< Back Ruthanna Emrys Literary Author Ruthanna Emrys is the author of the Innsmouth Legacy series, including Winter Tide and Deep Roots, and A Half-Built Garden. She writes radically hopeful short stories about religion and aliens and psycholinguistics. She lives in a mysterious manor house on the outskirts of Washington, DC with her wife and their large, strange family. She creates real versions of imaginary foods in her crowded kitchen, gives unsolicited advice, and occasionally attempts to save the world. You can find her at https://www.ruthannaemrys.com, as @r-emrys on Bluesky, and at https://www.patreon.com/ruthannaemrys Other Socials

< 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 Mike Luoma Literary Author Mike Luoma writes and publishes science fiction and comics, narrates audiobooks, creates the long-running "Glow-in-the-Dark Radio" podcast, and curates the Adult Alternative music mix on WBKM.org radio out of Burlington, Vermont. His Vatican Assassin introduced BC, a killer for the New catholic Church whose story unfolds in Vatican Ambassador and Vatican Abdicator. He recently released a 15th Anniversary Edition of the novel, with an audiobook featuring voice cameos from podcasting luminaries. Info at MikeLuoma.com / glowinthedarkradio.com. Other Socials https://www.glowinthedarkradio.com/

Accessibility Day Opens Closes Friday, May 23 10 a.m. — 1:30 p.m. Saturday, May 24 10 a.m. — 7 p.m. Sunday, May 25 10 a.m. — 5 p.m. Monday, May 26 1 p.m. — 10 p.m. 5th Floor, across from Registration Accessibility Advocates can be found at the Accessibility Table which is located directly across from the Registration table on the 5th floor of the hotel. Stop by and say "Hi". 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: 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. Parking Parking is available in many garages and commercial lots around the convention hotel. Balticon has secured a discount rate in the garage in the same building as the Renaissance Harborplace hotel, accessible through a shared elevator. Reserved parking can be purchased ahead of time through the https://www.premiumparking.com/ website. More information about parking can be found here . Getting around Balticon Balticon is accessible by elevator, including exhibition spaces and all public facilities. Floor 5 – Balticon Main Floor (Turn right after exiting elevator lobby to find registration.) Registration Dealer Room Artists' Alley Art Show Fan Tables Gaming Restaurant Autographs Science Artist Alley Floor 6 Quiet Lounge** Medical Video Music Readings Floors 7 & 12 Children's programming Workshops All restrooms and water fountains are wheelchair accessible. Companion care restrooms are available on the first floor in the east and west wings opposite the escalators, and on the second floor in the east wing only. **The Quiet Room is located on the 6th floor, Rm. 6xx, and is wheelchair accessible. This room is a space that is meant for attendees (and volunteers) to wind down. The room includes several cushioned chairs with arms, two tables, and electrical outlets to charge (attended) devices. NOTE: Balticon is not responsible for any unattended or attended devices. Manual wheelchairs are available free of charge on a first-come, first-served basis while visiting the Balticon. Attendees may ask for assistance from Balticon Volunteers at the Accessibility Center, located across from Registration. Pre-seatings for high profile events Pre-seating availabilities are available for high profile events. If attendees with accessibility needs require a pre-seating confirmation, please contact the accessibility associate. (Each seat comes with a +1 seating, so the attendee may sit with a friend.) Visitors who are deaf or have hearing loss American Sign Language advocates are available upon request. This service is provided by xyz service. Visitors who are blind or have low vision Visual descriptions of select highlight objects are available on signage found near the Registration table. Some exhibitions offer more extensive visual descriptions that can also be accessed through QR codes in the gallery space. Tactile markers (bars) on the floor indicate the location of QR codes. Instructions for using QR codes are available on our website. Docent-led visual description tours with sighted guide assistance and tactile elements are available upon request. Two weeks’ notice is preferred. Please call xxx-555-1234 or ask at the Accessibility table. Visitors with cognitive disabilities We need clarification if we need to offer these services. Balticon pre-visit materials We have a quick-tip guide to assist attendees with narratives, and visual schedules designed to help people with cognitive and sensory processing disabilities and their families to enjoy themselves at the con. Sensory information Light, noise, and crowds vary widely throughout the building. Consider bringing noise reducing headphones. If you would like more information, please contact our accessibility volunteers at our accessibility table. For younger visitors and teenagers Our children-based events are located on the 7th floor of the hotel and is geared toward children aged 6 and older. We offer multiple tactile experiences and limits its number of visitors to prevent overcrowding (though a wait for admission may be necessary). Resources to help you prepare for your visit are available here. MTA Mobility Website Let's Talk About Your Accessibility Needs Email accessibility@balticon.org First Name Last Name Email Message Send Thanks for submitting!

Sponsors We would like to thank our partners, who, without their support we could not host a convention like Balticon. Blackbird Interactive Blackbird Interactive’s world-class art, design, and technical mastery empowers our partners to create iconic experiences and explore new horizons. Games includes: Homeworld: Deserts of Kharak, Warcraft I & II Remastered, Hardspace: Shipbreaker. Free League We at Free League Publishing strongly believe that gaming should be for everyone; from every walk of life, every corner of the globe and any background. Games, and roleplaying games in particular, are a powerful tool to create and visit wondrous worlds in the imagination. We want everyone to have this opportunity, without exception. Naldobean Games Founded by Reynaldo Madrinan and Grey Wizard, Naldobean Games is a local team from Baltimore working on their debut TTRPG Break!! A loving tribute to JRPGs and classic tabletops, Break!! has quickly proven to be a great game for both first timers and veterans alike, with their first major expansion planned for later this year, I can't wait to see what they come up with. Metalhead Printing Metal Head Printing is a single man 3d Print studio that specializes in pop-culture memorabilia and cosplay props. Loke Battle Mats Attention Adventurers! Loke are best know for the award winning Book of Battle Mats range. Lay flat, wipe clean books of maps for tabletop RPG encounters which are a must for GMs. Save time drawing maps pre and mid game. Keep your adventure rolling and never be caught out by a sudden change in direction! Dark Horse Comics Dark Horse Comics was founded in 1986 by Mike Richardson as an offshoot of his Oregon comic-book retail chain, Things From Another World. Richardson pursued the idea of establishing an ideal atmosphere for creative professionals, and thirty years later the company has grown to become the third-largest comics publisher in the United States. Rio Grande Games The mission of Rio Grande Games is to promote the playing of games, which offer the players choices. We do so by publishing adult and family strategy games, although children with appropriate parental supervision will enjoy playing many of these games.

< Back Andrija "Andy" Popovic Literary Author Andrija Popovic is a native of the Washington DC metropolitan area who indulges in photography, spends entirely too much on books, and occasionally adds to the #NoirAlley chats on Twitter as @andrian6. His stories have previously been published in Daily Science Fiction and the anthologies ALIEN ARTIFACTS, THE DEATH OF ALL THINGS, PORTALS, DERELICT and NOIR. More information can be found at Biomechanoid Blues (biomechanoidblues.wordpress.com). Andrija's alter-egotist, A.J. Harris, writes spicy SFF stories. You can find A.J.'s tales in the anthologies STRANDED, SILVER SOLDIERS, THE BIG BOOK OF ORGASMS 2, SEXY STRANGERS and SECRET IDENTITIES. If you're interested, visit the A.J. Harris page on Biomechanoid Blues. Other Socials https://biomechanoidblues.wordpress.com/about-a-j-harris/

< Back Emily Anne Lewis Filk Musician Emily got hooked on filk as a member of Sassafrass. Having played Baldur in Sassafrass' production "Sundown" at Balticon 2012, Emily has come back to Balticon ever since then, now serving as the second in command for the Music track. Emily is an avid scifi/fantasy fan and songwriter/singer. Other Socials

< Back Cecilia Tan Literary Author Cecilia Tan is an award-winning trailblazer in queer science fiction and fantasy. She founded Circlet Press in 1992 and since then has been widely published in sf/f, literary, and queer fiction circles, including over 100 short stories in Asimov’s, Strange Horizons, and Ms. Magazine, essays in Uncanny, Queers Destroy Science Fiction, and Lambda Literary Report, and over 30 novels including the Magic University series, Slow Surrender, The Prince’s Boy, and others, plus several short story collections (Black Feathers; Telepaths Don’t Need Safewords: And Other Stories; White Flames; Edge Plays; Bent for Leather). Tan was inducted into the GLBT Writers Hall of Fame at Saints & Sinners Literary Festival in 2010. Her most recent books are The Mystery of the Bitten Peach (Neon Hemlock) and Bound by the Blood (book one of The Vanished Chronicles). She identifies as a biracial bigender bisexual and is also into baseball. Other Socials

< Back Honorable Mention "Snow Bear" Hand drawn animation. (This film will not be shown in the Film Festival.) https://youtu.be/xOXolSQcEb4 Previous Next

< 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 Ann Pollack Science Scientist Ann Pollack, Principal Professional Staff member at the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Lab (APL), brings 35+ years of engineering, supervisory, and project management experience. Her work spans from the Tomahawk missile to ballistic missile defense to the Dragonfly mission to Saturn's moon. Ann's passion for both science and speculative fiction has led her to actively engage with the science fiction community. At Balticon, she has presented on topics ranging from utilizing lasers for communications to an exploration of a Century of Missiles. APL sponsored her attendance at Helsinki Worldcon where she spoke on Tomorrow’s Cool SciFi Physics. Furthermore, Ann has been instrumental in fostering connections between science and science fiction. She has spearheaded initiatives to bring SciFi writers into the engineering workplace for tours, colloquiums, and panel discussions, all aimed at bridging the gap between imaginative storytelling and cutting-edge scientific innovation. Other Socials

< Back Life On Mars The first human landing on Mars does not go as expected The first human landing on Mars does not go as expected Previous Next