< 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

< Back George Hrab Music Musician Best known in his home town of Bethlehem, PA as the longtime drummer for The Philadelphia Funk Authority, George Hrab is also an accomplished guitarist, pianist, and songwriter; having written and released nine albums. His larger works include, “Occasional Songs for the Periodic Table”—a 118-song cycle featuring one tune for each element of the periodic table as well as “The Broad Street Score,” a re-imagining of his most popular compositions arranged for string quartet and voice. His streaming series entitled “Seven Songs with George Hrab,” has him expounding on the theory, history, and trivia of seven songs around a common theme. George is also the sparkling personality behind more than 900 episodes of “The Geologic Podcast.” Ranging in tone from incredibly serious to unbearably silly, his award-winning show features weekly musings about science, music, comedy, and life at large. After nearly two decades of producing the show, he was recently inducted in The Podcast Hall of Fame. Other Socials

< Back David Walton Literary Author David Walton hails from Philadelphia, where he lives with his wife and eight children. An engineer by day and an author by night, David has won both the John W. Campbell Award and the Philip K. Dick Award for his novels, which have been translated into seven languages. His newest books are the LIVING MEMORY series, dinosaur thrillers involving paleontologists and an ancient genetic technology. Other Socials

< Back Ruthanna Emrys Literary Author Ruthanna Emrys is the author of the Innsmouth Legacy series, including Winter Tide and Deep Roots, and A Half-Built Garden. She writes radically hopeful short stories about religion and aliens and psycholinguistics. She lives in a mysterious manor house on the outskirts of Washington, DC with her wife and their large, strange family. She creates real versions of imaginary foods in her crowded kitchen, gives unsolicited advice, and occasionally attempts to save the world. https://www.patreon.com/ruthannaemrys Other Socials https://www.ruthannaemrys.com