< Back Diana Raynes Music Filk A DC-area composer and performer who has sold instruments, built instruments, and played many, many instruments. Diana specializes in composing soundtracks, whether for live performances or short films, as well as writing music and lyrics for original songs. She has previously performed at Balticon both as a solo act and as a member of the folk band Thistledown. Other Socials

< Back Swift Crescendo Podcasting Content Creator Hello! I am Swift Crescendo, your friendly neighborhood Silver Dragon VTuber! Over on Twitch I do a variety of games including RPGs, strategy/simulation, city builders, and more. I like to take it easy and hang out with friends, often even featuring them on stream! I otherwise try to keep things comfy and cozy - though I do have a competitive streak too, which often comes out when I'm playing something worth competing in - including mini golf. Offline, I am almost always singing and listening to some form of music, either a local classical station or Taylor Swift and Chappell Roan. Glitch Symphony is my partner and co-conspirator in most things...which I repay by attempting to be some semblance of a manager for her own channel. I am perpetually working on writing somewhere around six ideas for novels and plotting to take over worlds both virtual and physical. That last one's a joke... or is it? Other Socials

< List of Vendors Greek Gods Giggling Dealer's Room Greek Gods Giggling, LLC is a Maryland based small business located just south of Baltimore right next to BWI airport. Proud to provide items that are 100% hand-burned. We do not use lasers, CNC machines, or direct transfer of any kind. All pieces are hand drawn onto the wood directly, then burned by hand with a wire-nib wood burning pen. Custom orders are accepted, and most of the items we make can be personalized with names, dates, initials, etc. Handmade woodburned home decor and novelty items. Graphic designer. http://GreekGodsGiggling.com

< Back Gregory Robin Gaming Dungeon Master Greg has experience playing & running for over 41 years. Greg ran the Balticon game room off and on over the years. He has written models for 5th edition Dungeons and Dragons and Call of Cthulhu. His games experience includes running: Call of Cthulhu Versions 5 to 7. Custom adventures for Cowboy, Gaslight, 1920, and 1990's Dungeons & Dragon Versions 1 thru 5. Multiple different games, including Marvel, Top Secret, Gurp's. Other Socials

< Back Hayley Gelfuso Literary Author Hayley Gelfuso has a master’s degree in biology from Miami University. She lives in the Chicago suburbs with her husband and son. Her debut novel, The Book of Lost Hours, has been published in over twenty countries worldwide and was a Good Morning America Book Club pick. Other Socials https://www.hggelfuso.com/

< Back Doc Coleman Literary Author Doc Coleman never dreamed of being a writer. He dreamed of being an actor, of making movies. Unfortunately, that didn't happen. But he had a way with words, and still wanted to tell stories. So he did, and got better at telling them quickly. Doc’s stories appear in The Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences’ Tales from the Archives podcast, and several anthologies including: the Bushido Western Anthology Way of the Gun, Paradise Found: Tales From the Library, and the recently published A Cast of Crows. The Perils of Prague, is the first novel in the Steampunk Comedy/Adventure series The Adventures of Crackle and Bang. The second book, The Kindred of Kali, is in work. He also published The Shining Cog and Other Steampunk Tales, a collection of Steampunk short stories. Doc is also a podcaster, narrator, and voice actor. Doc is an avid reader, home brewer and beer lover, fan of renaissance festivals, and frequently a smart-ass. He lives with his lovely wife and two cats in Germantown, MD. Other Socials

< Back Nicole Glover Literary Author Nicole Glover is the author of the historical fantasy series, Murder and Magic, which begins with The Conductors. When she's not writing, she's working as a UX researcher where her knowledge about murder and other mysteries is surprisingly useful. Other Socials

< Back Elora Malat Art Artist Elora Malat (she/her) has been volunteering at Balticon since 2010 since she graduated from Cumberland County College (now Rowan College of South Jersey) that same year with an Associate's of Science in Engineering. She started out as a Berserker at Balticon 44 and later joined Tech at Balticon 47, where she has been utilizing her capabilities ever since, occasionally helping Art Show and anywhere else a volunteer is needed. She is also the artist that illustrated the sign for the Bunny Hole for the Masquerade under the pseudonym Poison-Stripes and has assisted in running video for the Masquerade and helping participants in the Masquerade in the Green Room. Elora isn't just a sci-fi and fantasy fan. She's also an avid gamer where one can find her under variations of her handle Poison-Stripes, such as PoisonStripes86 and Poison-Str1p3s. Elora also writes fanfiction, which can be found on AO3 under the handle Poison-Stripes. Other Socials

< Back Kit Englard Literary Author Kit Englard is a fantasy author whose work is deeply influenced by her academic background in Disability Studies and her experience supporting college students with disabilities. She has published nonfiction essays analyzing the representation of disabled characters in fantasy literature and applies Critical Disability Theory to both her fiction and literary discussions. Her short novel, Polyphonic Seduction (May 2025), is a contemporary dark fantasy romance with political intrigue, blending Mesopotamian mythology with dark fantasy elements. It follows a lamassu who cannot speak around humans and a lamia demon working together to protect a Deaf muse from chaos magic hunters. Kit frequently speaks on writing trauma narratives, disability representation in speculative fiction, and the intersections of power, agency, and identity in fantasy worlds. When she’s not writing, she enjoys hiking with her guide dog and getting lost in research rabbit holes. Other Socials

< Back Virginia DeMarce Literary Author Virginia DeMarce, since retiring as a historian in 2004, has been an active participant in the 1632 alternate history series founded by Eric Flint. She co-wrote three novels with Flint, four solo novels and one solo story collection, and numerous stories in the Ring of Fire anthologies, Grantville Gazette, and 1632 & Beyond, as well as participating in the 1632 Tech Forum on Baen's Bar and presenting material at the near-annual 1632 mini-cons. Other Socials

< Back Campbell Literary Author Jack Campbell (John G. Hemry) is a sailor, and as such he's been known to tell stories about events which he says really happened (but cannot be verified). His latest book is DESTINY'S WAY, the second book in the Doomed Earth series. He's also the author of the New York Times best-selling Lost Fleet series, Genesis Fleet series, and Lost Stars series, as well as the Steampunk-meets-high-fantasy Pillars of Reality series. His other most recent books are RENDEZVOUS WITH CORSAIR (a collection of short fiction set in the Lost Fleet Universe), IMPLACABLE in the Lost Fleet series OUTLANDS, and The Empress of the Endless Sea trilogy (PIRATE OF THE PROPHECY, EXPLORER OF THE ENDLESS SEA, and FATE OF THE FREE LANDS). His YA novel THE SISTER PARADOX won the EPIC 2018 ebook Young Reader award. John's works are currently being published in thirteen languages. John is a retired US Navy officer. He lives in Maryland with his indomitable wife “S” and three great kids. www.jack-campbell.com Other Socials

< Back Rigel Ailum Literary Author Rigel Ailur wrote her first novel—all of seven pages!—at the age of seven and hasn't stopped since. Now with twenty-four novels and ninety short stories published, including for Star Trek and Shadowrun, she writes mostly science fiction and fantasy. Her series include: otherworldly adventures and intrigue in Tales of Mimion; Gods and magic in Sorcery & Steel; an intergalactic worldship with the most diverse crew in history in A Little Piece of Home; enigmatic aliens threatening millions of lives in Curai'Nal; and interstellar exiles working together in Escapes. Her non-genre work includes The Vagabonds' Adventures, about two millionaires living in a luxury double-decker RV; the historical Last Abbot of Lin Duachaill; the romance Masquerade; and the hockey novel Breakaway. She's contributed essays to the Outside In series. Most importantly, she dotes on her astronomically adorable feline kids. For more information including a bibliography and cover gallery, visit her website. Other Socials http://BluetrixBooks.com