Subject: Westercon 65 Program Book Content (Bio's) From: Jerry Gieseke Date: Wed, June 27, 2012 12:18 am To: "'Alex von Thorn'" Biographies have not been copy edited Admiral Naismith Andrew Ross is a filker from Oregon who was dragged to his first convention in 1997 by an enthusiastic friend, and hasn't looked back since. Best known for his quirky parody lyrics and Lois Bujold-based fanfilk, he has been part of the music programming concom at Orycon since 2005, and has been an Interfilk guest at GaFilk and toastmaster at Conflikt. His home, The Uncommons, is an occasional rest stop and house concert venue for bards travelling between Seattle and California. AJA Alexander James - Faerie-Tale Minstrel "From Dragon�s flame and ire will come forth Phoenix fire, and we will hear the song once more!" --Life�s Flame, Heather Alexander Unleashed from the land of Fae comes the heir to Heather Alexander�s music and magic. AJ Adams is a fiery Celtic fiddler with a compelling voice to enchant audiences of all ages. With songs and stories of the otherworld, Alexander James inspires his audiences to make their dreams come true and look for the wonders within. From tender love songs to rowdy brawls, gentle Irish airs to rockin� reels, AJ brings ancient legends to the mortal world in true bardic style, proving once and for all, the magic never dies! Alma Alexander Alma Alexander's life so far has prepared her very well for her chosen career. She was born in a country which no longer exists on the maps, has lived and worked in seven countries on four continents (and in cyberspace!), has climbed mountains, dived in coral reefs, flown small planes, swum with dolphins, touched two-thousand-year-old tiles in a gate out of Babylon. She is a novelist, anthologist and short story writer who currently shares her life between the Pacific Northwest of the USA (where she lives with her husband and two cats) and the wonderful fantasy worlds of her own imagination. You can find out more about Alma on her website (www.AlmaAlexander.com), her Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/pages/Alma-Alexander/67938071280) or her blog (http://anghara.livejournal.com). Amanda Plemmons Amanda Plemmons is a professional/ amateur nerd and nerd recruiter. As a long-time informal educator at Pacific Science Center, she gets to do some exciting things including: developing curriculum, care protocols, and habitats for the live animal displays, including the Live Snake Show; creating and embodying a living history persona in the Discovering the Dead Sea Scrolls exhibit; adapting current shows for special events; performing on the Live Science Stage (as a game show hostess or Boa constrictor furniture among others) or giving live interactive shows in the 40-seat Willard Smith Planetarium. In her copious spare time she helps construct and preserve church textiles at the Diocese of Olympia Altar Guild, geeks out over medieval Novgorod and astronomy in the SCA, dresses up like a Jedi with the Rebel Legion, plays with fibers, and tends her service dog, house, and surrounding woods. Anna Sheehan Anna Sheehan lives on a tiny farm in the middle of nowhere, with her daughter, several Irish Wolfhounds, and a milk cow. Her first novel, A Long, Long Sleep, was released in August of 2011 out of Candlewick. Arlin Robins My first entrance to the SF&F scene was through a side door, dragged by the wrist to sing for Gordy Dickson. I discovered a whole genre of musicians who tuned their music towards SF&F! But then I discovered it was also a welcoming audience for my art. Even with a formal education (the Art Institute of Chicago) it can be daunting to exhibit art as a newcomer. The fannish world was supportive & interested. I work in a number of different media & scales. Probably my most well know work is the bronze collection(4) of large mermaids & dolphins at the entrance of the Mirage, Las Vegas. I've worked in graphics, computer games, jewelry, clay, wax, paint, glass & mosaics. I've won the Chesley & many mainstream awards, designed the '93 Hugo, been Artist GOH at a number of SF&F conventions, & exhibit in galleries from time to time. I am loved by 4 cats, a dog, a best friend (who got me into all of this!) and Michael Jhon, a clever, talented, caring photographer/ ex-horseman husband of 29 years. Beth Runnerwolf Beth Runnerwolf is a practicing counselor, minister, energy worker, 2nd generation filker, and con runner. Every year, at the end of January she proudly runs the local NW filk convention (http://www.conflikt.org). She is passionate about communication processes in polyamorous and multiple adult homes and relationships (which she co-teaches a communications workshop, http://www.significantconnections.com), hospice volunteering, caregiver support, the labor movement, the U.S. Civil War, and gerontology. Betsy Tinney Betsy Tinney is a Northwest cellist/songwriter who performs regularly with Vixy & Tony, Tricky Pixie, S.J. Tucker, and Heather Dale; she also performs solo, does session work, and teaches. As a member of Tricky Pixie, Betsy was privileged to be a Special Guest at WorldCon 2011 in Reno, and has also been a musical guest-of-honor (either with Tricky Pixie or with SJ Tucker) at many other cons. Betsy's solo cello work has been called "captivating," "mesmerizing," and "a rich texture for the ear, reminiscent of fine dark chocolate and red wine." When not behind her cello, Betsy is a web designer/developer, homeschooling mom, and part-time pixie. Website: www.betsytinney.com. Bozlee After a several decades long career in the aerospace industry Bozlee returned to an earlier love, motorsports where he worked as a racecar engineer on the West Coast. Later XCOR came on the radar which moved him to invest in the company, and to enter training to fly the LYNX spacecraft into space in 2013. He lives with way too many cats, his hobbies include eyebrow raising and not sleeping. A large, bombastic man, he is prone to outrageous opinions and good stories. Bozlee is approachable and has had all of his shots, so you have nothing to fear from asking questions. His favorite color is plaid, and plans to vote for the Strange Women Lying In Ponds Distributing Swords party. Bradford Lyau Bradford Lyau published his first book, The Anticipation Novelists of 1950s French Science Fiction: Stepchildren of Voltaire, from McFarland & Company. He is a trained historian (BA, UC-Berkeley; MA, PhD, University of Chicago) and has published analytical articles on American, British, and European SF. A lifelong reader of SF, he has been attending conventions for over forty years and a program participant for over twenty years. When not focusing on SF he spends his waking hours working on two start-up companies or being a political consultant. Another favorite hobby is traveling. His touring includes visiting important biographical sites involving Jules Verne and H.G. Wells. Brenda Cooper Brenda Cooper writes science fiction and fantasy novels and short stories. Her most recent novel is MAYAN DECEMBER, which came out in August, 2011 from Prime Books. Her next novel will be The Creative Fire, available in November 2012 from Pyr Books. See her website at www.brenda-cooper.com. Brenda lives in the Pacific Northwest in a household with three people and three dogs in it. Brianna Wu No Biography Provided Bruce Taylor/"Mr. Magic Realism" Bruce Taylor, aka. "Mr. Magic Realism" is known for writing--Magic Realism and blending it with science fiction. As such, he is co-editor, along with former Science Fiction Review editor, Elton Elliott of an anthology, "Like Water for Quarks" . The anthology, with works by Bradbury, LeGuin, Greg Bear, Brian Herbert, Connie Willis and many more, showcases writing that has that "Twilight Zone" quality where magic realism and quantum mechanics blur and blend showing the power of the writing that results. Bruce is also author of "Stormworld" (co-authored with Brian Herbert) as well as others that blend magic realism and science fiction. Kafka's Uncle and Other Strange Tales (introduction by Brian Herbert) was nominated for the &NOW Award for Innovative Writing. Other books are of a "spiritual" nature; Mountains of the Night and Magic of Wild Places (introduction by Brian Herbert). "Metamorphosis Blues" and "Mr. Magic Realsim" are recently released from Eraserhead Press. Carole Parker Carole Parker Carole's detail focus worked well in her technical writing and editing career as well as her interest in costuming. She has competed in masquerades and won numerous workmanship awards for her dyework plus presentation awards at PhilCon 2008, LosCon 2008, and WesterCon 2010. Carole has worked behind the scenes at local, regional, Worldcon, and Costume-Con masquerades since 1982, as well as being on concoms for local conventions as well as Costume-Con 26. Carole's involvement with costuming includes being a founding officer of Silicon Web Costumers' Guild (SiW) - the Internet-based chapter of the International Costumers Guild (ICG). She has also combined her writing and costuming interests by creating a website as well as being the former newsletter editor for the Peninsula Wearable Arts Guild (PenWAG) for two-and-a-half years. Carole is also involved the the Spokane in 2015, Phoenix NASFiC in 2014, and Costume-Con 33 committees. Charlotte Lewis Brown Charlotte Lewis Brown is a paleontologist and the author of 3 non-fiction children�s books about dinosaurs and other fossil animals (http://www.harpercollinschildrens.com/Teachers/AuthorsAndIllustrators/ContributorDetail.aspx?CId=21285). She studies ice age animals, such as mammoth and mastodons, and teaches college classes in dinosaurs and earth history. Chaz No Biography Provided Corry L. Lee Inspired by a childhood spent reading science fiction, Corry L. Lee studied physics and applied mathematics in college while sneaking in writing time between classes and research. She went on to complete a Ph.D. in experimental particle physics at Harvard University, taking a 6-week break along the way to attend Odyssey, the Fantasy Writing Workshop. Since completing her doctorate in 2011, Corry has been writing full time. Her current project is a novel of science, romance, and intrigue set in an alternate 1890s England. Corry's military science fiction short story "Shutdown" is a 2011 winner of the Writers of the Future Competition and can be found in Vol. 28 of L. Ron Hubbard Presents Writers of the Future. When she's not writing or thinking about science, you're likely to find Corry hiking or rock climbing, enjoying a night at the opera, or reading a good book in the sun. Learn more at www.corrylee.com Cymbric Cymbric Early-Smith is a Writer, Artist & Educator. After studying Physics & Astronomy at WSU, Cym worked 12 years at Pacific Science Center before becoming Program Director for Interactive History Co. where she develops the innovative educational programming for IHC�s hands-on history presentations offered all over North America. In a close tie with her love of teaching history, Cym adores writing about history - especially when it's engaging her readers in the twists and turns of her Paranormal Time Travel Series: Twinned Souls. She's just completed and is shopping her latest work in the series, The Janus Paradox, where a time-rift in the 21st century must be restored from nearly a thousand years in the past - by two people who no longer know each other� Beyond calculating time paradoxes, Cymbric's greatest challenge to date involves training for a charity event, the 2012 Dublin Marathon. And the most rewarding challenge of all: Collaborating with her husband, G.Robin Smith David Boop David Boop is a Denver-based single dad, returning college student and author. He has one novel and some twenty-odd short stories in print including near future, zombie, weird western and media tie-in. He's released his first children's book within the Fairypunk catagory, "The Three Inventors Sneebury." His hobbies include film, anime, The Blues, and Mayan history. You can find out more on his website, www.davidboop.com. David Brin David Brin used to eke a living from government grants, till he quit research to become an entertainer. Lacking a singing voice, or other discernible talent, he chose writing. �I discovered a latent gift for making up stuff out of thin air. This can detract from science and I hadn�t the heart to slander real people. But you you can lie all that you want to... about fictional characters! What a deal.� David�s 1989 eco-thriller, Earth, foreshadowed global warming, cyberwarfare and the web. A 1998 movie by Kevin Costner was based on The Postman. His novels are translated into more than 20 languages. Some were Hugo and Nebula winners. David appears frequently on shows such as Nova. The ARCHITECHS, The Universe and Life After People. His non-fiction book -- The Transparent Society: Will Technology Make Us Choose Between Freedom and Privacy? -- won the Freedom of Speech Award of the American Library Association. His new novel from Tor Books (unveiled at Westercon!) is Existence. Deirdre Saoirse Moen Deirdre Saoirse Moen is an unintended experiment in particle physics. No, really. When she was born, her parents worked in an atom-smashing lab. From that point forward, writing science fiction and fantasy seemed inevitable. She lives in the San Francisco area with her husband, their cat-who-is-not-a-kitty, and a large plush crab. She works in the computer industry for a Very Large Company You've All Heard Of, has an MS in Computer Science, an MA in Writing Popular Fiction, and has attended the Clarion Writers' workshop. Apart from writing and science fiction, her hobbies include photography, fountain pens, and world travel. She's recently completed (we hope) a round-the-world trip. As the saying goes, "This time for sure!" Dustin Gross No Biography Provided Elizabeth Guizzetti Elizabeth loves to create. In her mind, she has the best job (or jobs) in the world. She gets an idea, runs with it until it leads her to generate whatever it is going to be. Over the past decade, she has created three graphic novels and a comic book series. Other Systems is her first published novel. Elizabeth currently lives in Seattle with her husband and two dogs. Author of Science Fiction Novel: Other Systems Writer and Artist of Graphic Novels: FamineLands and Lure. The independent comic book series Out for Souls&Cookies Web Pages www.elizabethguizzetti.com www.zbpublications.com Elon de Arcana Two of Elon�s primary interests in line families are economy of scale and having a date on New Year�s Eve. Since a young age Elon has questioned the reasonableness of every small family group needing to own all of the tools needed to run a household. Along with physical resources Elon questioned why humans did not share emotional resources, aka love, more freely. The line family model addresses economic and emotional issues very well. Elton Elliott Elton Elliott is a northwest author who next year will celebrate his 40th anniversary as a published author in book form. His latest novel is BISHOP OF ROME (Book two in the Nanoclone Trilogy, 2012) co-written with Doug Odell. His latest anthology is LIKE WATER FOR QUARKS (2011) co-edited with Bruce Taylor. His next novel is KING OF JERUSALEM with Doug Odell (Book three in the Nanoclone Trilogy). Author of over two hundred published shorter works of essays, articles, reviews, interviews, news and opinion columns, poetry, and short fiction, including the novelettes "A Quantum Field Of Ghosts And Shadows with Doug Odell (2009)" and "Space Aliens Taught My Dog To Knit" with Jerry Oltion (Analog, June 2010), he is currently working on several pieces including a solo short story "The Church On The Hill." He is Senior Editor at MVP Publishing. In non-publishing endeavors he is the President and CEO of a company, VASE Software, which specializes in computer data encryption technology. Erin Tidwell Erin writes fantasy (usually) and science fiction (sometimes). Erin is organizing the Writers Workshop at Westercon 65. Frances Pauli Frances Pauli writes speculative fiction with touches of romance which means, of course, that she has trouble choosing sides. She�s always been a rabid fan of anything odd or unusual, and that trend follows through to her tales which feature aliens, fairies, and even, on occasion, the odd assortment of humans. Her short fiction has appeared in numerous anthologies and e-zines. Her longer romances are published through Devine Destinies, and her Urban Fantasy and Science Fiction series are published by Mundania Press LLC. Frank Catalano Frank Catalano is an author, media commentator and technology industry analyst and consultant. He currently writes the Practical Nerd column for the tech news site GeekWire.com while doing strategic consulting for a variety of education technology and digital learning companies. Frank is a former Secretary of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America, former news broadcaster and long-time public speaker and emcee. His fiction and non-fiction has appeared in dozens of publications, both on paper and online. He tweets at @FrankCatalano and blogs occasionally at http://intrinsicstrategy.com . Frank Wu No Biography Provided G.Robin (NB: G.Robin is not mis-spaced) G.Robin is a writer, performer, educator and fundraiser. He is interviewed on the Podcasts �On The Page�, �Screenwriting Movies and TV�, �Ben Franklin for President� & the Shakespeare-dissecting �Chop Bard� � all on iTunes. His writing has been featured in the magazines/ezines �Renaissance�, �Odin�s Gift�, �Pauline�s Prose�, �Yesteryear Fiction� and others. His CD, DVD, Kindle & Audio Books are at Amazon.com. He is the Washington State Ambassador for the Showcase of Fundraising Innovation & Inspiration, a musician with the SteamShanty sing-a-long band Kr�ken-R�hl & COO of The Interactive History Company. He has spoken for The Center for Non-Profit Success, the UW, Cornish as well as many Cons. G.Robin�s work has been seen on stage since the '70s (and in June at Seattle�s ACT Theatre). He tours widely and is available for consultation, performance & fundraisers. He is sponsored by Hardwick & Sons, Inc. Contact: Ben@Ben-Franklin.org Gadget the Emperor Though a world traveler of many countries, Ken is originally from Alaska where he earned 2 degrees (Chemical Engineering & Computer Science) with minors in Math and Physics. In 2002 he graduated and moved to Seattle where he worked in IT then eventually moved on to promotions. In 2009, he went to work via contract with NASA space program in Houston and returned in early 2010. This foodie's hobbies include weird sciences, cooking, traveling, photography, unique sculpture art, & adventure. He also wants to create awareness for the truth about hidden disabilities. Gibbitt Rhys-Jones Rhiannon "Gibbitt" Rhys-Jones has been doing conventions since 1991, been on the staff of a couple, been invited to speak and play at some, and even got married at one. She was involved in Clan Burnout, ran a fanzine;Smidgen, Was a part of House Madubi, and she`s put out an RPG (called Neverwhen) with her husband, Dustin Gross, with whom she also runs a publishing company, Dragondyne Publishing. She is an editor, a poet, an artist (cough cough), an art collector, a trainer, a Browncoat, and a great gal! Greg Bear Greg Bear is the international bestselling author of HULL ZERO THREE (Orbit November 2010), CITY AT THE END OF TIME (Del Rey 2009), MARIPOSA (Perseus paperback November 2010), and the Halo: Forerunners Trilogy (Tor, 2011-2013.) He�s won the Nebula award for two novels: DARWIN�S RADIO and MOVING MARS. Over the last thirty years, he�s consulted with think tanks, corporations, and government agencies on matters ranging from the privatization of space to electronic publishing to biological security. He�s also served as science advisor on a number of television shows, been interviewed by Jon Stewart on THE DAILY SHOW, and worked on the multi-author historical fantasy THE MONGOLIAD, published by 47North. He's married to Astrid Anderson Bear, and they are the parents of two young writers, Erik and Alexandra. Gregory A. Wilson Gregory A. Wilson is currently an Associate Professor of English at St. John's University in New York City, where he teaches creative writing and fantasy fiction along with other courses in literature. His first academic book was published in 2007, and his first novel, a work of epic fantasy entitled THE THIRD SIGN, was published in 2009. He is a member of Codex and the Writers' Symposium. His second and third novels are currently on submission, and he has a short story due out later this year in an anthology edited by Ed Greenwood and Gabrielle Harbowy. He is co-editing (with Hugo nominee John Helfers) a proposed anthology of stories on speculative fiction and politics, and co-hosts Speculate! The Podcast for Writers, Readers and Fans, a show which discusses and interviews the creators of speculative fiction of all kinds; hear the details at www.speculatesf.com. He lives with his wife Clea, daughter Senavene, and dog Lilo in Riverdale, NY. His virtual home is www.gregoryawilson.com. Gwen Perkins Gwen Perkins is a fantasy author and museum curator with a MA in Military History from Norwich University. The Universal Mirror, the debut novel in her fantasy series, Artifacts of Empire, was released by Hydra Publications in 2012. The second volume in the series, The Jealousy Glass, is planned for release in 2013. In addition to her speculative fiction work, Gwen has written for a number of magazines, exhibitions and nonfiction publications. One of her best-known exhibitions was the popular "Giants in the Mountains: The Search for Sasquatch" exhibitions for the Washington State Historical Society. Gwen's interest in history and academia provides her with constant inspiration for her novels, many of which incorporate her independent research. Gwen lives with her partner and three children in Tacoma, WA where they spend much of their time daydreaming in between wandering their city and trips to the zoo. J. A. Pitts J. A. Pitts resides in the Pacific Northwest where he hunts dragons, trolls and other beasties among the coffee shops and tattoo parlors. James C. Glass Jim won the grand prize of Writers of the Future in 1991, has published several novels and over sixty stories in magazines and anthologies since that time. He is also an artist, painting scenics in oils and pastels. He and wife Gail, a costumer and healing dancer, divide their time between Spokane, Washington and Desert Hot Springs, California. they are active in cons and also drumming circles where they drum, and Jim plays didgeridu. Janna Silverstein Janna Silverstein grew up on Long Island, where her parents encouraged her to watch Star Trek, to read National Geographic, and to write . . . a lot. In third grade, she edited her class newspaper, and has been telling writers what to do ever since. She has worked for more than two decades in publishing and related fields, first as an acquisitions editor for Bantam Spectra followed by stints at Wizards of the Coast and Microsoft among others. She has edited books on a freelance basis for Night Shade Books, Open Design, and Pocketbooks. Her own writing has appeared in Asimov�s Science Fiction, Orson Scott Card�s Intergalactic Medicine Show, 10Flash Quarterly, and in the anthologies Swordplay and The Trouble With Heroes, among others. She was twice a Writers of the Future semi-finalist. Though she'll always be a New Yorker, she lives in Seattle with a princessy calico cat and many, many books. Jeff Bohnhoff Jeff Bohnhoff is a professional musician, songwriter and recording engineer/producer. With his wife Maya, he has released 5 CDs including 3 albums of hilarious parodies of classic rock songs, and 2 albums of beautiful original songs. He has also produced albums for Seanan McGuire, Nancy Freeman and Harmony Heifers. He is currently working on an album with Mary Crowell, another with Seanan McGuire, and yet another with Betsy Tinney. Midichlorian Rhapsody, a spot-on parody of Bohemian Rhapsody from Jeff and Maya's most recent album Grated Hits, went viral on Youtube. Jeff and Maya have been frequent musical Guests of Honor at cons all over the US and the world, including the UK, Germany and Canada. They will be Toastmasters at Conjecture/Conchord in San Diego this coming October, and Guests of Honor at Conflikt in Seattle next January. jeff sturgeon Jeff is a northwest artist known for his beautiful award winning metal paintings usually involving space in one form or another but not always, Jeff is also known for beautiful landscapes. Jeff paints primarily with acrylics on either textured metal or canvas and his work has appeared on numerous book and magazine covers. Jeff is a guest and has been an AGOH at numerous cons around the country. Jeffs work graces book, magazine, e-books, cd's etc. Jeff is a member of the IAAA, the International Astronomical Artists Association. Jeff's work has won numerous awards over the years but he's most proud of his Best of Show at NASFIC 2005, Judges Choice and 2 Childrens Choice awards LAcon4 WorldSF Con 2006 and a Judges Choice and Peoples Choice Best of Show Devention WorldSF Con 2008. Most recentely Jeff was awarded one of the six coveted awards at last years Renovation WorldSF Con in Reno, NV. Jeff in a former life was a long time computer game artist/ art director most notably with Electroni Jennifer Brozek Jennifer Brozek is an award winning editor and author. Winner of the 2009 Australian Shadows Award for best edited publication, Jennifer has edited seven anthologies with more on the way. Author of In a Gilded Light and The Little Finance Book That Could, she has more than forty-five published short stories, and is the Creative Director for Apocalypse Ink Productions. Jennifer also is a freelance author for numerous RPG companies. Winner of both the Origins and the ENnie award, her contributions to RPG sourcebooks include Dragonlance, Colonial Gothic, Shadowrun, Serenity, Savage Worlds, and White Wolf SAS. When she is not writing her heart out, she is gallivanting around the Pacific Northwest in its wonderfully mercurial weather. Jennifer is an active member of SFWA and HWA. Read more about her at her blog: http://jennifer-brozek.livejournal.com/ Jerry Kaufman Jerry Kaufman has been a participant in fandom ever since his first convention, Tricon, the 1966 Worldcon in Cleveland, Ohio. He has started clubs and APAs, run a small press, judged book awards, published fanzines and held various committee jobs for conventions. His current fanzine is Littlebrook, co-edited with Suzanne Tompkins, his spouse. They live in Seattle, Washington. Jessica K. Sklar Jessica K. Sklar is an associate professor of mathematics at Pacific Lutheran University. She is interested in the mathematics of puzzles and games, as well as the popularization of math: she recently co-edited the book "Mathematics and Popular Culture," published by McFarland (Spring 2012). In addition, she enjoys exploring representations of gender and sexuality in science fiction and fantasy, and has a penchant for cinematic Asian horror. Joel Davis Joel Davis is the author or co-author of nine books of popular science on topics ranging from the Voyager 2 flyby of Uranus to the mysteries of the human brain and mind, and from the development of the human genome project to the discovery of the Milky Way's central black hole. He's also written more than 150 articles for magazines like "Astronomy," "New Scientist," "Analog" and "Launchspace," and blogs about asteroids and other small Solar System bodies in "Not Just Minor Planets." He currently works as a technical writer for a large software company headquartered in Redmond, WA. He lives in Bellevue, WA, with his wife Judy. John Hertz No Biography Provided John R. Gray III John R. Gray III has been showing his artwork at convention art shows nationally since 1981. At these, he has received numerous awards, including,
Best Fantasy, Best Color, Best Use of Humor and Most Unusual Concept. Publishing history includes book and cassette covers, a series of fantasy bookplates, CD-ROM fantasy clip art collections and illustrations in various convention program books and fan publications. He is also currently working as a freelance commercial artist and as a luthier, building custom autoharps. As for music, he played electric bass for a wide range of bands from the late 1960�s through 1991. Bands ranged from Heavy Metal to Country and just about everything in between. He recently became interested in Filk and soon joined up with �Stardust�. John Seghers No Biography Provided Jon Rogers \"Spaceship Handbook\" & \"The Saucer Fleet\" Co-Author Illustrator, Award winning Artist, Ex-Spacecraft Engineer, Sci-Fi Historian and Space future visionary. He maintains a website dedicated to saving our Spaceflight Heritage at www.rogersrocketships.com. He has witnessed the growth and changes in the Sci-Fi Scene beginning with the Classic era and contributed to the actual first steps into space, having worked on both the Space Shuttle and Apollo. He is currently involved in creating the only Authorized Visual chronical of Buck Rogers, the first Spaceman and Sci-Fi Hero. His motto is, \"You sail always into unknown Space. Facts are your only Clue. Get the facts.\" Kahboi Daniel D. Dubrick, Aerospace Historian Known to many in northwest US fandom since 1980 as a regular volunteer of his man management and organizing skills, Kahboi (pronounced Cowboy in English) has for many years been the Editor for the H.R. McMillan Planetarium's affiliated space and astronomy educational BBS "SpaceBase(tm)" At the peak of Fidonet's success, the results of Dan's editing effort were reaching out to over 5,000 amateur BBS's world wide weekly and a readership estimated in the tens of thousands. Dan has also witnessed space launches as an accredited journalist representing SpaceBase (including the US Space Shuttle) and on his annual holidays he can be found prowling the aerospace bone yards of the Arizona desert studying American aerospace history (but they still won't let him into the B-52 that dropped the X-15). Kat Richardson Kat Richardson is the author of the bestselling Greywalker paranormal detective series featuring PI Harper Blaine. Kat lives on a classic wooden yacht with a goofy pit bull named Bella-dogga Sniffington, and a husband named \"Mr. Kat.\" Kat is a former editor, theater-brat, and ferret-owner who occasionally rides a motorcycle and likes Swing dancing. Kempe I am an MD board certified in Family Practice and Hospice & Palliative Care, with additional degrees in Micro & Molecular biology, Public Policy and History. My area of research prior to entering medicine was infectious disease, specifically the cloning of drug-resistant viruses. I have also done research in the fields of home-based health care, computerized medical record systems and medical ethics. I have a special interest in gender and race interactions with health and health care. I am especially interested in the societal effects of changes in populations due to advances in medical care. An additional topic of interest to me are the forms that families take in society. I am interested how those family forms adapt to changing circumstances and changing culture. Kevin K� Wiley Nationally known and recognized as the incendiary mercenary genius behind SJ Tucker's musical talent, K Wiley revels in his Strowler life. Living on the road, traveling from concert to convention to festival in a different city every week for more than five years, he has produced, recorded, and teched hundreds of concerts and small events, contributed to a dozen music and video productions, and participated in the production, design, re-design, marketing, and distribution of every one of SJ Tucker's albums since 2004. As a fire juggler, a dancer, and a choreographer, he has worked with dozens of performance troupes from all over the world, was featured in a PBS special, and helped break a world record for fire breathing. His most recent projects have centered around the emerging alternative sub-culture identifying themselves as Strowlers, connected by a national network of events and an upcoming web mini-series. Leannan Sidhe Leannan Sidhe is a petite traveling Cascadian singer/songwriter with a lovely shimmering soprano voice and an overwhelming fondness for bittersweet fairytale folk music. Her primary companion is the Prince of Cats, her trusted adviser is a clever gypsy boy, and her favorite musicians to play with are a band of Tricky Pixies. Website and music can be found at http://leannansidhe.com M Todd Gallowglas M. Todd Gallowglas has been a professional storyteller at Renaissance Faires and Medieval Festivals for twenty years. After receiving his Bachelor of Arts in Creative Writing from San Francisco State University in 2009, he used his storytelling show as a platform to launch his fiction career through the wonder of the eBook revolution. His books First Chosen, Knight of the Living Dead, and Halloween Jack and the Devil�s Gate have been bestsellers on both Amazon US, Amazon UK, and Smashwords. His short story �The Half-Faced Man� received an honorable mention in the Writers of the Future Contest. He is a regular fiction contributor for the Fantasy Flight Games Inc. With it all, he�s still trying to wrap his head around his success and is trying to find the perfect balance between writing, gaming, and airsoft battles (because it�s not as messy as paintball) on the weekends. Margaret Organ-Kean When I was fifteen years old, a family friend sent my mother a postcard with a Kay Nielsen illustration from East of the Sun, West of the Moon on it. It was love at first sight. I had always drawn and painted - usually horses - but now my most important goal was to evoke a sense of magic on paper. A year later, I won a major prize in a national poster contest, but even then, I still planned on becoming a lawyer. Encouraged by my high school art teacher, I began to sell my watercolor paintings and drawings at local art fairs, and it was then that I began to seriously consider art as a career. I went to three universities (Boston University, Central Washington University, and the University of Washington) and three majors before settling down to get a B.A. in art history in the regulation four years. It helped that all my majors had been related to art. After college, I supported myself as a file clerk and administrative assistant at a law firm, and then as a systems operator at an insu Mark Davidson No Biography Provided Maya Kaathryn Bohnhoff Maya�s addicted to speculative fiction. For this, she blames her dad and Ray Bradbury.� She�s authored eight novels of speculative fiction, short fiction that�s appeared in Analog, Amazing Stories, Interzone, and others, and has been short-listed for the Nebula, Sidewise, and British SF awards. Her most recent novel is STAR WARS: SHADOW GAMES�a new addition to the Star Wars expanded universe�co-authored with Michael Reaves. Maya is half of Maya & Jeff, a Pegasus Award-winning musical duo. They�ve collaborated on three amazing children and live in San Jose. Maya is also a founding member of the online writer's co-op Book View Cafe. You can read/listen to Maya�s work at www.bookviewcafe,com or www.mayabohnhoff.com and buy her books at Book View Caf�, Amazon, Barnes&Noble, CD Baby and iTunes. Melinda Hutson I am the curator of the Cascadia Meteorite Laboratory at Portland State University. I teach classes (like "Exploring Mars") at two colleges, and do research on meteorites. I've been reading science fiction/fantasy since I was a child. I am not a fiction writer, not am I a wannabe writer. I prefer looking at extraterrestrial rocks. Melissa Quinn An avid reader, costumer, and otaku, Melissa enjoys the challenges of bringing to reality other fans' dream costumes through her company, Faerie Fingers. Michael Ehart Michael Ehart writes a bit. His latest novel, The Tears of Ishtar, is available at Amazon and other fine booksellers. He has been nominated for several awards and lives in hope that he will win one some day. Mickey Schultz No Biography Provided Mike Shepherd Moscoe Mike Shepherd Moscoe Mike is a multifaceted writer. As Mike Shepherd, he has ten books out in the National Best Selling Kris Longknife science fiction saga, the latest being Kris Longknife Daring. Look for Furious in October of 2012. In 2013 Ace intends to bring the three Ray Longknife books back into print. Mike is also looking forward to the first appearance of Vicky Peterwald � Target. As Mike Shepherd writing as Mike Moscoe, Mike is publishing several collections of his award nominated short stories as e-books as well as bringing several of his out-of-print books back as e-books. Visit his web site www.mikeshepherd.org to learn about his latest. Mir Plemmons I'm an interfaith chaplain, historian, special education teacher and advocate, disaster planner/volunteer, aid station leader and first responder. I am a colon cancer fighter, and am currently winning. I am a Two-Spirit / “s’gi’gi” Eastern Cherokee of the Bird Clan. I am a writer of poetry, prose and some filk. I am active in the Society for Creative Anachronism and (other!) outdoor organizations. I am a scribe, pewterer, leatherworker, house remodeler, wonderer, dreamer and occasionally a sleeper. I live at Greenhaven, a quiet retreat above a ravine with as much diversity in wildlife as books. I am known to quote songs and writings from across millennia and the globe, and am always trying to learn more neat, shiny things! Molly Boone A costumer of 20+ years of experience I have played in a variety of styles and genres. I am more of a Jack of all Trades than a single style focused costumer. My costumes. I have costumes ranging from high fantasy to Historical reporduction, fragile works of art to roll around in the dirt and get snorted on by horses. I am an actor as well so my focus is workmanship and Presentation. Over the last few years and I spent more time off the stage mantoring the next generation of costumers, but still keep my hand in, so to speak, to keep the rest on their toes. Muffy Morrigan Born in California, Muffy Morrigan began her writing career at the age of six, when after completing her first hand written novel she attempted to sell it to the neighbors for the lofty price of ten cents. After myriad careers, including archaeological consultant, teacher, herbalist, shop keeper, news editor, reporter and columnist, she has settled in to her first love and passion--writing. She currently lives and works in the Pacific Northwest. Ogre Whiteside No Biography Provided Pat MacEwen Pat MacEwen is a physical anthropologist (translation: bone freak) who has worked on war crimes investigations for the International War Crimes Tribunal, and has a sordid past in forensics. She also has a B.S. in marine biology, and has published short fiction in sci fi, fantasy, horror and mystery. The first volume of an urban fantasy/forensics trilogy, Rough Magic: The Fallen, is due out this month from Sky Warrior Books, and a YA dragon fantasy series, The Dragon\'s Kiss, will appear later this summer. A short story published in F&SF last year is also in Cramer & Hartwell\'s Year\'s Best SF 17, released in May. Patrick Swenson Patrick Swenson edited Talebones magazine for 14 years, and still runs Fairwood Press, a book line, which began in 2000. (www.fairwoodpress.com) Patrick has been a high school teacher for 27 years. A graduate of Clarion West, he sold stories to the anthology Like Water for Quarks, and magazines such as Marion Zimmer Bradley�s Fantasy Magazine, Figment, and others. He runs the Rainforest Writers Village retreat at Lake Quinault, Washington. (www.rainforestwritersvillage.com) He lives in Bonney Lake, Washington with his ten-year-old son Orion. Pierce Ludke I create prints from non-existent things - something �tangible� from the virtual, from their beginning in my mind to a result on paper. Some background - I spent my first 23+ years in the Midwest. I�ve lived out here in Seattle now for much longer i.e a transplant taken root. My major interests while growing up (if one ever completely grows up) were and still are reading, music and art. Come college I had to decide whether to pursue music or art for my major. Art was picked and I finished with a degree in Graphic Design. I started playing and creating digital art on one of our early home computers- a new tool to explore. My started to create 3D objects derived from sketches or from my imagination. I later began to incorporate them into other-worldly/slightly off-kilter realities of this world. My sources: the written (myths, philosophy, science fiction, literature), music, and dreams, with attention to the impact of color, light/shade, patterns/shapes and their import. R. Gilmore Richard is a long time polyamory activist, researcher and writer. His primary research is on poly family economics, group decision making and nonsexual intimacy. He is also the vice president of Polycamp NW, the largest annual gathering of poly families in the U.S. Richard recently accepted the reins of Seattle�s Poly Potluck from its founder. The potluck is Seattle�s original and oldest poly event. He was at the first potluck 19 years ago. He is a member of the Nonesuch family, a MFFM quad that has been together for over 11 years. Richard, and his partner Elon, have visited the Windward Line Family and have given their line family presentation at Loving More Magazine�s Poly Retreat in upstate New York. They have also given talks near Washington DC, Seattle, Polycamp NW and Hawaii. Raishaan O Musically inclined since he was small, Rich discovered Filk in the early \\\'90\\\'s and the rest is history. He currently performs with his band Starlight, with the phenomenal talents of his wife Stephanie Weippert, his bassist John Gray III, and Deb Radziewicz. He is also among the computer adept and enjoys building everything from worlds to end of the world devices. Renee Stern Renee Stern is a former newspaper reporter turned freelance writer whose short fiction has appeared in such publications as Beneath Ceaseless Skies, Black Gate, Aeon Speculative Fiction, and the anthologies Human Tales and Sails & Sorcery: Tales of Nautical Fantasy. She also is working on a historical fantasy novel. Rhiannon Held Rhiannon Held's debut novel SILVER is the first in an urban fantasy series from Tor. In her day job she works as a professional archaeologist. Unfortunately, given that it's real rather than fictional archaeology, fedoras, bullwhips, aliens, and dinosaurs are in short supply. Most of her work is done on the computer, using databases to organize data, and graphics programs to illustrate it. Richard A. Lovett Richard A. Lovett is one of the most prolific writers in the history of Analog magazine. A writer of both fact and fiction, he\'s won eight of the magazine\'s AnLab (reader\'s choice) awards. His short stories have also appeared in Nature, Abyss & Apex, Running Times, Marathon & Beyond, and been translated into Polish, Portuguese, and Russian (where his novella \"Brittney\'s Labyrinth\" was voted best translated short work of 2008). A full-time writer, he is a regular contributor to Nature, National Geographic News, Cosmos, and many others. He is also a sports writer and coach of Portland, Oregon\'s 300-member Team Red Lizard running club, and of individual athletes, including ranging from local age-group competitors to contestants in the U.S. Olympic Trials. A former law professor, he also holds a degree in astrophysics and a Ph.D. in economics. Find him on the web at http://richardalovett.com or on Facebook as Richard A. Lovett (author). Robin Hobb Robin Hobb is a fantasy novelist who lives in blue-collar Tacoma Washington and loves it there. Best known for the Farseer Trilogy, her most current works are the four books of the Rain Wild Chronicles: Dragon Keeper, Dragon Haven, City of Dragons, and Blood of Dragons (to be published in 2013) When she is not writing, Robin enjoys time on a \\\\\\\'pocket farm\\\\\\\' in the Roy area with lots of vegetable gardens, fruit trees, chickens and ducks. Robin Hobb also writes short fiction as Megan Lindholm. Her most recent publication under that name is \\\\\\\"Old Paint\\\\\\\" in the July issue of Asimov\\\\\\\'s. S. A. Bolich S. A. Bolich is a full-time freelancer with a number of published fantasy stories as well as many nonfiction articles in print. A native of Washington state, she resides there again after serving six years in Germany as a regular army military intelligence officer. She graduated summa cum laude from college with a degree in history, which she confesses was greatly aided by devouring historical fiction of every era and kind through her formative years. Her first novel, �Firedancer,� Book 1 of the Masters of the Elements series, was released in September 2011 by Sky Warrior Books, with Book 2, "Windrider," appearing in May 2012. Her short fiction has appeared in Beneath Ceaseless Skies, On Spec, Damnation Books, the anthologies Defending the Future IV: No Man�s Land, and Gears and Levers, among others, and is upcoming in several more. Currently she is working on Seaborn, Book 3 of Masters of the Elements. Shoshana Shoshana worked as coder for the Genre Evolution Project (GEP) at the University of Michigan and project managed a side project that culminated in publishing "The Exaggerated Reports of the Death of Science Fiction" in the New York Review of Science Fiction. She has also worked as a contract editor for Edge Publications and is tuckerized in Rob Sawyer`s WWW series. She is still an avid reader, and, when not escaping into a good book, Shoshana fills her time performing poetry and sewing. Solarbird, the Lightbringer Dara Korra'ti - Solarbird, the Lightbringer - is a touring musician and bandleader for CRIME and the Forces of Evil, a supergroup of supervillains and supervillainy performing rage-driven acoustic elfmetal. A largely self-taught songwriter, instrumentalist, and vocalist, her music has appeared on ARfm London, Transmission FM 88.3 Auckland, and several music podcasts. She plays a number of instruments including the Irish bouzouki, mandolin, bass guitar, flute, keyboards, djembe, bodhran, and others she makes up, such as "hammered mandolin," "Trash-O-Matic 68000," and "desk." She and her band have recorded two full-length releases and an EP: _Cracksman Betty_, a collection of live in-studio tracks; _Dick Tracy Must Die_, their first full-length studio album; and _Espionage: Live from Mars_, recorded live at the Mars Bar in Seattle. All can be streamed at http://crimeandtheforcesofevil.com. They're currently hard at work on the second full-band studio album, _Din of Thieves_. solcita Sunnie Larsen is a life-long performer who often claims that music is her first language. She began violin lessons at the wee age of 3, and over the years branched out into other instruments, such as piano, string bass, guitar, voice, and viola. As a teenager, she expected to follow the path of a professional musician and hoped to establish hereof as the principal violist of a fancy symphony orchestra in some exotic world locale� but life had other plans. She now splits her time between her professional life, where she loves her career as a 911 dispatcher, and her personal life, where she is much more of a rock star than her classically-trained-violinist younger self ever expected to be. Sunnie can be seen performing with Seattle-based groups Bone Poets Orchestra, Vixy & Tony, and the Medieval Women's Choir, and occasionally with other amazing touring musicians such as S.J. Tucker and Marian Call. Stephanie Weippert After a lifetime of singing along with the radio, Stephanie met Rich Glover, who introduced her to filk and she hasn't looked back since. Both singer and songwriter, she is a vital part of the band Starlight. Once upon a time, a local convention had a short story contest, but the catch was the stories had to have a slug. The premise amused Stephanie Weippert and she wrote something for it and sent it off. It wasn't accepted, of course, but the writing bug bit. So many years later, after lots of hard work, her first manuscript is in the hands of a real professional editor who loves it as much as she does. See, hard word does pay off...eventually. As a local writer, Stephanie is also an active staff-member of Cascade Writers Workshop held each July. Steve Gillett Steve Gillett is a frequent contributor to Analog, most recently "Isotopy" (March 2010) and "Hanging by a Thread" (May 2010, under his fictional alter ego.) He holds a Ph.D. in geology and has taught at the University of Nevada, Reno. He is also the author of World-Building (Writer's Digest Press, 1996). He has now focused his efforts on the profound effects nanotechnology will have on addressing resource and environmental issues, and has a book under contract on this topic with Pan-Stanford Publishing. Steve Savitzky Steve Savitzky is a hacker/songwriter who learned both hacking and folksinging back in the 1960's; he discovered organized fandom and filkdom (i.e. was dragged to his first con) in 1978, and wrote his first ``real'' filksong shortly thereafter. About half of his recorded songs are about computers; some, like "The World Inside the Crystal", are even serious. His first CD, Coffee, Computers, and Song!, was released in August, 2007; his lyrics and writings are on the web at steve.savitzky.net. He and his wife Colleen were inducted into the Filk Hall of Fame in 2008. He is currently performing as part of the folk/filk group "Lookingglass Folk". You can't say he's an ageing hippy because he remembers his college days in the 1960's. In his day job he's a software architect (ageing hacker) who has fun with Linux, emacs, and git, and does perverted things with makefiles and bash scripts. Susan R. Matthews Most of Susan's eight published novels have been directly or indirectly related to the life and hard times of "Uncle" Andrej Koscuisko, who is not a nice man. She'll be reading from the final Koscuisko novel, "Blood Enemies," some time at this convention. While wrapping up the Koscuisko saga she started to develop a "Kim, with kinks" story-line in the north-west territories in India in around 1830, but she completely forgot to make the first one science fiction, which was very embarrassing. She's currently working on developing the story-line as an "Indiana Jones" - style fantasy series which she hopes to see in bookstores near you soon. Suzanne Tompkins Since discovering SF fandom in the mid-60�s, Suzanne (aka Suzle) has co-edited four fanzines (two of which, The Spanish Inquisition and Mainstream, with husband, Jerry Kaufman, were nominated for Hugos); helped found an SF club (WPSFA in Pittsburgh); and helped run numerous SF cons (most recently the Seattle Potlatches and Renovation, the 2011 Worldcon). Suzle was the 2005 TAFF winner and then served as the North American TAFF administrator until 2008. In real life, she works as an association manager/meeting planner. She and Jerry now publish Littlebrook, which can be found on line at http://www.efanzines.com/. Ted Butler Ted Butler has written five books in his science fiction Belt Republic series. Book one starts with swimming pool of Jell-O prank gone wrong. Ted has been a computer consultant, a salesman, a teacher, a technician, fought computer viruses, run a dishwasher, worked on a survey crew, launched satellites, and tested ballistic missiles. He is a husband, father, and grandfather. He loves the quote from an extremely biased grandson Keefe about the Belt Republic books. \\\"He`s my favorite author.\\\" He has a new series being considered at Baen. Tod McCoy Tod McCoy moved to Seattle from Phoenix in 1994 and never looked back except to make sure it wasn't following him. He is a Clarion West alumni and his work has appeared on AntipodeanSF.com, Qarrtsiluni.com, and The Gloaming, as well as the upcoming anthologies Plans for the Apocalypse and Bronies: For the Love of Ponies. He runs Hydra House, a small press dedicated to publishing West Coast science fiction and fantasy, which currently includes the Faerie Tales from the White Forest series by Danika Dinsmore and Snapshots from a Black Hole & Other Oddities K.C. Ball, both available in the dealer's room. Upcoming publications include Near+Far, short stories by Cat Rambo, and super secret anthologies that can't be talked about yet. www.hydrahousebooks.com Vixen Valentine No Biography Provided Vixy & Tony Vixy & Tony (Michelle Dockrey and Tony Fabris) have been performing acoustic music as a duo since 2005. Their folk/rock musical style, and science fiction and fantasy lyrics, combine to tell engaging stories. Their album \"Thirteen\", contains the Pegasus-award-winning songs \"Emerald Green\", \"Six String Love\", and the Firefly-inspired hit, \"Mal\'s Song\". Their energetic performances can be enjoyed by both sci-fi fans and mainstream music fans alike, earning them the Best Performer Pegasus Award in 2008. They are currently working on their second album, and can frequently be found playing with cellist Betsy Tinney and violinist Sunnie Larsen. Their music can be found at VixyAndTony.com. Wolfcat Jonnalyhn Wolfcat Prill has been sewing in one form or another since the early 70�s when her mother began her with basic embroidery, quilting and straight seams. It\\\'s a toss-up as to whether the sewing or her father\\\'s books and games influenced her life most as Asimov and Heinlein were read before \\\"See Spot Run\\\" and her home has more books than many library branches. A member of Beyond Reality Costumer\\\'s Guild, ICG, CGW and the SCA, she�s progressed to medieval recreations, science fiction costumes and full-bore fantasy competition pieces, and delights in learning or sharing new concepts. Besides anime wings of unusual materials, comic book team-ups and Victorian inspired clothing, her newest areas of exploration are with ball-jointed dolls, baby girl outfits, quiet books, and digitigrade type costuming. Her most recent Masquerade performance was part of a local group performance rick-rolling the Worldcon 2011 Masquerade.