< Back Aaron Fors Literary Actor Aaron Fors is a lifelong actor in film, television, and the stage. A dialectologist specializing in obscure regional and temporal dialects from around the world, as well as constructed languages from Klingon to Elvish, to his own bizarre creations. He employs this lifelong obsession heavily as an audiobook narrator and voice instructor. He is also now a published of author of science fiction and fantasy. If it gets weird, he probably loves it. From urban fantasy, to gritty cyberpunk, cosmic horror, or hard sci-fi with way too much peanut butter on Mars. He is a leatherworker specializing in experimental projects from corsets to vampiric leather roses made entirely of leather and thermochromic pigments that burn in the sun and heal in the dark, to hardened leather armor for use in the SCA. He works in wood, fabric, metal, and the bones of eldritch gods long dead, when they're on sale. Every piece, written, performed, or handcrafted is a shared story between the artist and the consumer. Other Socials

< Back Misha Gaming Game Developer Born in the 70s, raised in the 80s, and trying hard to recover from both of those traumas, I crawled into my first RPG before I became a teenager and never looked back; around the same time, I took a trip to Quag Keep and never entirely returned. Like most long-time Eternal GMs, I'm an unpublished game developer and have any number of my own worlds in various stages of building at any given moment. Other Socials

< 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 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

< Back Mari Ness Literary Author Mari Ness is the author of Resistance and Transformation: On Fairy Tales, from Aqueduct Press; Through Immortal Shadows Singing, from Papaveria Press; Dancing in Silver Lands, the 2021 Outwrite Fiction Chapbook winner, available from Neon Hemlock Press; and Let me tell you of that garden, a mini-chapbook from Sword & Kettle Press. Her fiction and poetry have also appeared in Tor.com, Clarkesworld, Lightspeed, Nightmare, Uncanny, Nature Futures, Apex, Baffling, Fireside, Diabolical Plots, and Daily Science Fiction; her flash fiction piece, "Verisya," was a finalist for the Canopus Award. She lives in central Florida, near a large lake haunted by alligators. For more, follow her on her website or social media. Other Socials http://marikness.wordpress.com

< Back Syd Operations Director Syd is one of the lead developers of ConTroll, the registration system used by Balticon and is a costumer and video director. He as staged many Masquerade entires and judged Masquerades from the local conventions to Worldcon's including several Balticon Masquerades. Other Socials

< Back Lisa Hodorovych Literary Author Writing has always been a constant for Lisa. Ever since she was little, she knew she was going to be an author and now, she is living her dream. When she is not working on her own writing, she is working with others on their stories through her company, Quoth the Writer. She currently lives in New Jersey with her husband, John. When she is not working at all, she is either watching her favorite movies or TV shows, reading, or spending time with her family, friends, and husband. Other Socials

< Back Evelyn Lewis Science Scientist Evelyn is an evolutionary and environmental biologist currently working at Owl Moon Raptor Center, a bird of prey rescue and rehabilitation facility. She earned her degree from Old Dominion University and previously worked at the Virginia Zoo in Norfolk, VA. Her research spans various topics, with published papers on bacteriophages, mating and breeding behaviors of animals in captivity, a conservation reevaluation of the Asian saltwater crocodile, and, her proudest work, a study on public education and engagement in zoo conservation efforts. Passionate about wildlife conservation and education, she is dedicated to bridging the gap between research and public awareness. Other Socials

With over 300 hours of programming, we have something for everyone. Join us for panels on how to get published to what’s new in the world of paleontology, or sit in our maker space and try your hand at a new craft. Featuring more than 150 panelists who love to share their knowledge and skills, we even bring in panelists from all over the world for Balticon Anywhere, our virtual convention! Programming With over 300 hours of programming, we have something for everyone. Join us for panels on how to get published to what’s new in the world of paleontology, or sit in our maker space and try your hand at a new craft. Featuring more than 150 panelists who love to share their knowledge and skills, we even bring in panelists from all over the world for Balticon Anywhere, our virtual convention! 2026 Program Schedule Our packed schedule includes: Panel discussions Events for Kids and Young Adults Workshops Readings Signings Roundtable Discussions Concerts Book Launches Movies And more! Balticon is committed to making our convention accessible to everyone. Please contact our accessibility team so we can make sure you have the accommodations you need. Panels & Workshops Miniature Painting Workshops By Kron! Come learn to paint miniatures of all kinds with our esteemed Master miniature painter, Lord Kron! Lord Kron Read More Friday Night Filk Circle TBA TBA Read More

< 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

< Back Richard Sparks Literary Author Rowan Atkinson performed Richard's Schoolmaster sketch in John Cleese’s The Secret Policeman’s Ball. To celebrate Rowan’s 70th birthday, the Schoolmaster was nominated in The Guardian in January 2025 as Number One in a list of Rowan's top Ten film appearances. UK TV credits include The Famous Five, The Flying Kiwi, The Optimist, The Worst of Hollywood, and a lifetime of script editing. On being hired by Columbia Pictures TV, Richard moved with his family to Los Angeles in 1992. His lyrics have been recorded by talents as diverse as Dom de Luise, Eric Idle, Vanessa Williams, Plácido Domingo and Hello Kitty. He directed Jack Black in Stravinsky’s The Soldier’s Tale (LACMA). Richard has written libretti for several new operas as well writing new English versions of German and Italian classics. New Rock New Role is Richard’s fiction debut. New Rock New Realm, the first of three sequels that he has written so far in the New Rock fantasy adventure series, was published in November 2024. 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