< 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 Scott Edelman Literary Author Scott Edelman has published more than 125 short stories in magazines such as Analog, Apex, Lightspeed, and The Twilight Zone, and in anthologies such as Why New Yorkers Smoke, Crossroads: Southern Tales of the Fantastic, and MetaHorror. Many of these have been collected in the books These Words Are Haunted, What Will Come After (a finalist for the Shirley Jackson Memorial Award), What We Still Talk About. and Tell Me Like You Done Before (and Other Stories Written on the Shoulders of Giants). His most recent collection is Things That Never Happened. He has been a Stoker Award finalist eight times. Edelman also worked for the Syfy Channel for 13+ years as editor of Science Fiction Weekly, SCI FI Wire, and Blastr. He was the founding editor of Science Fiction Age, which he edited during its entire eight-year run. He has been a four-time Hugo Award finalist for Best Editor. He has also been the host of the Eating the Fantastic podcast since February 2016 Other Socials https://www.scottedelman.com/wordpress/

< Back Dr. Inge Heyer Science Astronomer Born and raised in Berlin, Germany, Dr. Inge Heyer completed her secondary education there before accepting a language scholarship to attend Tenri University (Japan). Later she moved to the US to earn an undergraduate degree in Astronomy and Physics, an M.S. in Astronomy, and a Ph.D. in Science Education. Over 20 years as professional astronomer Dr. Heyer worked as senior data analyst at the Space Telescope Science Institute, as deputy press officer for the American Astronomical Society, and as the public information officer at the Joint Astronomy Centre in Hawai`i. Dr. Heyer teaches astronomy and physics at Loyola University Maryland. She is co-author of seven books, including the Investigating Astronomy textbook which is used in many astronomy classes. And if you have ever wondered how those beautiful Hubble images got into science fiction series like Babylon-5 and Star Trek, here is the troublemaker who instigated this. Other Socials

< Back Zack Be Literary Author Zack Be is an author, obscure songwriter, and psychotherapist trapped in the Washington, D.C. area gravity well. His fiction has appeared in Analog Science Fiction and Fact, Asimov's Science Fiction, Writers of the Future Vol. 36, and The Science Fiction Tarot anthology. In 2024, he was named the grand prize winner of the Jim Baen Memorial Science Fiction Award for excellence in near-future, forward-thinking science fiction for his story "Locus of Control." He is also the editor of Inner Workings, an anthology of SFF stories and craft writing essays available now from Calendar of Fools. More info about Zack's writing and music can be found at zackbe.com or anywhere @bezackbe. Other Socials http://zackbe.com

< Back Cherrie Fors Literary Author Cherrie Fors writing under the pen name CL Fors is a science-fiction and speculative fiction author and award-winning illustrator. You can find the first novel in her epic sci-fi series, Cradle of Mars, on Amazon. Cherrie lives in the Southern California desert with her four kids and fellow author and spouse Jason P Crawford. She enjoys wilderness, creatures and all things science and spends most of her time in the worlds she creates. Other Socials http://www.clforsauthor.com

< Back Lee Hawkridge Literary Author A budding streamer, compulsory world-builder, and a occasional author of short stories, Lee has been in the fandom for nearly fifteen years. Other Socials

< Back Kemi Ashing-Giwa Author Kemi Ashing-Giwa is a writer and grad student based in Palo Alto. She is the author of The Splinter in the Sky, This World Is Not Yours, The King Must Die, and several short stories. Her work won the Compton Crook Award, has been nominated for an Ignyte Award, and has appeared on the USA Today Bestseller List. She studied integrative biology and astrophysics at Harvard, and is now pursuing a PhD in Earth & Planetary Sciences at Stanford. Kemi will be attending Balticon 58 in person. Find out more about the author on her website. Other Socials

< Back Dr. Tom Holtz Science Scientist Thomas R. Holtz, Jr. is Principal Lecturer in Vertebrate Paleontology at the Department of Geology, University of Maryland, College Park. His research focuses on the origin, evolution, adaptations, and behavior of carnivorous dinosaurs, and especially of tyrannosauroids (Tyrannosaurus rex and its kin). He received his Bachelors at Johns Hopkins in 1987 and his Ph.D. from Yale in 1992. He is also a Research Associate of the Department of Paleobiology of the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History and serves on the Scientific Council of Maryland Academy of Science (which operates the Maryland Science Center (Baltimore, MD)). In addition to his dinosaur research, Holtz has been active in scientific outreach. He has been a consultant on museum exhibits documentaries. He is the author of the award-winning Dinosaurs: The Most Complete, Up-To-Date Encyclopedia for Dinosaur Lovers of All Ages (Random House). Apply now to join our Program Participants! Other Socials

< Back Phoebe Barton Literary Author Phoebe Barton is a Canadian queer trans science fiction writer. Her short fiction has appeared in venues such as Analog, Lightspeed, and F&SF, and anthologies from Neon Hemlock and World Weaver Press. She wrote the interactive fiction game The Luminous Underground, a 2020 Nebula Award finalist, for Choice of Games. She is a 2019 graduate of the Clarion West Writers Workshop. Other Socials http://www.phoebebartonsf.com

< Back Art Sierra Literary Author Art Sierra (1987), Santiago, Chile. BA in Philosophy. Writes hard-SF. Publications include short stories and a novelette in Spanish, and in English a short story in Sci Phi Journal, March 2022 edition, and a short story to appear in EscapePod by mid May. Other Socials

< Back Friday Night Filk Circle TBA TBA The filk circles are your chance to share a favorite song or two. All songs are welcome: filk, folk, Celtic, SCA, and more. Or bring an instrument and play along. Join us to sing the night away, or just stop by for a listen!

< Back Nicole Givens Kurtz Literary Author Nicole Givens Kurtz has been called “a genre polymath who does crime, horror, and Science Fiction and Fantasy (Book Riot).” They’ve named her as one of the 6 Black SFF Indie Writers You Should be Reading, 30 Must-Read SFF Books by Black Authors, and The Best of the West: 8 Alternative History Westerns. She’s a two-time Atomacon Palmetto Scribe Award winner. With over 20 years in publishing, she’s written for Pseudopod, Fiyah, Apex Magazine, White Wolf, The Realm (formerly Serial Box), Subsume, and Baen. Nicole has over 50 published short stories and is the author of the Cybil Lewis and Death Violations cybernoir series as well as the Kingdom of Aves fantasy mystery series. She’s written the critically acclaimed, weird western anthology, Sisters of the Wild Sage: A Weird West Collection. She has conducted workshops for Clarion West online and is the owner of Mocha Memoirs Press. She’s the editor for the groundbreaking SLAY: Stories of the Vampire Noire anthology. Other Socials