< Back Melissa Scott Literary Author Melissa Scott was born and raised in Little Rock, Arkansas, and studied history at Harvard College. She earned her PhD from Brandeis University in the comparative history program. Since then, she has published more than thirty original novels and a handful of short stories, most with queer themes and characters, as well as authorized tie-in work for Star Trek: DS9, Star Trek: Voyager, Stargate SG-1, Stargate Atlantis, Star Wars: Rebels, and Overwatch. She has won four Lambda Literary Awards, four Spectrum Awards, the John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer, and been shortlisted for the Otherwise (Tiptree) Award. She is also the new owner/publisher of the well-respected SF/F press Candlemark & Gleam. Her most recent novel, Point of Hearts, was published in March 2025. Other Socials

< Back Stephanie Law Artist Guest of Honor Stephanie Law’s images trace the boundary between dream and reality. She delves into the pictorial language of allegory, explores mythology in new contexts, chases tiny worlds of wonder from an insect’s viewpoint, and highlights the beauty of growth and decay found in nature. She interweaves texture, watercolor, gold and silver leaf, ink, and creates intricate layered pieces with resin and custom designed frames. In a meld of organic patterns and familiar archetypes, her paintings pose a question on the nature of perception and beauty, and it is against this backdrop that the ephemeral guides and strange creatures dance and beckon the viewer to follow through her various series. Archetypes, the basis for the universal appeal of mythological concepts, are one of the defining inspirations for her imagery. This is mingled with the movement of dance. Stephanie has been a dancer for almost two decades, and she uses that experience of how the human body moves and emotes to create a bridge into her artwork so that not only do the humans dance across the page, but the branches of her trees move with a sinuous grace, and the arrangement of inanimate elements has a choreographed rhythm and flow. Growing up in California, Stephanie has been surrounded by the wealth of natural inspiration all around her. The twisting boughs of live oaks from the hills near her home insinuate themselves into her paintings. The chaos of Nature’s wild growth, and conversely the beauty of decay, echo in the textures and fractal patterns of her work. She has worked for gaming companies to create art for rpgs and ccgs, including Magic the Gathering, Forgotten Realms, Blue Rose, Warhammer, Legend of Five Rings, and also designs art for magazine illustrations, book interior and cover illustrations. She is the author and illustrator of the Dreamscapes watercolor tutorial series of books, and The Shadowscapes Tarot, and the artist for The Treekeepers Oracle. She’s currently working on a new deck, the Verdance Tarot, as well as regularly showing her new work at Modern Eden Gallery (San Francisco, CA) and Haven Gallery (Northport, NY). For more information about Ms. Law's artwork, please visit her website .

< Back D.H. Aire Literary Author D.H. Aire has published more than 20 books, most recent are Knight's Blood and Bigfoot Hunting. His love of history & archaeology found expression in writing his epic fantasy/sci fi Highmage's Plight, Hands of the Highmage, and his sense of adventure and humor in Apocaplyse Knot, and Knights Tower Series. He is a member of SFWA & an Indy author. Other Socials http://dhaire.net

< Back Charles Gannon Literary Author Dr. Charles E. Gannon’s best known work is in the best-selling Caine Riordan hard sf series and the Vortex of Worlds epic fantasy saga. Winner of the Dragon, ALA Choice, & Compton Crook awards, he’s been a finalist for the Nebula (novel, 4x) and Dragon (2x). Multiple credits in other series include: Ring of Fire (Flint), Black Tide Rising (Ringo), Starfire (White & Weber), Honorverse (Weber), Known Space (Niven). Other credits: TV producer, Distinguished Professor, five-time Fulbrighter, and Beltway/media SME. Other Socials

< Back Jennifer R. Povey Literary Author Jennifer R. Povey lives in Northern Virginia with her husband. She writes a variety of speculative fiction, whilst following current affairs and occasionally indulging in horse riding and role playing games. She has sold fiction to a number of markets including Analog, and written RPG supplements for several companies. Her most recent novel is Araña, a space opera romp that echoes Star Trek and golden age science fiction. Other Socials

< Back Shahid Mahmud Literayr Editor Shahid Mahmud created Arc Manor; a Maryland based small press in 2006. Since then, the company has become a significant small SF and fantasy publisher and authors published include George R.R. Martin, Orson Scott Card, Mercedes Lackey, Lois McMaster Bujold, and Harry Turtledove. In 2020 Arc Manor published Rober A. Heinlein’s last published work, The Pursuit of the Pankera, under an exclusive contract from the Heinlein Estate. Arc Manor also published Galaxy’s Edge magazine and co-sponsors the Mike Resnick Memorial Short Fiction Award in partnership with Dragon Con. Arc Manor uses a mix of old and new technologies to stay at the forefront of the publishing business. Arc Manor’s Caezik imprint is currently represented by Consortium, one of the preeminent full-service distributors in the World catering to independent presses. Prior to becoming a publisher, Shahid was a money manager and San Diego’s acting mayor declared November 7, 2005, to be “Shahid Mahmud” day for his services. Other Socials

< Back Marc Abrahams Science Guest of Honor Marc Abrahams writes about things that are surprising—so surprising that they make people LAUGH, then THINK. IG NOBEL PRIZES : Marc founded the Ig Nobel Prize Ceremony in 1991, and serves as master of ceremonies. The prizes — for achievements that make people LAUGH, then THINK — are handed out by genuine, bemused Nobel laureates in a gala event held every year at Harvard University, and broadcast on the web and on public radio. (The 1995 ceremony was one of the very first events ever webcast.) In 2022 the Ig Nobel Prize was itself given a prize: the Heinz Oberhummer award , for “outstanding science communication”. WRITING and EDITING : Marc co-founded and edits the magazine Annals of Improbable Research (AIR), and wrote This is Improbable, The Ig Nobel Prizes, and other books. He edits and writes much of the web site and blog www.improbable.com and the monthly newsletter mini – AIR . He also writes t he weekly “Feedback” column in New Scientist magazine. Marc is co-author, with entomologist Jiri Hulcr, of the fairly new book The Surprising Lives of Bark Beetles: Mighty Foresters of the Insect World . For thirteen years, he also wrote a mostly-weekly column (called “Improbable Research”) for The Guardian . He created and hosts the Improbable Research podcast. Earlier, Marc was editor of the magazine Journal of Irreproducible Results . You can follow Marc on mastodon at MarcAbrahams@mstdn.science

< Back Walt Boyes Literary Editor Walt Boyes is a journalist, analyst, and recognized authority on 21st Century manufacturing and automation. He is a Fellow of several scientific organizations both in the US and the UK and is a member of the Association of Professional Futurists. He writes a monthly newsletter on automation and process control. He also writes science fiction, fantasy, and alternate history. He was the editor of the Grantville Gazette and Co- Editor in Chief of Ring of Fire Press with Joy Ward, to whom Walt is lucky to be married. In 2024, Walt and Joy joined Misti Media LLC as the acquisition editors of their new SFF/AltHist book imprint, Nazca Press. To pay it forward, Walt has been a Director of The Heinlein Society for several years, and now serves as Vice President. Other Socials