Professionals

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For a list of guests, performers, and attending professionals ordered by confirmation date:

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A

  • Brent Abell

    Brent Abell has written or co-written over 13 books and has been featured in over 30 publications. Brent has a screenplay currently in development and recently launched his travel website.

  • Mary Abreu

    Mary Abreu is a film and television costume fabricator with IATSE Local 479, with credits on a variety of big-budget, indie, and streaming productions, and has authored several books.

  • Stephen Adams

    Stephen Adams is the host of the podcasts Horseshoes and Hand Grenades and Those Were The Days, and is a founder of the 2Dorks network of podcasts and live streams.

  • Becky Albertalli

    Becky Albertalli is the award winning, #1 New York Times bestselling author of YA fiction, including Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda, Imogen, Obviously, and Amelia, If Only.

  • Jer Luke Alford

    Jer Alford owns Mini-Komix, plus writes, edits, and publishes comics. He founded the Atlanime anime club and does reviews for Anime Anyway plus Obscure OVAs fanzine, also Stupid Comics.

  • amberthysts cosplay

    Amber Satterfield works in her spare time as a professional character entertainer. For the past few years, she has portrayed Bluey and organized the Character Encounter for the Kids Track!

  • Jess L. M. Anderson

    Jess L. M. Anderson is a content creator with over two million followers and the author behind the fantasy series The Source Keepers.

  • Sean Anderson

    Sean is a professional opera singer, storyteller with Storyteller's Forge, and runs the award winning podcast Echoes of Krynn and the Twitch stream Severed Threads - Notes from the Black Ballad.

  • Davis Ashura

    Davis Ashura is the award winning author of four bestselling epic fantasy series, The Castes and the OutCastes, The Chronicles of William Wilde, Instrument of Omens, and The Eternal Ephemera.

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B

  • Kevin Bachelder

    Kevin Bachelder's podcasts have won four Parsec Awards in the Best Fan Podcast category. He also leads the Dragon Con Newbies group, which puts on events to help new attendees.

  • Michael Bailey

    Michael Bailey has been a podcaster since 2007, when he launched his first show Views From The Longbox. He has hosted or co-hosted a number of podcasts over the years.

  • James Osiris Baldwin

    Dragon Award nominated James Osiris Baldwin writes expansive LitRPG and science-fantasy. He is the author of the bestselling Archemi Online Chronicles, the Brute Force series, and the upcoming Voidhunter series.

  • Sam Baltrusis

    Sam Baltrusis, author of Ghosts of Salem and featured in The Curse of Lizzie Borden shock doc, has penned 18 paranormal-themed books.

  • Aretta Baumgartner

    Aretta Baumgartner has been a professional puppeteer since 1992 and has served multiple terms as President of Puppeteers of America and as Education Director at Atlanta's Center for Puppetry Arts.

  • Davey Beauchamp

    Davey Beauchamp is a librarian and a freelance artist with a variety of different companies including the BBC, BBCA, Penguin UK, Falstaff Books, Tavern Publishing, and more.

  • Jamie Bernstein

    Jamie Bernstein is a data scientist who specializes in building statistical models and the co-host of EnterpriseSplaining, a comedy podcast about Star Trek: Enterprise.

  • Kaitlin Bevis

    Kaitlin Bevis is the author of the Daughters of Zeus series. She has also written a young adult horror novel called Blood and Other Matter and several short stories.

  • April Billingsley

    Award winning actress seen in Resurrection, Last Vegas, The Dark Red, Will Trent, A Man in Full, The Summer I Turned Pretty, and upcoming films Elijah Peel and The Juggler.

  • Faydra E Black

    Faydra Black is a content creator, community builder, and frequent convention moderator/panelist. She is involved with several organizations helping to enrich the livestream community, including Stream Atlanta & Momocon.

  • Judy Black

    Judy Black is a writer who makes her home in Atlanta. She loves games, books, cats, things with caffeine, and is an Ennie-nominated writer of Dungeons and Dragons modules.

  • J.D. Blackrose

    J.D. Blackrose writes The Summoner's Mark series for Bell Bridge Books. She has published The Soul Wars, The Devil's Been Busy, and the Zombie Cosmetologist novellas through Falstaff Books.

  • Jennifer Blackstream

    Jennifer Blackstream is a USA Today bestselling author of urban fantasy and fantasy romance. She is amazed to have made a writing career out of a master's degree in psychology.

  • Bobby Blackwolf

    Bobby Blackwolf is the co-owner of the VOG (Voice of Geeks) podcast network and Twitch channel, and has hosted a live internet show and podcast about video games since 2005.

  • Brandy Blanton

    Brandy Blanton is an academic known for combining popular culture with current events. As a terrorism expert, she loves to help people learn about preparing for emergencies.

  • Lucy Blue

    Horror, mystery, and romantasy author Lucy Blue is a senior editor for Falstaff Books who published her first book, Forever Knight: These Our Revels, in 1998.

  • D.J. Bodden

    D..J. Bodden is a sci-fi and fantasy author of 15 books and counting. He has written in the LitRPG Viridian Gate Online universe and created the science fiction FiveFold universe.

  • Jay Boyce

    Winner of the 2019 Warriors and Wizards award for best new LitRPG author, Jay Boyce is the bestselling author of A Touch of Power and Rise of the Mystic Mage series.

  • Brad Bradley

    Robert "Brad" Bradley is a former industrial chemist, utilizing these skills in the pursuit of the "paranormal", and is the research director for Center for Paranormal Research and Investigation (CPRI).

  • Mark Braught

    Mark Braught is an award winning artist that notably created the full-color scenic art for the merchandising of Warner Brothers Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone.

  • Bill Bridges

    Bill Bridges is a writer and game designer most known for developing White Wolf's World of Darkness horror RPG setting and the Fading Suns science-fiction universe.

  • Rachel A. Brune

    Rachel A. Brune is an Army veteran, former military journalist, novelist, and editor of the creepy and macabre. She is the senior editor of Falstaff Books's new horror imprint, Falstaff Dread.

  • Doug Burbey

    Doug Burbey is the author of the Blood War military urban fantasy series. In addition to writing, he is a DoD program manager for advanced military technology development efforts.

  • Tyra Burton

    Tyra Burton is the host and producer of the Geek Meets Social podcast. She writes sci-fi romance, cozy fantasy, and digital marketing books. Burton also co-hosts the Be Awesome Together livestream.

  • James J. Butcher

    James J. Butcher is a new urban fantasy writer and author of Dead Man's Hand, the first book in The Unorthodox Chronicles series. He is the son of Jim Butcher.

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C

  • Kevin Cafferty

    Kevin Cafferty is an Emmy-nominated documentary filmmaker, head of brand and creative at a Fortune 500 company, DJ, and podcaster.

  • Ryan Cahill

    Ryan Cahill is the award winning author of the bestselling epic fantasy series The Bound and the Broken.

  • Barrett S Caldwell

    Barrett S. Caldwell, PhD is professor of industrial engineering, aeronautics, and astronautics at Purdue. His PhD is in social psychology (UC Davis) with BS degrees in aero/astro and humanities (MIT).

  • R. E. Carr

    R.E. Carr is the award winning author of the Rules Undying series, as well as exploring horror comedy and science fiction over her 20+ year book career.

  • Nat Cassidy

    Nat Cassidy is the author of acclaimed horror novels including Mary, Nestlings, and When the Wolf Comes Home, and numerous off-off-Broadway plays.

  • Cathalson

    Cathalson is an American author and screenwriter of over 50 publications. He is a fiction developer for Edgar Rice Burroughs, Inc. and AntiMatter Games.

  • Michael Chatfield

    Michael Chatfield is an international bestselling author of sci-fi, fantasy, and LitRPG. With over three million books sold, Chatfield is story director for an upcoming FPS video game.

  • Luke Chmilenko

    Luke Chmilenko is best known for a variety of blockbuster series such as Ascend Online, Starbreaker, Savage Dominion, and Hat Trick!

  • Paige L. Christie

    Paige L. Christie is best known for the Legacies of Arnanepic fantasy series. Her work can also be found in Galactic Stew, Witches, Warriors, and Wise Women, and more.

  • Richard J Chwedyk

    Nebula winner, Hugo, Rhysling, and Sturgeon Award nominee, Richard Chwedyk currently teaches various writing and lit courses at Columbia College Chicago and is best known for his Saur series.

  • Crystal Cleveland

    Crystal Cleveland is an award winning actress, model, YouTuber, podcaster, and horror film aficionado. She has been a co-host with Decades of Horror: 1980's for the past six years.

  • Gerald L. Coleman

    Gerald L. Coleman is a philosopher, theologian, poet, science fiction and fantasy author, has a master's degree in Theology, and is a co-founder of the Affrilachian Poets.

  • Aaron D Colgrove

    Aaron Colgrove has been a member of the Center for Paranormal Research and Investigation since 2020. Colgrove has 12 years of experience as a computational archaeologist.

  • Joshua Colwell

    Dr. Joshua Colwell is associate dean of the College of Sciences and Pegasus professor of physics at the University of Central Florida. He hosts Walkabout the Galaxy, the fun astronomy podcast.

  • Joe Compton

    Joe Compton is an author, an indie filmmaker/producer on over 40 TV and film productions in five different countries, and a script doctor/consultant in Hollywood.

  • Ryan A Consell

    Ryan Consell is an engineering professor, costumer, prop maker, and author with particular expertise in engineering science with research focused on composite materials and bicycle destruction.

  • Harmon Cooper

    Harmon Cooper is the award winning independent author of Doom System: Survivor, Pilgrim, Cowboy Necromancer, Arcane Cultivator, A Pub in the Underworld, Reborn Assassin, and many more.

  • Sophia Corde

    Sophia Corde is a marine biologist and social scientist studying marine mammals in the Gulf of Mexico. She has studied manatees, African elephants, marine iguanas, and green sea turtles.

  • Jason Cordova

    Bestselling author Jason Cordova was a finalist for both the John W. Campbell Award and Dragon Award, and the author of Mountain of Fire (Baen Books) and 20+ other novels.

  • Katie Cross

    Katie Cross really loves to write books, hike mountains, and eat cookies. You can find out more about her YA fantasy books at www.katiecrossbooks.com

  • Stephanie Crugnola

    Stephanie Crugnola is a chaotic-wholesome content creator specializing in Shakespeare, collaborative storytelling, soccer, marketing, and all things niche nerd.

  • Chris Cummins

    Chris Cummins is a writer for Archie Comics and the producer/host of Sci-Fi Explosion and Music Video Book Club, and also co-DJs American Sci-Fi Classics' 120 Minutes Dance Party.

  • Paul B Currie

    Dr. Paul Currie is a health science administrator and recovering biology and chemistry professor. He has given numerous talks on the use of pop culture in teaching.

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D

  • Kaycie D.

    Kaycie D. is an illustrator and podcaster. Her main art disciplines include comics, animation, visual development, and game art. She is the author and artist of the webcomic B-SIDE You.

  • Alex Damon

    Alex Damon is the co-creator and co-host of Star Wars Explained, a YouTube channel covering all Star Wars that has gained over 800,000 subscribers.

  • Kevin A Davis

    Kevin A Davis is a fantasy author with 16 published novels in three series and one middle-grade book. The first book in his DRC Files series has won two awards.

  • Liz Delton

    Liz Delton writes fantasy from epic to cozy, including her cozy fantasy steampunk series, Seasons of Soldark, and her YA fantasy series, Realm of Camellia.

  • Ernest Dempsey

    Ernest Dempsey is a USA Today bestselling author of archaeological thrillers and urban fantasy with over 55 books published since 2011.

  • Tyler Desjardins

    Tyler Desjardins is an astrophysicist at the Space Telescope Science Institute, working on NASA's upcoming Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope. His research background includes galaxies and supermassive black holes.

  • Steffi Diem

    Steffi Diem, PhD in plasma physics, is a nuclear engineering professor, fusion scientist, and technical consultant for The Science & Entertainment Exchange at the U.S. National Academy of Sciences.

  • Matt Dinniman

    Matt Dinniman is the author of the bestselling Dungeon Crawler Carl book and manga series.

  • Beth Dolgner

    Beth Dolgner writes paranormal fiction and nonfiction, including the Nightmare, Arizona Paranormal Cozy Mysteries, and gives talks about Victorian death customs and Spiritualism.

  • Elizabeth Donald

    Elizabeth Donald is an award winning writer of speculative fiction. She is founder of the Literary Underworld small-press cooperative, president of St. Louis Society of Professional Journalists, and teaches writing.

  • Jason Dorough

    Jason Dorough is the author of the epic fantasy Teshovar series, has worked as a voiceover artist for more than a decade, and is also a content creator on BookTok.

  • Hope Dugan

    Hope is a leadership consultant and success coach with 18+ years of experience helping people overcome limiting beliefs like perfectionism and imposter syndrome.

  • Patrick Dugan

    Dugan is author of the Darkest Storm series by Falstaff Books, Stone Cold Witch, Never Steal From Dragons, The ShadowBlade Chronicles, and Watchers of Astaria series from Distracted Dragon Press.

  • Jordan Duncan

    Jordan Duncan is a historian, researcher, and educator. He has been part of the Atlanta area paranormal community since 2008. He is also a podcaster and vlogger.

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E

  • Marc Alan Edelheit

    USA Today and Amazon bestselling author Edelheit has captivated millions with his Stiger's Tigers fantasy series. His passion for history and military seeps into his works, earning him multiple awards.

  • Kevin Eldridge

    Kevin Eldridge produces and hosts The Flopcast, a weekly pop culture comedy podcast. He is a published science fiction author, an organizer and host of skeptic events, and a comedy musician.

  • Jess Eppstein

    Jess Eppstein is a former immortal hydra wrangler who spent a year putting tiny contacts on mutant mice in the dark. She now tells scientists how to do their job.

  • Richard J Estep

    Appearing on numerous TV shows and the author of 36 books, Richard Estep writes and presents on topics ranging from the paranormal, true crime, history, and writing/publishing.

  • Kacey Lyn Ezell

    Kacey Ezell is a retired helicopter pilot who writes multigenre speculative fiction. She is a two-time Dragon Award finalist for Best Alternate History and has written multiple bestselling novels.

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F

  • Todd Fahnestock

    Todd Fahnestock is an award winning, #1 bestselling author of fantasy for all ages and winner of the New York Public Library's Books for the Teen Age Award.

  • Michael Falkner

    Michael Falkner is a writer and podcaster at Creative Criticality. He is the author of the Timestamps Project and is also one of the leaders for Dragon Con Newbies.

  • Richard Fierce

    Richard Fierce is an award winning fantasy author of over 40 books and is best known for his fantasy series Dragon Riders of Osnen.

  • Emily A Finke

    A forensic anthropologist by training, but a science communicator by passion, Emily Finke has spent the past 20 years teaching in museums, nature centers, pubs, conventions, and more.

  • Scott Fleming

    Dr. Scott W. Fleming is an astrophysicist who studies exoplanets and stars of all kinds. His team supports the archive of data from missions including Hubble, JWST, TESS, and Roman.

  • Sean Fletcher

    Sean Fletcher is the Amazon bestselling, award winning author of a number of YA fantasy series. He can be found speaking, teaching writing, and working as a professional editor.

  • Noret Flood

    Noret Flood's first professional work is The Legend of Randidly Ghosthound, one of the original webserial LitRPGs, which garnered over 50 million views on Royalroad.

  • John L Flynn

    Dr. John L. Flynn is an author, screenwriter, three-time Hugo nominee, and a member of the Science Fiction Writers of America and the Mystery Writers of America.

  • Alicia Fox-Lenz

    Alicia Fox-Lenz is co-host of Queer Lodgings: A Tolkien Podcast, a steward of the Mythopoeic Society, and scholar interested in studying Tolkien through a cultural studies lens.

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G

  • Birma Gainor

    Dr. Birma Gainor is the director of counseling and psychological services at Clemson University. She has been engaged in college mental health for just over two decades.

  • J. B. Garner

    Talented author and top flight editor, Jamie Beth "J.B." Garner has written over a dozen novels from sci-fi to fantasy to super fiction and edited hundreds more.

  • Jenna Garrett

    Jenna Garrett is a proud member of Dungeons and Dracon Beams: An Animorphs AU Actual Play Podcast, Horse Girls, and Surprise Attack Book Club.

  • Clay Gilbert

    Clay Gilbert has published 14 novels since 2013, in genres ranging from science-fiction and horror to YA dystopia and urban fantasy.

  • Venessa Giunta

    Venessa Giunta is a published author, with non-fiction essays, short stories, and the Soul Cavern series, and has been a professional editor, both freelance and contract, since 2008.

  • Vandiver Elizabeth Glenn

    Vandy Beth Glenn is a comedian, screenwriter, director, public speaker, and civil rights pioneer. She holds a journalism degree from the University of Georgia.

  • Nicoli Gonnella

    Nicoli Gonnella is the author of the internationally bestselling fantasy LitRPG epic, Unbound.

  • Emily Goodwin

    Emily Goodwin has been involved with book publishing since 2007. She is the producer for the Writers of the Future Annual Achievement Awards.

  • John Goodwin

    John Goodwin, president of Galaxy Press, is the publisher of the fiction works of L. Ron Hubbard and the internationally acclaimed Writers of the Future anthology.

  • Laura Grabowski

    Laura Grabowski, an independent Tolkien scholar, has presented with the Mythopoeic Society and the Popular Culture Association. She holds a PhD in computer science and is a professor at SUNY.

  • Cece Grayson

    Cece Grayson aka Triforce of Procrastionation is a Los Angeles veteran of cosplay that has led her in the world of modeling, streaming, film production design, and video game marketing.

  • Craig Greathouse

    Dr. Craig Greathouse is a professor of political science at University of North Georgia and has lectured and written extensively on the international system, including security and strategic studies.

  • Andrew Greenberg

    In addition to leading development on Emperor of the Fading Suns Enhanced, Andrew Greenberg runs the Georgia Game Developers Association and Southern Interactive Entertainment and Games Expo.

  • Darrell Z. Grizzle

    Darrell Z. Grizzle is a queer horror, urban fantasy, and thriller writer. He is the author of A Very Lovely Murder and I Never Meant to Start a Murder Cult.

  • Stuart Grosse

    Stuart Grosse is an independent sci-fi/fantasy author writing in the GameLit/LitRPG space. He is best known for writing serial novellas with a signature of overpowered villains as protagonists.

  • Dr. Nicole Gugliucci

    Known as the “NoisyAstronomer,” Dr. Nicole Gugliucci earned a doctorate studying radio astronomy, did a postdoc in science education, and is an associate professor of physics in New Hampshire.

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H

  • Valerie Dawn Hampton

    Dr. Valerie Hampton, historical archaeologist, author, game maker, paranormal researcher, and Indie film producer, speaks on the intersection between popular fantasy and history, and has numerous publications.

  • K.T. Hanna

    K.T. Hanna is an author known for her series Library System Reset, Somnia Online, and The System Apocalypse Australia (with Tao Wong). She is powered by caffeine, Chipotle, and sarcasm.

  • Isabelle Hardesty

    Isabelle Hardesty is the author of several YA book series including Sea Witch High, The Destroyer Witch Chronicles, The Delacourt Shapeshifter Trilogy, and Viola the Vampire Witch.

  • Will Harris

    Will is a paleontologist, educator, and host of The Common Descent Podcast, where he applies his professional experience to entertaining and educational discussions about past and present life on Earth.

  • Laura Hayden

    Author Laura Hayden is a lover of books, television, and film, and is also a founder and 12 time director of the Pikes Peak Writers Conference.

  • Drew Hayes

    Drew Hayes is an author from Dallas who has published several books, including Super Powereds, NPCs, Villains' Code, Fred the Vampire Accountant, 5-Minute Sherlock, and Roverpowered.

  • Tracie Hearne

    Tracie "Miss Magitek" is an award winning tabletop RPG content creator who runs an online community called MagiRPG. She is the storyteller for a Vampire the Masquerade series, Ancestral Blood.

  • Rick J Heinz

    Rick Heinz is an award winning TTRPG game writer, designer, and novelist for transmedia properties and sarcastic fiction about the end of the world.

  • Tony P Henderson

    Tony P. Henderson is a moderator, podcaster, and voice over artist known for the Tony P. Oddcast, In Addition, and Geek Vs podcasts.

  • Lucas Hernandez

    Lucas Hernandez is the education coordinator at the South Carolina Aquarium. He is also a member of the Sprites of Life podcast, that discusses what games can teach us.

  • Andrew Karl Hirsch

    Andrew Hirsch is a professor of computer science and engineering at the University at Buffalo, SUNY. Hirsch's group studies high-assurance programming, security, logic, and programming-language design.

  • Walter H. Hunt

    Walter H. Hunt is a science fiction and historical fiction writer with 12 published novels, including three in the 1632/Ring of Fire universe. The most recent is 1637: The French Correction.

  • Topher Hunter

    Topher Hunter is a professional biomedical science communicator and amateur droid builder, with a passion for trying new things and helping others to not make the same mistakes he/they made.

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I

  • Eunice Ibama

    Eunice Ibama is CEO of Black Girls Anime, which is a platform celebrating Black girls who love anime, offering news, reviews, and entertainment that highlights their unique experiences.

  • Gogo Incognito

    Gogo Incognito is a professional nerd in cosplay, modeling, and dance, an emcee for various cons and media companies, and an entrepreneur who co-owns Corsair Distillery and Wild Spore Mushrooms.

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J

  • Kristin Jackson

    Kristin Jackson is the director of communications and graphic designer for Frostbite Pictures, has worked on art for Paramount Pictures, Dutch Boy Pictures, and indie filmmakers.

  • Matthew Jarrett

    Matthew Jarrett is an operations engineer specializing in new product introduction. He has experience in manufacturing engineering, process engineering, quality engineering, and continuous improvement in multiple industries.

  • Alex Jennings

    Alex Jennings' writing has appeared in The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, Africa Risen, and New Suns, and he has been short-listed for numerous awards.

  • G. S. Jennsen

    G.S. Jennsen is a bestselling author of 20+ novels and short stories. Starshine was named one of the best sci-fi novels by a woman in the last 50 years.

  • Ai Jiang

    Ai Jiang is a Chinese-Canadian writer, Ignyte, Bram Stoker, and Nebula Award winner, and Hugo, Astounding, Locus, Aurora, and BFSA Award finalist.

  • Bernadette Johnson

    Bernadette Johnson is a writer whose works include over 50 technology articles for HowStuffWorks.com, books, and horror, sci-fi, fantasy, and mystery short stories.

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K

  • Charlie Kaufman

    Charlie Kaufman has a background in marine biology, environmental studies, and natural hazard preparedness. Kaufman has worked in environmental consulting, academia where he studied coastal erosion, and natural disaster impacts.

  • Kavura

    Kavura, with her husband Nayr, are the hosts of the StarPodTrek and StarPodLog podcasts. She produces Ladies Trek Library and is in several Star Trek fan clubs and fan films.

  • Darin Kennedy

    Dr. Darin Kennedy writes fantasy. His works include the Fugue & Fable trilogy, The Pawn Stratagem trilogy, the Songs of the Ascendant series, Carol, and The April Sullivan Chronicles.

  • Christina Nicole Kieffer

    Dr. Christina Kieffer holds a PhD (biology/ecology) and over 15 years experience in the paranormal. As a researcher, having backgrounds in climate change, ghosts, UFOs, and cryptids.

  • Roy Kilgard

    Dr. Kilgard is an astrophysicist who researches black holes in nearby galaxies and how they grow over cosmic time. He also lectures on astronomy in history, sci-fi, and pop culture.

  • Bethanne Kim

    Bethanne Kim is the publisher for the magazine Eric Flint's 1632 & Beyond. She currently writes alternate history (Eric Flint's 1632 universe) but has also written extensively about emergency preparedness.

  • Sue Kisenwether

    Sue Kisenwether has been writing and podcasting about sci-fi TV and movies since 2010. Most notably, she co-hosted Women at Warp, exploring Star Trek through a feminist lens.

  • Dakota Krout

    Dakota Krout is an internationally bestselling author of fantasy and LitRPG with over 50 titles in his Completionist Chronicles, Divine Dungeon, Full Murderhobo, and Cooking with Disaster series.

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L

  • Steph LaMassa

    Astrophysicist Steph LaMassa works at the Space Telescope Science Institute on JWST and researches supermassive black holes.

  • Erika Lance

    Erika Lance is a writer of horror, suspense, sci-fi, and a little fantasy. She is also the host of the Eerie Travels and Drinking With Authors podcasts.

  • Oriana Leckert

    Oriana Leckert is a writer, editor, cultural hipstorian [sic], and the head of publishing at Kickstarter.

  • Rob Levy

    Rob Levy is a writer, DJ, and podcaster who has been published in Doctor Who, Star Trek, and other sci-fi anthologies, and has written about pop culture for several outlets.

  • Philip Ligon

    Philip Ligon is an international bestselling author, Dragon Award finalist, and Imadjinn Award winner. His works range from steampunk to alternate history to fantasy.

  • K.A. Linde

    K.A. Linde is the New York Times, USA Today, and #1 Sunday Times bestselling author of The Wren in the Holly Library and more than 50 novels.

  • Jeffrey Falcon Logue

    Jeffrey "Falcon" Logue has been a professional writer for over seven years. He has published 21 books, having started the dungeon core subgenre with his original, The Slime Dungeon.

  • FT Lukens

    F.T. Lukens is a NYT bestselling author of YA speculative fiction including the novels Otherworldly, Spell Bound, So This Is Ever After, In Deeper Waters, and Love at Second Sight.

  • Nich Lyle

    Nich Lyle (LCMHC, C-DBT, CSTIP) is a cosplayer and therapist who believes in the therapeutic power of pop culture. Professionally, he helps his fellow nerds embrace their individual superpowers.

  • Tara Lynne

    Tara Lynne is an author, event planner, fandom culture expert, public speaker, host of the Geek Saga and Sagas & Sass podcasts, and founded Ice & Fire Con.

  • Courtney Lytle

    Courtney Lytle is a practicing attorney who is a partner at CM Law's Atlanta office and an adjunct professor of law at Emory Law School.

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M

  • Megan Mackie

    Amazon bestseller, Megan Mackie is the author of The Adventures of Pavlov's Dog and Schrodinger's Cat and The Lucky Devil, Culinary Infernal, Dead World, and Working Mask series.

  • Scott Macmann

    U.S. Army veteran Scott Macmann writes, edits, and publishes a range of speculative fiction as executive editor of Dragon Street Press. He is current president of the Cincinnati Fiction Writers.

  • Sarah Madsen

    Sarah Madsen is an author and TTRPG designer. She has contributed to projects from Wizards of the Coast, Kobold Press, Draco Studios, Ghostfire Gaming, Cubicle 7, and others.

  • ToniAnn Marini

    ToniAnn Marini is a professor and a project manager for BLAM! Ventures/Magnetic Press. She has credits in two Space: 1999 graphic novels and The Planet of the Apes RPG.

  • Alex Matsuo

    Alex Matsuo is an author and paranormal investigator who has been seen on shows: Paranormal Revenge, Tubi's Scariest Places in the World, Haunted Hospitals, and Most Terrifying Places in America.

  • Milissa Maxin

    Milissa Maxin is a gaming industry expert who has led and created communities for Will Wright's Gallium Studios (The Sims, SimCity Creator), Linden Lab's Second Life, IMVU, and more.

  • Dan McClellan

    Dan McClellan is a public scholar of the Bible and religion. He received his PhD from the University of Exeter and has over a million followers on social media.

  • Charles A Mcfall

    Charles McFall, the "Rock God of Podcasting," is a digital media pioneer who began podcasting in 2004 and connects audiences through shows like Wise_N_Nerdy and Finding the Stories.

  • Bob McGough

    Bob McGough is an author, podcaster, and indie tabletop game designer, best known for the Jubal County Saga urban fantasy series and the Books, Beards, Booze Podcast.

  • Rachel McNeal

    Rachel McNeal is a PhD candidate who specializes in insect-microbe interactions at decomposition with applications in forensic entomology. Her other passions have emphasis on education and public outreach.

  • Joseph Meany

    Dr. Joseph Meany is a science consultant and director of the Interstellar Research Group. He is a co-producer of the podcast series From Here to the Stars.

  • Ben Meeks

    Ben Meeks is an award winning sci-fi/fantasy author, a woodworker/turner, as well as a personality on the Books, Beards, and Booze Podcast. He excels at creative, outside the box thinking.

  • Violette L Meier

    Violette Meier, the great-granddaughter of a dream interpreter, is a lover of all things supernatural and loves to write paranormal, fantasy, horror, among other genres.

  • Stephanie Mirro

    Stephanie Mirro writes bold, adventurous fantasy for readers who love a little heat with their heartbreak—and maybe a splash of chaos.

  • Christopher G Moore

    Christopher G. Moore is an award winning filmmaker and screenwriter. He directed a segment in the horror anthology Worst Laid Plans which is now on streaming.

  • Casey Moores

    Casey Moores is an award winning author of military sci-fi, historical fiction, and fantasy, and is a USAF Academy graduate who spent 17 years as a rescue/special ops C-130 pilot.

  • David Moscato

    David Moscato is a paleontologist, science writer, and host of the Common Descent podcast, applying experience as a fossil hunter, researcher, and educator to discussions about life on Earth.

  • Bill Mulligan

    Bill Mulligan works as a special effects technician, writer, director, actor, and producer. He is a contributing writer to Gruesome magazine and the Decades of Horror podcast.

  • Mark Muncy

    Mark Muncy is the bestselling author of the Eerie Florida and Eerie Appalachia book series from History Press. He is also the host of the Eerie Travels podcast.

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  • Nayr

    Nayr, with his wife Kavura, are members of the Starfleet Command fan club and serve aboard the USS Athena. They are the hosts of both the StarPodLog and StarPodTrek podcasts.

  • Mark Robert NeCamp Jr

    Mark NeCamp, Jr. is an author, teacher, public speaker, and modern student of the occult. He has been the “paranormal adviser” for the indie horror flick The Circle.

  • James P. Nettles

    James Nettles is a business and technology consultant, speculative fiction and nonfiction author, founder of Author Essentials workshop company, and a founder of the ConTinual convention.

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  • Alix Oliver

    Alix Oliver is an award winning writer, producer, and director in the tv and film industry.

  • Melissa Olthoff

    Melissa Olthoff is a sci-fi and fantasy author, a military veteran, is published by Baen Books and CKP, and is best known for sneaking romance into everything she writes.

  • Jon R. Osborne

    Jon R. Osborne hails from Indianapolis. He writes modern fantasy and military science fiction, and his novel A Tempered Warrior was a 2018 Dragon Award Best Fantasy finalist.

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  • James Palmer

    James Palmer is a writer of sci-fi and pulp adventure, author of the Shadow Council Archives, and editor of the Monster Earth series, League of Monsters, and Southern Fried Cthulhu.

  • JM Paquette

    Author of the Klauden's Ring saga as well as the Conjuring Fascination, Rockstar Fairy Tales, and Shawarma Warrior King series, JM Paquette writes fantasy and paranormal romance novels.

  • Ken Peek

    Ken Peek supported NASA programs including Hubble Servicing, Space Shuttle, and International Space Station missions. Peek now supports the NASA Artemis program for a commercial lunar lander provider.

  • D.R. Perry

    D.R. Perry writes fiction for both YA and adult audiences. Among her works is Dragon Award nominated adult novel A Change In Crime.

  • Berta Platas

    Cuban born fantasy author and artist Berta Platas writes YA fantasy and witchy cozy mysteries, many co-authored with longtime friend Nancy Knight.

  • Alex Platt

    Alex Platt has been a podcaster since 2017. Her work includes Animorphs Anonymous, Horse Girls, Dungeons and Dracon Beams, Late Starters, Surprise Attack Book Club, and a few others.

  • Noel E Plaugher

    Noel Plaugher writes fiction and nonfiction. He is the author of Standing Qigong for Health and Martial Arts and the urban fantasy series The Lady Dragon of Chinatown.

  • Phillip Pournelle

    Phillip Pournelle is a science fiction author, war game designer, operations analyst, and military strategist. He has published several short stories for Baen and contributed to the latest Janissaries novel.

  • SK Prince

    SK Prince writes about every hero shifter she can, tripping them up when their fated mate steps into their life. Her books are full of misdirected magic and supernatural sass.

  • Marx Pyle

    Marx Pyle is the author of Obsidian Monsters, co-editor/co-author of Dragons of a Different Tail and Tales of Monstrosity, and co-hosts GenreTainment and GenrePlay.

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  • Ellie Raine

    Ellie Raine is the award winning fantasy author of the NecroSeam Chronicles, a high fantasy epic series which has won several awards including first place in fantasy for Writer's Digest.

  • Daniel A. Reed

    Daniel A. Reed is the founder of the West Virginia Skeptics Society and a regular contributor to the Skeptical Inquirer magazine and website.

  • Rachel Rener

    Rachel Rener is a multi-award winning, internationally bestselling contemporary fantasy author best known for her Gilded Blood series and has sold over a quarter million books.

  • Gray Rinehart

    Gray Rinehart is a USAF space operations veteran, a writer, and singer/songwriter. His music has been on The Dr. Demento Show and he is the "Slushmaster General" for Baen Books.

  • Aaron Michael Ritchey

    Aaron Michael Ritchey is the author of 58 novels under various pen names. He has been an Amazon All-Star and his book, Armageddon Girls, was a Dragon Award finalist.

  • Rob Roberts

    Rob Roberts is an internet broadcasting veteran in video games. He is also a seasoned live host of cult movie screenings and horror themed variety shows.

  • Merle S Robinson

    Retired DoD analyst, Lean Six Sigma black Belt, and lead designer for National Security Decision Making Game (geopolitical live-action role-play). Outreach director - Connections USA and co-founder of Connections Online.

  • Jynxie Rose

    Jynxie Rose is a LGBTQIA+, Neurodivergent/AuDHD, family friendly content creator. Her community, The CephaloSquad, fosters a safe/cozy environment that fights bullying and raises awareness of mental health and self care.

  • Cory Scott Rosenberger

    Cory Rosenberger is a licensed attorney in Georgia. He specializes in criminal law, both prosecuting and defending criminal defendants at different stages of his career.

  • Robert W Ross

    Robert W. Ross is the author of the award winning Sentinels of Creation contemporary fantasy and Paradigm 2045 sci-fi series, and is a guest lecturer at Ga Tech and KSU.

  • M. A. Rothman

    USA Today bestselling author, M.A. Rothman, has a strong background in science and math. His writing spans the genres of science fiction, techno-thriller, and his unique spin on epic fantasy.

  • Stacey Rourke

    Stacey Rourke is the award winning author of works that span genres, but possess the same flair for action and snarky humor.

  • S.L. Rowland

    S.L. Rowland is a bestselling author of cozy fantasy series Tales of Aedrea and the LitRPG series Sentenced to Troll, Pangea Online, and Path to Villainy.

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  • Tony Sarrecchia

    Tony Sarrecchia is a writer and narrator who creates audio dramas, including the award winning Harry Strange Radio Drama and Everything Evolves.

  • VivSai Sayborivong

    Award winning cosplayer with over a decade of experience, she specializes in intricate armor designs and fabric work. A passionate educator, she leads workshops on Worbla and LEDs.

  • Daniel Schinhofen

    Daniel Schinhofen has published over 60 books since 2016, receiving name recognition in the LitRPG and GameLit community. He has published in multiple other genres as well.

  • Jen Lil' Bit Schleusner

    Jen Schleusner, aka Lil Bit, has been a Dragon Con staple since 2010, a co-host and producer of the Dragon Con Report, ESO Network board member, and digital media creator.

  • Bruce Sentar

    Bruce Sentar writes romantic fantasy for men in the LitRPG, fantasy, and urban fantasy spaces. He has numerous accolades, 40 published books, and over 100k reviews on Amazon.

  • David Sherrer

    David Sherrer is a lifelong gamer and story teller, and is the marketing director of Chenoweth Press and lead game designer of Chenoweth Games.

  • Lydia Sherrer

    Award winning and USA Today bestselling author Lydia Sherrer is best known for her Love, Lies, and Hocus Pocus universe novels full of snarky humor and a talking cat.

  • R Alan Siler

    R. Alan Siler is an editor, publisher, musician, podcaster, filmmaker, owner of kOZMIC Creative, and the author of four books about Doctor Who and a children's book Lucy Can't Dance.

  • Tamsin L. Silver

    Tamsin Silver is a New Mexico based author who writes historical fantasy and urban fantasy. She is also the creator/writer/director of the web series, Skye of the Damned.

  • Wayland Smith

    Wayland Smith has been published in most genres. His novels include In My Brother's Name, a terrorist thriller, and the Wildside series about superhuman mercenaries.

  • Arley Sorg

    Arley Sorg is an associate agent at kt literary, asco-editor-in-chief at Fantasy Magazine, senior editor at Locus, and associate editor at Lightspeed & Nightmare.

  • Sarah J. Sover

    Sarah J. Sover is the author of the urban fantasy Fractured Fae series (Fairy Godmurder, Faed to Black) and the comedic fantasy Double-Crossing the Bridge, from Falstaff Books.

  • Teresa Spinelli

    Teresa Spinelli is a mission director of the Cygnus spacecraft, resupplying the International Space Station. She is the youngest and first woman certified to lead the Cygnus Flight Operations team.

  • Kevin Stallard

    Kevin Stallard has been in the IT security business for 30+ years, but has always been a video gamer. Recently working at Activision/Blizzard, Stallard is working on a new title.

  • Darcy Staniforth

    Darcy Staniforth is a scholar, writer, performer, and paranormal investigator. Research areas include race and ethnicity, gender and sexuality, ideals and institutions, and death, dying, and grief in American culture.

  • Shami A Stovall

    Shami Stovall is a two-time Dragon Award nominee for best YA Fantasy. She co-owns her publishing company, Capital Station Books.

  • Brandon H. Strauss

    Brandon Strauss is a forensic entomologist and the resident grossologist of the Science Track. You will often find them grossing out their fellow panelists to the audience's amusement.

  • Ian Randal Strock

    Ian Randal Strock is the award winning author and publisher responsible for Release the Virgins and Jewish Futures. He previously edited for Analog, Asimov's, Science Fiction Chronicle, and Baen Books.

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  • Anthony Taylor

    Anthony Taylor is a writer, pop culture expert, and the co-chair of Atlanta's Monsterama Convention.

  • Erin Nichole Taylor

    Erin Taylor is a licensed mental health therapist and paranormal investigator. She has written five nonfiction paranormal books, and her current work is expected to be published in Fall 2025.

  • Sean H Taylor

    Sean Taylor writes short stories, novellas, novels, graphic novels, and comic books. He has written for such diverse bosses as IDW Publishing, Gene Simmons, and The Oxygen Network.

  • Mel Todd

    Bad Ash Publishing owner and author, Mel Todd, has written and published over 40 stories. Specializing in stories of wonder without romantic plot lines, her books are devoured by fans.

  • Alison Tracy

    Alison Tracy Wynn, PhD is a senior research scholar with the Stanford VMware Women's Leadership Innovation Lab. As Alison Tracy, she writes YA and adult sci-fi/fantasy.

  • Jack Trammell

    Jack Trammell is a professor, author, researcher, and student of the paranormal. His books and talks range from vampires to Artificial Intelligence. He is vice president of CPRI in Virginia.

  • Trekspertise

    Kyle Mackenzie Sullivan is a director and camera operator in the world of film and television, working on projects that include A24, Magnolia Pictures, and Outdoor Channel.

  • j m tuffley

    JM Tuffley writes about pop culture for various outlets, and contributes to Need Coffee Dot Com's Weekend Justice podcast.

  • TVsTravis

    A podcaster and content creator, TVsTravis, AKA Travis Crawford, is the host of Wait, You Haven't Seen…? and co-host of Those Were the Days, GORE, and Let's Watch Highlander podcasts.

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  • Forrest Valkai

    Forrest Valkai is a biologist and science communicator. On YouTube, TikTok, and shows like SkepTalk and The Atheist Experience, Valkai has raised tens of thousands of dollars for charity.

  • Marie Vibbert

    Hugo and Nebula nominee Marie Vibbert's short fiction has appeared in Nature, Analog, and Clarkesworld. Her debut novel, Galactic Hellcats, was long-listed by the British Science Fiction Award.

  • R.R. Virdi

    R.R. Virdi is a two-time Dragon Award finalist, Nebula Award finalist, and USA Today bestselling author. He is the author of The Grave Report and The Books of Winter.

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  • Jamie Waggoner

    Jamie Waggoner is an author, podcaster, Pagan priestess, and occult expert. Author of Hades: Myth, Magic and Modern Devotion, and co-host of The Way of the Weaver podcast.

  • Constance G.J. Wagner

    Constance G.J. Wagner, writer, editor, poet, playwright, and Tolkien scholar, speaks regularly and passionately on all things Middle-earth at both academic and fan-friendly events nationally and internationally.

  • DL Wainright

    DL Wainright uses their degree in world religions and lifelong love of horror to write creepy books that incorporate folklore and mythology, which means someone gets eaten in every one!

  • Jasmine Walt

    New York Times bestseller Jasmine Walt has been writing and publishing for almost a decade and is best known for her Of Dragons and Fae trilogy and The Baine Chronicles.

  • Rilo W Ward

    Rilo W. Ward is a podcaster who hosts Guild of Calamitous Podcasts, centered around The Venture Bros; as well as a writer for the [adult swim] news website adultswimcentral.com.

  • Sean Weiland

    Sean Weiland is an award winning video game program manager, voice actor, bartender, and podcaster and currently hosts the Tipple Theory podcast.

  • Dave West

    Dave West is an actor and interviewer who also hosts game shows, wrestling events, and rock 'n' roll concerts. He can be found on the Needless Things YouTube channel.

  • Alex White

    Alex White wrote the game Alien: Rogue Incursion, two Alien novels, The Cold Forge and Into Charybdis, a Star Trek DS9 novel, Revenant, and the Starmetal Symphony and Salvagers trilogies.

  • Jennifer Whitworth

    Jennifer Whitworth is a NASA engineer working at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center. She supports Artemis and Gateway Payload Integration for experiments destined for the Gateway Station or Lunar surface.

  • Katharine E. Wibell

    Epic fantasy author Katharine E. Wibell's acclaimed novels include The Incarn Saga series and The Djed Chronicles series. The Guardian's Speaker novella series is an adult dark Viking fantasy.

  • Arras Marie Wiedorn

    Arras Wiedorn is a zoologist and animal behaviorist who has worked for years in public education. They currently work as the head of public programs at a nature center in Ohio.

  • Valerie Willis

    Valerie Willis is a book designer and award winning fantasy romance author. Works include Writer's Bane series, The Cedric Series, and more as V.C. Willis and Honey Cummings.

  • Sadie Witkowski

    Sadie Witkowski is currently a research programs lead for Slack. In her free time, she hosts the podcasts In Defense of Fandom and Carry the Two.

  • Marisa Wolf

    Marisa Wolf writes SFF that ends with hope, no matter how hard the circumstances. She has co-authored novels in shared universes and authored solo novels in her own worlds.

  • Tao Wong

    Tao Wong is a sci-fi and fantasy author best known for his A Thousand Li, The System Apocalypse, and Hidden Dishes series of works.

  • Trisha J. Wooldridge

    Trisha J. Wooldridge (child-friendly T.J. Wooldridge), is an award winning pan-genre, pan-media, chaos word witch specializing in diverse dark fantasy and horror.

  • Vanessa Ionta Wright

    Vanessa Wright is an Atlanta-based filmmaker and The Renegade Film Fest founder and director. She is currently in production on her next feature film.

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  • Ben Yalow

    Ben Yalow has attended about 900 cons and worked on a third of them, including having chaired the 2023 Worldcon in China. He has edited four books for NESFA Press.

  • Jessi Ann York

    Jessi Ann York's first two stories, Phases of the Shadow and Women of the Mere, were mentioned as standouts in The Best Horror of the Year Vol. 13.

  • Bryan Young

    Bryan Young has written in the BattleTech, Robotech, Doctor Who, and Shadowrun universes. Most recently, he wrote the companion book for The Big Bang Theory.

Cancellations

The following previously confirmed guests will unfortunately not be able to attend Dragon Con this year.

    Featured Guests

    Featured

    Guests

    Guests

    Performers

    Performers