, Atlanta, Tampa, Los Angeles, and a nine time Official Dragon Con performer. Catch this phenom performing 3 different sets of music: Thursday @ 8-Bit Bash,  Friday @ Late Night Rave, and Saturday @ The Last Party on Alderaan!

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Announced: 01/12/2023

  • Bill Fawcett

    Bill Fawcett has packaged and edited over 400 Science Fiction novels and many history books including oral histories of the Navy SEALs. He co-authored the official Mycroft Holmes Mysteries. He's also written dozen non-fiction books, many on Mistakes in History. He founded Mayfair Games and designs board and computer games.

  • Van Allen Plexico

    Van Allen Plexico is a multi-award-winning writer best known for the Sentinels illustrated superhero novels and comics, 1960s crime novels, and the Shattering space opera universe. His White Rocket Entertainment network features multiple video and podcast channels covering James Bond, Babylon 5, The Avengers, and more.

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Announced: 01/11/2023

  • Matthew J. Brown

    Matthew Brown, PhD, is a scholar of comics and pop culture. He is co-editor of More Critical Approaches to Comics and has organized academic panels at Dragon Con.

  • Beth Dolgner

    Beth Dolgner writes paranormal fiction and nonfiction, including the Eternal Rest Bed and Breakfast paranormal cozy mysteries. She  gives talks about Victorian death customs and Spiritualism, and she tells ghost stories at events. 

  • Gail Z. Martin

    Gail Z. Martin writes urban fantasy, epic fantasy, steampunk and more for Orbit Books, Falstaff Books, SOL Publishing and Darkwind Press. Urban fantasy series include Deadly Curiosities and Night Vigil. Epic fantasy series include Darkhurst, Chronicles Of The Necromancer, Fallen Kings Cycle, Ascendant Kingdoms Saga, and Assassins of Landria.

  • Corinne O'Flynn

    Corinne O'Flynn is a USA Today bestselling author of fantasy, mystery, and paranormal romance. She also writes contemporary romance as Daria Blake, and paranormal romance as Fiona Starr.

  • Sadie Witkowski

    Sadie Witkowski has a passion for science communication and a love of telling compelling stories through science. She is currently the Director of Communications and Engagement for IMSI.

  • Timothy Zahn

    Timothy Zahn is the author of sixteen Star Wars books and the Cobra, Quadrail, Sibyl's War, and Dragonback series. Recent books include Star Wars: Thrawn Ascendancy: Lesser Evil, The Icarus Plot, and A Call to Insurrection (with David Weber and Thomas Pope). Upcoming books include The Icarus Twin.

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Announced: 01/09/2023

  • Leanna Renee Hieber

    Actress, ghost tour guide and award-winning, bestselling author of Gothic, Gaslamp Fantasy fiction and paranormal non-fiction such as A Haunted History of Invisible Women for Tor and Kensington Books. A 4-time Prism award winner, Hieber has been featured on Mysteries at the Museum and Beyond the Unknown.

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Announced: 01/08/2023

  • Courtney Lytle

    Courtney Lytle is a practicing attorney and Adjunct Professor at Emory University School of Law. She specializes in intellectual property law and is a partner at Culhane Meadows.

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Announced: 01/03/2023

  • Marx Pyle

    Marx Pyle is an author, screenwriter, filmmaker, podcaster, adjunct professor, and martial artist. He is the author of Obsidian Monsters, co-editor/co-author of the award-winning anthology Dragons of a Different Tail.

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Announced: 01/01/2023

  • Ryan A Consell

    Ryan Cosnell is an engineering professor, costumer, prop maker, and author with particular expertise in engineering science with research focused on composite materials and bicycle destruction.

  • Michael G. Williams

    Michael G. Williams writes queer horror, sci-fi, and urban fantasy about outsiders finding their people, including A Fall in Autumn (Manly Wade Wellman Award), Perishables (Laine Cunningham Award), among others.

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Announced: 12/30/2022

  • Kevin Bachelder

    Kevin Bachelder has been podcasting about genre TV and movies since 2005. His podcasts have won four Parsec Awards in the Best Fan Podcast category.

  • Aretta Baumgartner

    Aretta Baumgartner is a performer/teaching artist specializing in puppetry, mask, and movement. She's proud to be the Education Director of the world-renowned Center for Puppetry Arts in Atlanta.

  • D.J. Butler

    D.J. (Dave) Butler has been a lawyer, a consultant, a corporate trainer, and a registered investment banking representative, and he is now a Consulting Editor for Baen Books.

  • Jason Cordova

    Bestselling author Jason Cordova was a finalist for both the John W. Campbell Award and Dragon Award. A huge history nerd, the Navy veteran, former teacher, and retired esports pro.

  • Kacey Ezell

    Kacey Ezell is a helicopter air ambulance pilot who writes sci-fi/fantasy/horror/noir/alternate history fiction. She is a two-time Dragon Award Finalist and has written multiple bestselling novels.

  • Emily A Finke

    A forensic anthropologist by training, but a science communicator by passion, Emily Finke has spent the past 20 years teaching in museums, nature centers, pubs, conventions, and more.

  • John L. Flynn

    Dr. John L. Flynn, author and three-time Hugo nominee, is a member of SFWA. His 21 books include novels, biographies, film studies, and nonfiction histories.

  • Robert E. Hampson

    Dr. Robert E. Hampson is a world-renowned Neuroscientist, leading a team to develop the first prosthetic device for restoration of human memory. He is also an SF author with five novels, two anthologies, and 50 works of short fiction and nonfiction.

  • Darin Kennedy

    Darin Kennedy is a doctor-by-day and novelist-by-night. Kennedy's works include his Fugue & Fable series, the Pawn Stratagem series, and The April Sullivan Chronicles.

  • Lisa Manifold

    Lisa Manifold is a USA Today bestselling author of paranormal women's fiction, urban fantasy and romance. with her most recent releases in her series, The Oracle of Wynter.

  • Shami A Stovall

    Shami Stovall is a multi-award-winning author of fantasy and science fiction and the founder of Capital Station Books. She loves reading, her husband, John, video games, and writing about herself in the third person.

  • The Tattooed Santa

    The Tattooed Santa (AKA Stephen Taylor)  is the father of 12 (9 by adoption) and has been crafting armor from leather, chainmaille, and scalemaille for 16+ years.

  • Trisha J. Wooldridge

    Trisha J. Wooldridge writes and edits stuff that wins awards. Find her in The Twisted Book of Shadows; some HWA Poetry Showcase volumes; and multiple anthologies. 

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Announced: 12/29/2022

  • Eric R. Asher

    Eric R. Asher is the author of over 30 titles, including the Vesik urban fantasy series and the YA steampunk series, Steamborn. He is currently living in St. Louis, Missouri, where the local folklore often finds its way into his Mason Dixon: Monster Hunter rural fantasy series.

  • Kaitlin Bevis

    Kaitlin Bevis is best known as the author of the young adult Greek mythology series, the Daughters of Zeus and a young adult horror novel called Blood and Other Matter.

  • Doug Burbey

    Doug Burbey is the author of the Blood War urban fantasy series. In addition to writing, he is a Department of Defense Program Manager for advanced technology development efforts.

  • Tyra Burton

    Tyra Burton is a multiple-award-winning professor, social media strategist, and co-author of Socially Engaged: The Author's Guide to Social Media.

  • Jack Campbell

    Jack Campbell (John G. Hemry), retired US Navy officer, writes the New York Times best-selling Lost Fleet series, Genesis Fleet series, Lost Stars series, and steampunk meets high fantasy Pillars of Reality series. His latest books are Implacable, The Empress of the Endless Sea trilogy, and the Corsair comic series.


  • R E Carr

    R.E. Carr is the award winning author of multiple urban fantasy and horror comedy series, including Rules Undying, False Icons, and her latest, The Accidental Summoner.

  • Michael Chatfield

    Michael Chatfield is an international bestseller author with over 40 books based in Fantasy, Science fiction and LitRPG universes!

  • Luke Chmilenko

    Luke Chmilenko is best known for a variety of blockbuster series such as Ascend Online, The Shattered Reigns, Savage Dominion, and Stormweaver!

  • Harmon Cooper

    Harmon Cooper is the bestselling indie author of over 75 fantasy books including Pilgrim, Cowboy Necromancer, War Priest, The Feedback Loop, The World According to Dragons, and Arcane Cultivator.

  • Patrick Dugan

    Patrick Dugan is the award-winning author of the Darkest Storm trilogy from Falstaff Books and the Never Steal From Dragons and the Watchers of Astaria series from Distracted Dragon Press.

  • Clay Gilbert

    Clay Gilbert has published thirteen novels from science fiction and horror to YA dystopia and urban fantasy. His latest novel Binary Sunset is due in 2023 from Dark Moon Press.

  • Dwayne Goetzel

    Dwayne Goetzel is an intellectual property attorney from Austin, Texas, who handles copyrights, trademarks, domain names, licensing, and litigation matters relating to those areas.

  • Darrell Z. Grizzle

    Darrell Z. Grizzle is a horror, urban fantasy, and thriller writer. He is the author of I Never Meant to Start a Murder Cult and featured in several anthologies.


  • Dr. Nicole Gugliucci

    Dr. Nicole Gugliucci (aka NoisyAstronomer) is a physics professor, education researcher, astronomer, science communicator, and all-around geek. Her passion for science education drives a number of projects.

  • John G. Hartness

    John G. Hartness is an author, publisher, and podcaster from Charlotte, NC. He is the author of multiple novel series, including the award-winning Quincy Harker, Demon Hunter series. He is also the co-founder and publisher of Falstaff Books, and a member of the Authors & Dragons Live D&D podcast.

  • Drew Hayes

    Drew Hayes is a comedy-fantasy author whose works include Super Powereds, Villains' Code, NPCs, Fred the Vampire Accountant, Action Kadabra, 5-Minute Sherlock, and Second Hand Curses, among others.

  • Walter Hunt

    Walter H. Hunt is a science fiction and historical fiction writer from Massachusetts. He has eleven published novels and is currently working on his third novel in the 1632 universe.

  • Topher Hunter

    Topher Hunter is a professional biomedical science communicator and amateur droid builder with a passion for trying new things and helping others to not make the same mistakes he/they made.

  • Bill Keel

    Astronomer Bill Keel, is author of The Sky at Einstein's Feet and The Road to Galaxy Formation. He hosts overnight "Live Astronomy" sessions, and has spoken on cosmology, extrasolar planets, citizen discovery in astronomy, science in the Firefly and Avatar universes, spy satellites, and astronomical tourism.

  • Roy Kilgard

    Dr. Kilgard is an astrophysicist who researches black holes in nearby galaxies with an emphasis on intermediate-mass black holes: an enigmatic class of objects whose origins are unclear.

  • Rob Levy

    Rob Levy is a writer, blogger and podcaster who written about popular culture, music, film and television for several print and online publications He also contributed to several Doctor Who anthologies. He currently hosts Juxtaposition on KDHX Radio and is a co-host of the Modern Musicology podcast.

  • James Minz

    James Minz has worked in genre publishing for 30 years, first at Tor for more than a decade, then briefly at Del Rey, until finally, on the centennial of Robert A. Heinlein's birth, landing at Baen Books, where he is currently Executive Editor and Director of Subsidiary Rights.

  • James Nettles

    James Nettles is a business and technology consultant, speaker, author of science fiction, fantasy, horror, and non-fiction, and media author on the business of creativity, futurist topics, science, and technology.

  • James Palmer

    James Palmer is an award-winning writer of science fiction and pulp adventure, author of the Shadow Council Archives series, and editor of the Monster Earth series and League of Monsters.


  • JM Paquette

    Author of the Klauden's Ring Saga and the Conjuring Fascination series, JM Paquette writes fantasy and paranormal romance novels.

  • D.R. Perry

    D.R. Perry writes fiction for both YA and adult audiences. Among her works is Dragon Award nominated A Change In Crime and over 30 volumes in the Revealed World series.

  • Joelle Presby

    Former U.S. Navy nuclear engineer, Joelle Presby wrote The Dabare Snake Launcher and cowrites the Multiverse series with David Weber. She has sold over a dozen shorter works several genres.

  • Rachel Rawlings

    Rachel Rawlings is a USA Today and international bestselling author of Urban Fantasy and Paranormal Romance. Her book 'Ink It Over is currently in development for film.


  • Robert Ross

    Robert W. Ross is the author of the award-winning Sentinels of Creation contemporary-fantasy, and Paradigm 2045 sci-fi series. When not writing, heʼs a guest-lecturer at GaTech and Kennesaw State University.

  • Mel Todd

    Mel Todd is a best-selling speculative fiction writer/owner of Bad Ash Publishing. Her fiction includes Blood War, Kaylid Chronicles, and the Twisted Luck series.


  • Jennifer Whitworth

    Jennifer Whitworth is an engineer at Teledyne Brown Engineering. After 20+ years supporting science operations on board the International Space Station as a flight controller, she now is helpingto develop the processes and procedures for science payloads onboard the LunarGateway.

  • Valerie Willis

    Valerie Willis is COO of 4 Horsemen Publications and award-winning paranormal romance author. Her workshops have covered novel writing, research, world building, character development, reader immersion, foreshadowing, and more.

  • Tao Wong

    Tao Wong is a full-time self-published author in the scifi and fantasy genres with over 40 works published. He was a finalist for the Kindle Storyteller UK Award in 2021.


  • Mark Zoran

    Mark Zoran is an internationally recognized and award-winning costume and prop creator and the creative mind behind Razorfly Studios.

Guests

Guests

Performers

Performers

Pros

Pros