< Back Somto Ihezue Literary Editor Somto Ihezue (He/Him) is an Igbo writer, editor, and filmmaker. He is a Creative Writing MFA student at the University of Maryland, and an alumnus of Clarion West, Tin House, and Milford SF workshops. His works have appeared/are forthcoming in Reactor, Clarkesworld, The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, POETRY Magazine, Uncanny, Strange Horizons, NIGHTMARE, Beneath Ceaseless Skies, Podcastle, Flash Fiction Online, and others. His work has been shortlisted for the British Fantasy Award (Sydney J. Bounds Awards), the Nommo Awards, the Utopia Awards, and has equally been nominated for the Pushcart Prize and the British Science Fiction Award. He is the assistant editor of the NEArts and SFWA-sponsored Publishing Taught Me Anthology, and co-editor of Will This Be A Problem Anthology. Visit his website. Other Socials https://somtoihezue.wordpress.com/

< Back Adeena Mignogna Science Scientist Adeena is a physicist and astronomer and software engineer working - by day - for nearly three decades in the aerospace industry as a Mission Architect (which just means she's been doing it so long they had to give her a fun title). By night, early mornings, and any other time she can squeeze in, Adeena is a science fiction writer, and book publisher. She is author and producer of the 4-book Robot Galaxy series, the standalone novel Lunar Logic, and has much more in the pipeline. Adeena is also a passionate science fiction fan and blogs routinely about sci-fi and science and is one of the co-hosts of The BIG Sci-Fi Podcast. adeenamignogna.com Other Socials http://adeenamignogna.com

< Back Sonya Bleakley Content Creator Social Media Multilingual. Traveled quite a bit for some years. Baltimore native, lived in other countries. Went to school for International studies/Asian studies, currently steering towards healthcare. Have been in a car ride to near Canada, and also to Canada at least several times! Other Socials

< Back Alex Shvartsman Literary Author Alex Shvartsman is the author of Kakistocracy (2023), The Middling Affliction (2022) and Eridani’s Crown (2019) fantasy novels. Over 120 of his stories have appeared in Analog, Nature, Strange Horizons, etc. He won the WSFA Small Press Award for Short Fiction (2014) and was a three-time finalist for the Canopus Award for Excellence in Interstellar Fiction. His translations from Russian have appeared in F&SF, Clarkesworld, Tor.com, Analog, Asimov’s, etc. Alex has edited over a dozen anthologies, including the long-running Unidentified Funny Objects series. He’s the editor-in-chief of Future Science Fiction Digest. Alex resides in Brooklyn, NY. Other Socials http://www.alexshvartsman.com.

< Back Neil Inglis Literary Author Neil Inglis is a translator based in the Washington DC area. Educated in the UK, Neil moved to Washington in 1984 to seek work in his field and never left. He spoke at the 2019 Balticon on the topic of Brian Inglis (1916-1993), the Irish historian of the paranormal. In his free time Neil edits the Tyndale Society Journal, the flagship publication of The Tyndale Society, an organization devoted to honoring the memory of William Tyndale (1494-1536). Tyndale was the first published translator of the Bible in English, marking the first appearance of the Scriptures in recognizably modern form. His translations and other heterodox activities left him a marked man; and persecution, arrest and execution at the stake soon followed. Yet Tyndale's dedication to the English language left behind a matchless legacy that changed the world. Neil is a member of National Capital Area Skeptics (NCAS), and has spoken on Brian Inglis and William Tyndale to Fortfests in the Baltimore area. Other Socials

< Back Eric Hardenbrook Literary, Artist, Fan Author, Artist, Fan Eric is a fan, an author and an artist, usually in that order. Eric lives in central Pennsylvania with his amazing family. He writes to try to get the stories out of his head. When he's being a fan he helps run Watch The Skies and assists in the publication of their monthly fanzine. He can be found (at least some of the time) at The Pretend Blog. When not working on those things, Eric enjoys board games and is an old school role player, running Groves of Inan with many episodes available on YouTube. Other Socials

< Back Iver P. Cooper Literary Author Iver Cooper has been an active contributor to Eric Flint's "1632" shared universe, with more than 20 short stories and more than 40 articles published so far. Iver's 1632 universe braided story anthology 1636: Seas of Fortune was published by Baen 2014-15. He is the co-author, with Eric Flint, of 1636: The China Venture, set in Ming China and expected to be published in 2019. Iver is an intellectual property law attorney with Browdy & Neimark, Washington, DC. He has received legal writing awards from the American Patent Law Association, the US Trademark Association, and the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers, and is the sole author of Biotechnology and the Law, now in its 20-something edition. In his spare time he teaches swing and folk dancing, and participates in local photo club competitions. Iver is married, with a son who is a public policy analyst, and a daughter working at Universal Orlando as a copywriter. Other Socials

< Back Ken Altabef Literary Author A SFWA and HWA member, Ken Altabef's short fiction has appeared in magazines such as F&SF, Interzone, Daily Science Fiction, Intergalactic Medicine Show, BuzzyMag, Abyss & Apex, Perihelion etc. His stories have received honorable mention in Years Best SF and Best Horror of the Year. He was an editor on the mixed-genre anthologies "Drastic Measures" and "Wash the Spider Out" from Blueberry Lane Books. He is the author of twelve fantasy novels, including the LADY CHANGELING TRILOGY and the epic arctic fantasy series ALAANA'S WAY.Please visit his website at www.KenAltabef.com Other Socials http://www.kenaltabef.com/

< Back Dr. Karen Costuming Masquerade Director Dr. Karen Purcell obtained her Bachelor's in Biology from Pace University, Pleasantville Campus. She graduated with the Class of ’92 from the College of Veterinary Medicine at Cornell, the only veterinary school in the United States with a theatre troupe. Dr. Purcell has worked as an associate veterinarian in New York, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, New Hampshire and North Carolina. After the pandemic, she took a year off to work remotely and volunteer with Chihuahua Rescue & Transport. She is now working Smithfield Road Veterinary Hospital in Knightdale, NC - a wonderful place with an excellent team. I am enjoying my work more than ever. In her spare time (hah!), Dr. Karen belongs to the Northern Lights Costumers and The Maryland Costumers and Cosplayers Guild. She has been running the Balticon Masquerade for the past couple years and was Masquerade Director for Discon III. Other Socials

< Back Miniature Painting Workshops Lord Kron By Kron! Come learn to paint miniatures of all kinds with our esteemed Master miniature painter, Lord Kron! Workshop Tags: Art, Gaming, In Hotel Only, RPG/Tabletop Games Scratch that creative itch, and let loose your artistic vision upon the bare plastic! Bring your own figure, or we will provide one for you! (It's yours!) Multiple Sessions May 23rd Miniature Painting Workshop (Session 1) Private Dining Room, 10 a.m. - 1 p.m. May 24th Miniature Painting Workshop (Session 2) Private Dining Room, 10 a.m. - 1 p.m. May 25th Miniature Painting Workshop (Session 3) Private Dining Room, 10 a.m. - Noon

< Back dave ring Literary Author dave ring is a writer and editor of speculative fiction living in Washington, DC. He is the author of The Hidden Ones (Rebel Satori Press), numerous short stories, and an upcoming short story collection from Off Limits Press. He is the editor of Baffling Magazine and also the publisher and managing editor of Neon Hemlock Press, where his work includes the Shirley Jackson Award-winning anthology Unfettered Hexes. Find him online. Other Socials http://www.dave-ring.com

< Back Lord Kron Gaming Miniature Painting Instructor Tabletop and RPG gamer for over 40 years. I currently play Starfleet Battles and Warhammer 40k. I've also played Battletech, Starfire, Silent Death and Heroclix, AD&D among other games. I'm a Science Fiction Buff; Classic Star Trek, Space 1999, Stargate, UFO, Andromeda and others for TV/Movies. Starfire, Bolo,Honor Harrington, Emberverse, Drakaverse and others in novels/short stories. I've written Fan Fiction for Starfire expanding on Humanity's first unplanned interstellar voyage but for several reasons I'm not attempting to publish it. Other Socials