< Back Robyn Wyrick Science Scientist Robyn Wyrick is a Maryland-based novelist and AI researcher. His novel, Eviction Notice, is a science-fiction/fantasy about cosmic absurdism, fantasy and satire, love and death, and bravery when it's all you have left. Robyn holds a Master’s degree in Artificial Intelligence and an MBA. He works professionally in AI systems integration for the National Institutes of Health, and is founder of Deep Alignment, a research initiative exploring intrinsic AI alignment. 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 Dr. Eric Haag Science Scientist Eric Haag, PhD, is Professor of Biology at the University of Maryland, College Park, and author of The Other Big Bang: The Story of Sex and Its Human Legacy (2024, Columbia Univ. Press). His lab conducts research on the evolution of animal reproduction and the genes that regulate it. A Nevada native, he attended Oberlin College and earned a Ph.D in molecular, cell, and developmental biology at Indiana University. In his postdoc at the University of Wisconsin he began a long-standing project on the evolution of self-fertile hermaphroditism in nematodes. This work has explored the genetics causes and reproductive consequences of adopting self-fertility. In 2015, Haag’s group began working with the only self-fertile vertebrate, the mangrove killifish. You can read more about the Haag Lab's NIH and NSF-supported research at his website. Other Socials http://www.haaglab.org

< Back Catherine Asaro Literary Author Catherine Asaro has written more than 30 books in science fiction, fantasy, and near-future thrillers. She earned her doctorate in chemical physics and masters in physics, both at Harvard. Her works The Quantum Rose and The Spacetime Pool are both Nebula® Award winners. Among her other distinctions, she is a multiple winner of the AnLab from Analog Magazine and the RT BOOKClub Award for “Best Science Fiction Novel.” Her most recent book is The Down Deep. A former ballet and jazz dancer, Catherine has performed on both coasts and in Ohio. As a musician, she performs at various cons and jazz clubs. She has appeared at cons and other venues as a Guest of Honor or author guest in the US and abroad. For more information, see her Facebook page at www.facebook.com/Catherine.Asaro and her patreon page at Patreon.com/CatherineAsaro. Other Socials https://www.patreon.com/CatherineAsaro.

< Back Gaia Eirich Costuming Cosplay Gaia Eirich (she/her) is a master costumer with over 20 years of sewing and costume experience. As someone with a drive for creation, she has worked on wedding dresses, dance costumes, masquerades, commissions of all sorts, accessories, quilting, theater projects, and many things in between. Gaia ran the Costume Con 37 Single Pattern contest and has been a Costume-con co-chair. She loves working on group costumes and herding cats. Her current passion is working with 3D printers, lasers, and many other forms of technology and innovation in her costumes. Other Socials

< Back Akua Lezli Hope Literary Author Akua Lezli Hope, a Grand Master of Fantastic Poetry (SFPA), is a creator & wisdom seeker who creates poems, patterns, stories, music, sculpture, adornments & peace. In print since 1974 with more than 500 poems published in numerous literary magazines & anthologies, she's a third generation New Yorker, whose honors include the NEA, two NYFAs, SFPA & Rhysling awards, NYSCA grants, Pushcart Prize & Best of the Net nominations, 2024 IGNYTE award, among others. She has twice won Rattle’s Poets Respond. Her first collection, EMBOUCHURE, Poems on Jazz and Other Musics, won the Writer’s Digest book award. A Cave Canem fellow, she created the Speculative Sundays Poetry Reading Series, now in its 6th year. Her speculative poetry chapbook, Otherwheres, won the 2021 Elgin Award. Her micro-chapbook, Stratospherics, is in the Quarantine Public Library. She edited the first BIPOC speculative poetry anthology, NOMBONO (2021) & the historic, largest Eye to the Telescope issue #42 on The Sea. Other Socials

< Back Perrianne Lurie Gaming Gamer Perrianne Lurie is a long time fan who ran the Green Room for Balticon for many years. She was the Hugo Ceremony director for Torcon 3 and the Email Liaison and Deputy Program Division Director for BucCONeer. She is active in strategy (Euro) board gaming and has GMed at Euroquest, Prezcon and other gaming conventions. She watches way too much television and (mostly art house) movies. She retired from the Pennsylvania Department of Health in 2020, where she was a public health physician and infectious disease epidemiologist. She now lives in suburban Maryland. Other Socials

< Back Video Gaming We're still working on the full details of our video gaming room this year. Unfortunately, there will be no video game tournaments this year. But that doesn't mean that we wont have any video games, we do. Get your game on! Balticon 60 will feature 10 consoles this year, and our game library has approx 350 games , with both modern and retro consoles available. Reach out to gaming@balticon.org if you have games you really want to see! Tables Scheduled Demos 350 + Games in Our Library

< Back Dan Jolley Literary Author Dan Jolley began writing professionally at age 19. Starting out in comic books, Dan has worked for major publishers such as DC (Firestorm), Marvel (Dr. Strange), Dark Horse (Aliens), and Image (G.I. Joe). He soon branched out into licensed-property novels (Star Trek), film novelizations (Iron Man), and original novels, including the Middle Grade urban fantasy series Five Elements, the superhero/horror Gray Widow Trilogy, and the “Southern-fried Stephen King” mystery-thriller The Storm. Dan began writing for video games in 2007, and has contributed storylines, characters, and dialogue to Transformers: War for Cybertron, Prototype 2, and Dying Light, among others. Most recently, Falstaff Books began publishing Dan’s high fantasy/detective novel series The Demon-Sleuth Scrolls, which so far includes The Runemaster Homicide, The Black-Horned Grave, and The Runebearer Curse. Dan lives with his wife Tracy and some largely inert felines in northwest Georgia.(G.I. Joe). He soon branched out into licensed-property novels (Star Trek), film novelizations (Iron Man), and original novels, including the Middle Grade urban fantasy series Five Elements, the superhero/horror Gray Widow Trilogy, and the “Southern-fried Stephen King” mystery-thriller The Storm. Dan began writing for video games in 2007, and has contributed storylines, characters, and dialogue to Transformers: War for Cybertron, Prototype 2, and Dying Light, among others. Most recently, Falstaff Books began publishing Dan’s high fantasy/detective novel series The Demon-Sleuth Scrolls, which so far includes The Runemaster Homicide, The Black-Horned Grave, and The Runebearer Curse. Dan lives with his wife Tracy and some largely inert felines in northwest Georgia. 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 Brick Barrientos Operations Trivia Host Brick Barrientos hosts the movie trivia game show Silver Screen Test. He won a national championship in College Bowl and was a one-day champion on Jeopardy. Brick has been regularly hosting the Balticon trivia contest and can be found all over Maryland winning pub quiz trivia cash. The pandemic enabled him to host academic and trivia contests with participants from elementary school to adult, who were competing in Central America, Europe, East Asia, and Australia. He is the proud father of a daughter who is also a science fiction fan and may also have a cat. Other Socials

< Back Morgan Stallard Fan Fan Morgan Stallard is an autistic trans man, local convention regular and LGBT+/Disability activist. He's been involved in running LGBT+ and disability programming at Maryland conventions for the last 10 years. Other Socials