Accessibility BSFS and Balticon are committed to being an inclusive event and will seek to provide accommodation for people with disabilities. Please let us know if you need specialized equipment or services by emailing accessibility@balticon.org or filling out the form below. Please contact us as soon as possible, preferably at least 6 weeks before the convention. The earlier we are approached, the more likely we will be able to provide assistance. We recognize not all disabilities are visible. We will not ask unnecessary questions about the nature of a disability. Visitors: Rent a Scooter or Wheelchair: Scootaround Scootaround is proud to be the preferred scooter and wheelchair rental service for Balticon 60 at the Renaissance Baltimore Harborplace Hotel. Please visit the Scootaround website and receive a 10% discount. Maryland Transit Administration (MTA) If you are a visitor with a disability, the MTA will be happy to assist you use the MobilityLink service for up to 21 days each year. Simply fax us your eligibility determination letter from your service provider to 410-764-8509 . We need to know your name, and when you want to travel and how we should send you information confirming your eligibility for Mobility. It may take up to 3 days to process so please plan ahead. If you have not been certified by another transit system and wish to use our service, please tell us what mobility device you use or provide a doctor’s note confirming a disability along with the information requested above. MTA Mobility Website Scootaround Let's Talk About Your Accessibility Needs Email accessibility@balticon.org First Name Last Name Email Message Send Thanks for submitting!

< Back Dustin Holifer Music Filk Dustin Holifer entered this world with no prior experience. He's since toured the country in punk rawk bands, slammed through the indies of pro wrasslin', and learned how to communicate almost exclusively through quotes from grindhouse and drive-in flicks. He once audited a creative writing class, so now he thinks he can write novels . . . . . . Humor him. His sage advice for you today: "Buckle up, baby! This ride only brakes for cat cafes (minus the cafe part), BBQ pits, and firework stands!" Other Socials

< Back Tavair Dominque Music Musician Formerly known as The Sagacious Traveler, Tavair Dominque is a singer-songwriter, poet, and author based in Baltimore. His music, available on all streaming platforms, includes Phoenix Rising the Space Cowboy, inspired by BBC’s Doctor Who, about a space cowboy fleeing an inevitable truth. Tavair’s 9-part series, The Sagacious Traveler, blends personal reflection with speculative themes, offering advice to his younger self across timelines, while later entries explore his present self seeking guidance from his future self. His Elliott Sundae series follows a character unraveling fractured realities, lost time, and unspoken connections. This series will appear in Meanderings, his upcoming anthology weaving poetry and speculative fiction, set for release in late 2025. Tavair’s poetry has been featured in the Maryland Bards 2025 Poetry Review, which includes his poem Hilltop Barber Shop. Other Socials

Convention Information Balticon will once again be at the Renaissance Baltimore Harborplace Hotel , inside the Baltimore Inner Harbor Entertainment District. We are close to multiple shops, restaurants, and entertainment venues, and accessible by public transit or by car. To find any information that you need, select any links below. Online Registration In-person and virtual options Hotel Booking Need a place to stay? Parking & Directions How to get here Just the FAQs Frequently Asked Questions Email balticoninfo@balticon.org Call 410-JOE-BSFS (410-563-2737) Please note: this line is not usually answered live! Leave a message and we'll get back to you. Follow

< Back Leslye Penelope Literary Author Leslye Penelope has been writing since she could hold a pen and loves getting lost in the worlds in her head. Her novel The Monsters We Defy won the 2023 Audie Award for Best Fantasy Audiobook. Her debut novel Song of Blood & Stone was chosen as one of TIME Magazine's 100 Best Fantasy Books of All Time. Equally left and right-brained, she studied filmmaking and computer science at Howard University and sometimes dreams in HTML. She hosts the My Imaginary Friends podcast, co-hosts the Ink & Magic podcast, and lives in Maryland with her feline dependents. Visit her at: http://www.lpenelope.com. Other Socials

Fan Tables & Parties Fan Tables Fan Tables are available to fan groups, clubs, and organizations within the local community to showcase their group or event during the convention. Fan Tables are a great opportunity to promote, recruit new members, raise awareness, and do community outreach. Select the Fan Table button below for more information. Fan Tables Open Room Parties Promote Your Fan Group or Event Balticon has a long history of open-room parties for event promotion and socialization! We group all Room Parties on the same floor to minimize disturbing other attendees and hotel guests. If you're planning a party, whether open or not, let us know and we'll make sure you're on the Party floor. Open Room Parties may only be hosted by someone with a paid Balticon badge. Party Rooms are assigned for the entirety of the event on a first come, first served basis. There are a limited number of adjoining rooms in the Party Block. To request a Party Room, first make a hotel reservation for the room, and then fill out the Party Request form. You will need your hotel reservation number(s) to reserve a space in the Party Block. Our Party Coordinator and Hotel Liaison will reply with a confirmation that you are in the Party Block and, if requested, you will also be informed if an adjoining room is possible. We recommend that you make your reservation as early as possible as sometimes the hotel sells out, and no rooms are reserved from the convention block for parties. Parties may be asked to lower the volume if other hotel guests are disturbed outside of the Party Room block. Balticon does pay the cleaning fee for the first ten (10) rooms, one per party, but if more Party Rooms are requested, the registrant would be responsible for the cleaning fee. The Balticon Hotel Liaison and/or Party Coordinator do a tour of the Party Rooms prior to the convention and catalog any damage(s) they find. Any damage caused by the party to the room outside of what the hotel considers standard wear and tear is the financial responsibility of the party host. Due to Baltimore corkage laws, no alcohol is permitted to be distributed in Open Party Rooms. Parties may not charge an admission fee. Food and non-alcoholic drink may be served. Parties caught breaking these rules may be shut down or banned from future party assignments. Balticon also has limited rental space for larger events like book launch parties, etc. Please contact the Hotel Liaison for more information. Party requests should be made as early as possible and before May 1st of the convention year. If you would like to hold a party in your room, please fill out this form. (To be linked soon.)

< Back Alyss and Dusty Gaming Streamer Transgender Slime tamer, she's a variety streamer that does just about anything she's in the mood to. Gaming, Art, Music, and Game Design are all things she's done on stream. She is always looking for people to be the best them they can be. Often she'll appear next to her Slime Buddy Dusty, which she's had since childhood, and many of her streams features her good friends. Her youtube content, in addition to her streams features game reviews, Tabletop topics, and digimon content. Other Socials

< Back Andy Weir 2026 Robert A. Heinlein Award Andy Weir, novelist, is the 2026 winner of the Robert A. Heinlein Award. The award is bestowed for outstanding published works in science fiction and technical writings that inspire the human exploration of space. This award is in recognition of Mr. Weir’s novels which have blended the best elements of science fact with the aspirations of traditional science fiction with a flare for engaging a new generation of readers. The award will be formally presented during opening ceremonies on Friday, May 22, 2026 at 8:00 PM during Balticon 60, the 60th Maryland Regional Science Fiction Convention. Balticon will take place at the Renaissance Baltimore Harborplace Hotel in Baltimore Maryland. Note: Mr. Weir will appear at the opening ceremonies by remote live video due to prior commitment preventing in-person attendance. Andy Weir maintains an official website at https://andyweirauthor.com/

< List of Vendors Fantaminals Dealer's Room I design and cut freestanding, interlocking jigsaw puzzles from a wide variety of hardwoods. I have several categories of puzzles, namely Carousel Animals, Dinosaurs, Fantasy, Living Creatures, Zodiac, and Other. I also cut traditional flat puzzles. Designer of free standing jigsaw puzzles, fretwork, and dragons of all types...

< Back David Ellis Literary Author David Ellis is a Senior Lecturer in Philosophy, Ethics and Religion at Leeds Trinity University. He researches the overlap of religion and science as well as exophilosophy (philosophical considerations about alien life). He has publications on religious language, the nature of religious and scientific belief, and whether we would be able to speak with aliens. Other Socials

< Back Dr. Pamela Gay Science Scientist I am an astronomer, technologist, and creative focused on using new media to engage people in learning and doing science. Join me as we map our Solar System in unprecedented detail through our citizen science projects at CosmoQuest.org, and learn astronomy through media productions like Astronomy Cast and Escape Velocity Space News. In addition to hosting these shows, I post science articles and essays on Medium, and write articles that have appeared in Astronomy, Sky and Telescope, and Lightspeed magazines. I’ve had the chance to appear on TV shows like The Universe and was part of the Weather Channel's eclipse coverage. Other Socials

< Back Paul Bove Literary, Gaming Author Paul Bove is a Maryland based World History Teacher with an M.A, in International Relations. An author with articles published on military history, and social studies education, He has more than 30 years of experience has a game master primarily running various editions of Dungeons and Dragons with a strong interest in campaign world design. He currently lives in Maryland with his wife Meredith and two dogs. Other Socials