< Back Mark L. Van Name Literary Author Mark L. Van Name is a writer, technologist, and spoken word performer. He has published five novels (One Jump Ahead, Slanted Jack, Overthrowing Heaven, Children No More, & No Going Back), as well as an omnibus collection of his first two books (Jump Gate Twist); edited or co-edited four anthologies (Intersections: The Sycamore Hill Anthology, Transhuman, The Wild Side, and Onward, Drake!), and written many short stories. Those stories have appeared in a wide variety of books and magazines. As a technologist, he is the CEO of a fact-based marketing and learning services firm, Principled Technologies, Inc. He has published over a thousand articles in the computer trade press, as well as a broad assortment of essays and reviews. As a spoken word artist, he has created and performed five shows—Science Magic Sex; Wake Up Horny, Wake Up Angry; Mr. Poor Choices; Mr. Poor Choices II: I Don’t Understand; and Mr. Poor Choices III: That Moment When. Other Socials

< Back R. Taylor Podcasting Content Creator Library worker by night—crafter, author, artist, voice actor, and sometime podcaster by everywhen else. His stories have appeared in Coming Together: In Flux and the Every Photo Tells… podcast, and his voice work in Paulette Jaxton’s The Empress Sword and the Nobilis Erotica podcast. His fanfic and fanart can be found on AO3 and Tumblr, but mind the tags. And to be honest, he really should stop acquiring new crafts. Other Socials

< Back Tyaz Cosplay Costuming Costuming Tyaz Cosplay has been sewing since she was 10 and cosplaying for 10 years. Although sewing is her original focus, she has also expanded into EVA foam and thermal plastics to broaden her skills. Her goal is to learn a new technique with each new costume. Other Socials

< Back Jeanne Adams Literary Author Jeanne Adams writes award-winning romantic suspense, paranormal and urban fantasies, as well as space opera that’s been compared to the works of Robert Heinlein and Jack McDevitt. She’s also a sought-after speaker, teaching classes on body disposal for writers, worldbuilding and collaboration, plotting for pantzers and how to write a fight scene that works! Jeanne lives in Washington, DC with her husband and two growing sons, as well as three dogs – two Labs and an Irish Water Spaniel. Don’t tell, but she’s prone to adopting more dogs when her husband isn’t looking. Featured in Cosmopolitan Magazine, and other publications, her books have been consistently hailed as “One of the best Suspense Books of the Year!” by Romantic Times and “Stunningly realistic space adventure” by Amazon reviewers. You can find her books on all major platforms, and connect with her on the web at her website, Other Socials http://www.JeanneAdams.com

< List of Vendors Pink Lotus Company, The Dealer's Room The Pink Lotus Company is an e-commerce company providing goods and services focused on maintaining or improving a sense of health and wellness for our customers. Each person is unique, much like The Pink Lotus. Everyone goes through a series of ups and downs in life whether it be personal or professional. The pink lotus is a rare and very beautiful flower. It can flourish in the muddiest of waters and is regarded by many as one of the most sacred flowers in the world. One’s journey in life can mimic the life of a pink lotus. The pink lotus, even amid muddy waters, can flourish and blossom again and again Our curators focus on finding one-of-a-kind products that assist with a journey to self-discovery and enlightenment. The products found on The Pink Lotus Company website are handcrafted or curated from local and worldly sources. Please visit our website. We have crystals, fairies, dragons, tarot cards, accessories of mystical and mythical. http://www.thepinklotuscompany.com

< Back Tim Livengood Science Scientist Tim Livengood is a planetary scientist who measures the composition, temperature, and wind velocity in planetary atmospheres. He has been using the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter to investigate where water may be hidden on the Moon, and using other tools to determine how much atmosphere Mars used to have. He was a co-investigator of NASA’s EPOXI mission, and was the education and public outreach team leader for the EPOCh component of the mission. Although a Hoosier by birth, Tim graduated from Towson Senior High School in Towson, MD, in 1980 and from Washington University in St. Louis in 1984. He finished a doctorate in physics and astronomy at the Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore in 1992, measuring properties of aurora on the planet Jupiter in ultraviolet light. He has not killed any rats with a linear accelerator in 40 years. At this point, recidivism is unlikely, but not impossible. 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

< Back Elijah Kinch Spector Literary Author Elijah Kinch Spector is a novelist and dandy raised in the Bay Area counterculture who now lives in Brooklyn. He is a British Fantasy Award finalist whose writing has received acclaim from NPR, Reactor, Nerds of a Feather, Foreword, and Paste Magazine, among others. Other Socials

< Back Ada Palmer Literary Author "Perhaps the Stars" the fourth and final volume of Ada Palmer’s Terra Ignota series (Too Like the Lightning, Seven Surrenders, the Will to Battle) comes out in September 2021, complting her exploration of how Earth culture might evolve in a future of borderless nations and globally commixing populations. Too Like the Lightning won the 2017 Compton Crook Award and was a 2017 Best Novel Hugo finalist, while Ada won the 2017 John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer. She teaches History at the University of Chicago, studying the history of radical ideas such as atheism, materialism, radical science, deism, atomism, and magic, mainly in the Italian Renaissance, and the Enlightenment. She composes fantasy, SF and mythology-themed music, and performs at conventions with the filk group Sassafrass. She also researches anime/manga, especially Osamu Tezuka, and consults for many anime and manga publishers. She blogs for Tor.com, =writes the philosophy & travel blog ExUrbe.com, and her Patreon supports these projects and the hope to soon launch a podcast with author friend Jo Walton. Other Socials

< Back The Lights Above Months after the attack on Pearl Harbor, a series of unidentified aircraft sightings over Los Angeles lead a determined journalist to reluctantly pair up with a Japanese American photographer to prevent another attack. In 1942, a series of unidentified aircraft sightings over Los Angeles lead a determined journalist to reluctantly pair up with a Japanese American photographer in order to prevent another attack. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YpybAr3C4lw Previous Next

< List of Vendors Heroes' Hoard Dealer's Room Hello! My name is Erin! I am the creator, manufacturer, and maintainer of Heroes’ Hoard! I am a crafty person trying hard to make pleasing loot for any adventurer who finds me! I’m also a nerd, a mom, a gamer (video and board!), a reader, a cosplayer, and probably other things I’ve forgotten. Visit my website if you want to get an idea of the sort of stuff that interests/amuses me! (Spoiler alert: it’s almost always video games, board games, or conventions) Also, as stated above, I just like using the royal ‘we’ – Heroes’ Hoard is mine and mine alone! Heroes Hoard sells handmade gear for those of the geek persuasion, including but not limited to: Cloaks, dice bags, trays, plushes, and keychains. All items are handmade using embroidery and/or sewing. http://heroeshoard.com

< Back Inge Heyer Science, Literary Scientist, Author 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