Norwescon 45 Program Book

Norwescon 45

The full souvenir program book for Norwescon 45.

NOTE: The PDF file hosted here has been remediated for compatibility with accessible technology, but now contains occasional visual artifacts. A version without the visual artifacts but lacking accessibility features is also available: Norwescon 45 Program Book (inaccessible) (7.1 MB .pdf).

Kat Marier

Norwescon

April 6-9, 2023

Contents © Norwescon except by the artists as noted.

English

NORWESCON 45

Between Two Worlds

April 6-9, • 2023 • SeaTac, WA
Science Fiction & Fantasy Convention

[Artwork] Genya Safin ©Grace P. Fong

CONTENTS

Cover: Izanami ©Grace P. Fong
Back Cover: Deck of Worlds ©Grace P. Fong
Letter from the Chair 5
Philip K. Dick Award 6
Guests of Honor 11
Professional Panelists & Performers 19
Artist GOH Grace P. Fong Art Gallery 33
Memorials 59
Artists & Dealers 65
Norwescon Staff Organization 66
Norwescon Staff Photos 69
Charitable Giving 70

[Artwork] Northern Worlds ©Jeff Sturgeon

LETTER FROM THE CHAIR

THE EARLIEST SCIENCE FICTION AND FANTASY CONVENTIONS were born of groups of fans pulling together to throw themselves a party. That’s why business conventions have attendees, movies have audiences, but science fiction conventions have members. For more than 80 years, SFF fans have gotten together with a willingness to pitch in and throw the kinds of conventions we want to attend.

In the spirit of those community-generated events, I’d like to welcome you to the Norwescon community, and specifically to Norwescon 45.

Norwescon is more than just a show you attend for passive entertainment. It is an immersive experience, where you can be - and indeed are encouraged to - talk, laugh, learn, and play with others. It is a chance to be as smart, nerdy, and interested as you want, surrounded by people who understand and feel the same way.

I love how everyone takes part in Norwescon. Some participate by working all year on staff to make sure the convention happens. Others volunteer a few hours, or speak on panels, or work on a costume to enter in the masquerade. Some wear a hall costume, contribute to a discussion in a panel, or cheer on the competitors in the Single Pattern Contest. My friend Mike used to say the only thing he didn’t like about Norwescon was that it was only four days a year, but now he’s extended his Norwescon experience by joining the staff! If you are interested in becoming part of the con-within-a-con that is the convention staff, just ask anyone wearing one of those nifty staff t-shirts—you may get to hear how they became involved.

Norwescon has been a thriving community for decades, where friendships and families have grown. As we (hopefully!) move into a post-apocalypse era, we can again meet in person, welcome new members, and renew old friendships. So, welcome to Norwescon. We are glad you are here.

SunnyJim Morgan
Chair, Norwescon 45

PHILIP K. DICK AWARD 2023

The judges of the 2023 Philip K. Dick Award and the Philadelphia Science Fiction Society, along with the Philip K. Dick Trust, are pleased to announce the six nominated works that comprise the final ballot for the award.

First prize and any special citations will be announced on Friday, April 7, 2023 at Norwescon 45 at the DoubleTree by Hilton Seattle Airport, SeaTac, Washington.

The Philip K. Dick Award is presented annually with the support of the Philip K. Dick Trust for distinguished science fiction published in paperback original form in the United States during the previous calendar year. The award is sponsored by the Philadelphia Science Fiction Society and the Philip K. Dick Trust and the award ceremony is sponsored by Norwescon.

This year’s judges are Michael Cassutt (Chair), Matthew Goodwin, Stina Leicht and Elise C. Tobler.

For more information, contact the award administration: Gordon Van Gelder (201) 876-2551, John Silbersack (347) 787-7445, Pat LoBrutto (301) 460-3164

For more information about the Philadelphia Science Fiction Society: http://www.psfs.org/: Contact Gary Feldbaum (215) 665-5752

[Artwork] Ol Nick ©Raven Oak

PHILIP K. DICK AWARD NOMINEES 2023

As announced on January 12, 2023, the nominees for the 2023 Philip K. Dick Award are:

ARBOREALITY
by Rebecca Campbell (Stelliform Press)

WIDOWLAND
by C. J. Carey (Sourcebooks Landmark)

YMIR
by Rich Larson (Orbit)

JANUARY FIFTEENTH
by Rachel Swirsky (Tordotcom)

THE LEGACY OF MOLLY SOUTHBOURNE
by Tade Thompson (Tordotcom)

THE EXTRACTIONIST
by Kimberly Unger (Tachyon Publications)

Previous Winners

Presentation Year / Eligibility Year - W: Winner - SC: Special Citation

2022 / 2021
W: Dead Space, Kali Wallace
SC: The Escapement, Lavie Tidhar

2021 / 2020
W: Road Out of Winter, Alison Stine
SC: The Book of Koli, M.R. Carey

2020 / 2019
W: Sooner or Later Everything Falls Into the Sea: Stories, Sarah Pinsker
SC: The Little Animals, Sarah Tolmie

2019 / 2018
W: Theory of Bastards, Audrey Schulman
SC: 84K, Claire North

2018 / 2017
W: Bannerless, Carrie Vaughn
SC: After the Flare, Deji Bryce Olukotun

2017 / 2016
W: The Mercy Journals, Claudia Casper
SC: Unpronounceable, Susan diRende

2016 / 2015
W: Apex, Ramez Naam
SC: Archangel, Marguerite Reed

2015 / 2014
W: The Book of the Unnamed Midwife, Meg Elison
SC: Elysium, Jennifer Marie Brissett

2014 / 2013
W: Countdown City, Ben H. Winters
SC: Self-Reference Engine, Toh EnJoe

2013 / 2012
W: Lost Everything, Brian Francis Slattery
SC: LoveStar, Andri Snaer Magnason

2012 / 2011
W: The Samuil Petrovitch Trilogy, Simon Morden
SC: The Company Man, Robert Jackson Bennett

2011 / 2010
W: The Strange Affair of Spring Heeled Jack, Mark Hodder
SC: Harmony, Project Itoh, translated by Alexander O. Smith

2010 / 2009
W: Bitter Angels, C.L. Anderson
SC: Cyberabad Days, Ian McDonald

2009 / 2008
W (tie): Emissaries from the Dead, Adam-Troy Castro
Terminal Mind, David Walton

2008 / 2007
W: Nova Swing, M. John Harrison
SC: From the Notebooks of Dr. Brain, Minister Faust

2007 / 2006
W: Spin Control, Chris Moriarty
SC: Carnival, Elizabeth Bear

2006 / 2005
W: War Surf, M.M. Buckner
SC: Natural History, Justina Robson

2005 / 2004
W: Life, Gwyneth Jones
SC: Apocalypse Array, Lyda Morehouse

2004 / 2003
W: Altered Carbon, Richard K. Morgan
SC: Dante's Equation, Jane Jensen

2003 / 2002
W: The Mount, Carol Emshwiller
SC: The Scar, China Mieville

2002 / 2001
W: Ship of Fools, Richard Paul Russo
SC: Divine Intervention, Ken Wharton

2001 / 2000
W: Only Forward, Michael Marshall Smith
SC: Evolution's Darling, Scott Westenfeld

2000 / 1999
W: Vacuum Diagrams, Stephen Baxter
SC: Tower of Dreams, Jamil Nasir

1999 / 1998
W: 253: The Print Remix, Geoff Ryman
SC: Lost Pages, Paul Di Filippo

1998 / 1997
W: The Troika, Stefan Chapman
SC: Acts of Conscience, William Barton

1997 / 1996
W: The Time Ships, Stephen Baxter
SC: At the City Limits of Fate, Michael Bishop

1996 / 1995
W: Headcrash, Brush Bethke
SC: Carlucci's Edge, Richard Paul Russo

1995 / 1994
W: Mysterium, Robert Charles Wilson
SC: Inagehi, Jack Lady

1994 / 1993
W (tie): Growing Up Weightless, John M. Ford Elvissey, Jack Womack

1993 / 1992
W: Through the Heart, Richard Grant
SC: In the Mothers' Land, Elizabeth Vonarburg

A full list of winners going back to 1982 may be found on Wikipedia. For more information about the Philip K. Dick Award, please visit the official award website at philipkdickaward.org.

[Artwork] Promo Page ©Andy Vanoverberghe

WRITER GUEST OF HONOR P. Djèlí Clark

Phenderson Djèlí Clark is the award winning and Hugo, Nebula, Sturgeon, and World Fantasy nominated author of the novel A Master of Djinn, and the novellas Ring Shout, The Black God’s Drums and The Haunting of Tram Car 015. His stories have appeared in online venues such as Tor.com, Daily Science Fiction, Heroic Fantasy Quarterly, Apex, Lightspeed, Fireside Fiction, Beneath Ceaseless Skies, and in print anthologies including, Griots, Hidden Youth and Clockwork Cairo. He is a founding member of FIYAH Literary Magazine and an infrequent reviewer at Strange Horizons.

Born in New York and raised mostly in Houston, Texas, he spent the early formative years of his life in the homeland of his parents, Trinidad and Tobago. When not writing speculative fiction, P. Djèlí Clark works as an academic historian whose research spans comparative slavery and emancipation in the Atlantic World. He melds this interest in history and the social world with speculative fiction, and has written articles on issues ranging from racism and H.P. Lovecraft to critiques of George Schuyler’s Black Empire, and has been a panelist and lecturer at conventions, workshops and other genre events.

At the current time, he resides in a small Edwardian castle in New England with his wife, daughters, and pet dragon (who suspiciously resembles a Boston Terrier). When so inclined he rambles on issues of speculative fiction, politics, and diversity at his aptly named blog The Disgruntled Haradrim.

ARTIST GUEST OF HONOR Grace P. Fong

Grace P. Fong is a Chinese-American writer, artist, and narrative designer living in British Columbia, Canada.

As an artist, she specializes in content for speculative fiction publications and promotional material for authors. Her work has been included in multiple anthologies and gallery shows. She exhibits regularly at conventions. Recent notable clients include Uncanny Magazine, Strange Horizons, and Neon Hemlock. She won the inaugural 2020 Ignyte Award for best artist and has been nominated four times for the Hugo Award for best fan artist.

As a writer, her style combines soft moments with harsh-edged truths. Her stories explore the lives of people living in worlds not built for them, using magic and transformation as metaphors for feminist and Asian-American themes. Her first prose work, "For Want of Milk" was recently published in Uncanny Magazine. Her next piece, “Girl Oil” won second place in the 2022 Levar Burton Reads short fiction contest. She has forthcoming fiction in Apex and Uncanny for 2023.

Grace works as a narrative designer for Singularity 6 on Palia, a cozy life-sim MMO. Previously, she worked as a writer-designer on Magic: The Gathering by Wizards of the Coast (leading the New Phyrexia: All Will Be One expansion, the upcoming Final Fantasy product, and two unannounced sets), and as an occasional instructor at Clarion West.

Her loves include history, science, cooking, and travel. She has been to all seven continents and every U.S. state except Hawaii. Having grown up in Philadelphia and cut her creative teeth in Los Angeles, she is a die-hard fan of soft pretzels and animal fries.

[Artwork] Untitled II ©Grace P. Fong

SCIENCE GUEST OF HONOR Dr. Greg Dubos

Dr. Greg Dubos is a systems engineer with expertise in robotic planetary exploration. Born and raised in France, he moved to the United States 20 years ago to pursue his passion for space and build a career in the field.

He is currently responsible for leading the end-to-end system test campaign for the Clipper spacecraft, which is designed to explore Jupiter’s moon Europa and is being developed at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL).

Dr. Dubos’ previous experiences include serving as the activity lead, systems chair, and avionics chair for the Mars 2020 mission, during the cruise, landing, and surface operations of the Perseverance rover. Prior to launch, he was responsible for the uplink, commanding, and health and redundancy functions of the spacecraft, ensuring that the vehicle would remain safe and would respond properly to instructions throughout its mission.

Before his role on the Mars 2020 mission, Dr. Dubos spent three years working on the Curiosity rover surface operations, where he served as a science planner, payload downlink coordinator, and strategic planner for the communications with the deep space network and the Mars relay orbiters.

During his doctorate degree studies and early in his career, he was part of the team that formulated and modeled the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA)'s fractionated spacecraft strategy aimed at developing space-based networks.

Dr. Dubos has an undergraduate degree in aeronautics from Supaero, France, and a Ph.D. in aerospace engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology. He has co-authored over 20 technical publications and book chapters on space system design.

Aside from his work, he enjoys doing STEM outreach in schools and underserved communities in the U.S. and Europe. He is passionate about inspiring the next generation of engineers and scientists to pursue their dreams in space exploration.

[Artwork] Planets ©Ellis Bray

SPOTLIGHT PUBLISHER Uncanny Magazine

Founded in 2014 by Co-Publishers/Co-Editors-in-Chief Lynne M. Thomas (9-time Hugo Award winner) and Michael Damian Thomas (6-time Hugo Award winner), Uncanny Magazine is a bimonthly eBook and monthly online Science Fiction and Fantasy magazine featuring passionate SF/F fiction and poetry, gorgeous prose, provocative nonfiction, and a deep investment in the diverse SF/F culture. Each issue contains intricate, experimental stories and poems with verve and imagination that elicit strong emotions and challenge beliefs, from writers of every conceivable background. Uncanny believes there is still plenty of room in the genre for tales that make you feel. Uncanny Magazine is a 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, and 2020 Hugo Award winner, 2016 Parsec Award winner, 2019 British Fantasy Award winner, and numerous-time Locus Award finalist. Many pieces from Uncanny Magazine have been awards winners and finalists and have been included in Year’s Best anthologies. Uncanny Magazine stories have won Hugo, Nebula, World Fantasy, Locus, and Ignyte Awards.

Represented by Uncanny Magazine Co-Publishers and CoEditors-in-Chief Lynne M. Thomas and Michael Damian Thomas:

Lynne M. Thomas

Lynne M. Thomas is the nine-time Hugo, Parsec, and British Fantasy Award-winning co-publisher and co-editor-in-chief of Uncanny Magazine with her husband, Michael Damian Thomas. In her day job, Lynne is the Head of the Rare Book and Manuscript Library at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. She was the co-editor of the Hugo Award-winning Chicks Dig Time Lords (2010) with Tara O’Shea, and the former Editor-in-Chief (2011-2013) of the Hugo Award-nominated (2012 & 2013) Apex Magazine. She moderated the Hugo Award-winning SF Squeecast, a monthly podcast (with Elizabeth Bear, Paul Cornell, Seanan McGuire, Michael Damian Thomas, and Catherynne M. Valente) in which a group of SF/F professionals get excited about stuff they like, and contributes to the Parsec Award-winning Verity! podcast (with Erika Ensign, L.M. Myles, Katrina Griffiths, Tansy Rayner Roberts and Deborah Stanish), where a bunch of smart women talk about Doctor Who. Lynne lives in Champaign, IL, with her husband Michael and their daughter Caitlin. Caitlin has a rare congenital disorder called Aicardi syndrome.

Michael Damian Thomas

Michael Damian Thomas is the six-time Hugo, Parsec, and British Fantasy Award-winning copublisher and co-editor-in-chief of Uncanny Magazine with his wife, Lynne M. Thomas. Michael was a two-time Hugo Award finalist as the former Managing Editor of Apex Magazine (2012-2013), co-edited the Hugo Award finalist essay anthology Queers Dig Time Lords (2013) with Sigrid Ellis, and co-edited the anthology Glitter & Mayhem (2013) with John Klima and Lynne M. Thomas. Michael lives in Champaign, IL, with his wife Lynne and their daughter, Caitlin. Caitlin has a rare congenital disorder called Aicardi syndrome, and Michael is her full-time caregiver.

[Artwork] Alien Iron 1 ©Bill Grader

[Artwork] Future World 7.1 ©Bill Grader

PROFESSIONAL PANELISTS & PERFORMERS

Agathon McGeachy

Going by the name Manfred Kriegstreiber, he built armor and mastered personal combat in the Society for Creative Anachronism in the 1970s through early 1990s. As a sand sculptor, he participated several times as a soloist at the prestigious world championship in Harrison Hot Springs, British Columbia. Best known in fandom for ceramics and mixed-media figure sculpture, he won best 3D art in show at Sasquan. Agathon started studying the craft of writing in 2015, and sold his first fantasy story, “Shiplah’s Eyes,” in 2021.

Alaina Ewing

Alaina Ewing entered the writing community as an author and has since expanded into the realms of editing, publishing, author branding, and workshop organizing. Their fiction has appeared in numerous anthologies. Alaina owns a small press and is the former President of Cascade Writers, a nonprofit writing workshop connecting writers to senior-level editors and agents. They have organized countless workshops spanning from craft and development to agenting and the business side of writing.

Alan Bond

Alan is a strong believer that perfection is a process and not a state, and there is no achieving it in the end. As such, they would like you to know that they are not perfect. They do strive to do the best they can with what they’re given, making many mistakes along the way.

Ann Shilling

Ann Shilling has spent several years riding, jousting, and swinging swords with the Seattle Knights, and has also logged countless hours on horseback compiling a list of King County horse trails, riding in wagon trains, and investigating the countryside of Europe from the saddle. She has also ridden in the Tournament of the Phoenix, a historical re-enactment tournament in Poway, California, and the Hackaland tournament in Liege, Belgium. Ann enjoys organizing and squiring for other knights at events around the country when the opportunity presents itself. Her historical interests range from medieval Europe to the American West to ancient China, and her written work includes several plays performed regularly around the Northwest by the Seattle Knights and several short stories.

Bart Kemper

Bart is a writer, photographer, inventor, and consulting professional engineer. He is a U.S. Army veteran based in South Louisiana, wandering the world to solve problems. Technical areas of interest include forensics, subsea, aerospace, failure analysis, manufacturing, equipment design, medical systems, and biomechanics. He is also editor-in-chief of the Journal of the National Academy of Forensic Engineers. He recently wrote and edited for Three Ravens Publishing and seeks refuge in his B&W darkroom.

Belsac

Brian Grinnell has been carving leather under the name Belsac Leather Art for almost 30 years. His primary focus is Viking, Celtic, medieval, and fantasy art. His art can be found in the art show and on Facebook.

Benjamin Gorman

Benjamin Gorman is the publisher at Not a Pipe Publishing and author of The Sum of Our Gods (2013), Corporate High School (2015), The Digital Storm (2017), The Convention of Fiends, Book 1: Don’t Read This Book (2019), and two books of poetry, When She Leaves Me (2020) and This Uneven Universe (2021). He’s a high school English teacher. He lives in Independence, Oregon, with his fiancée, bibliophile, and guillotine aficionado Chrystal, his favorite son, Noah, and his dog E.V. (External Validation).

Berlynn Wohl

Berlynn Wohl is an octopus in a Russian fur hat who sometimes writes science fiction and Sherlock Holmes pastiches. No one knows why this is. Berlynn’s anthologies include Oh, Doctor Watson! and Mad Scientists Need Love Too.

Bill Gruner

An armorer and weaponsmith, Bill Gruner travels worldwide to historical sites. He has a Master of Science in education, has been an emergency medical technician, taught science, and leads an SF OPDETA (special forces operational detachment A—a special forces A team). Bill studies metallurgy, Roman tech, Latin, geology, blacksmithing, military history, historical reenactment, and Euro-martial arts. He is a member of the Senior Classical League, the Society for Creative Anachronism (a peer), and SASS (the Single Action Shooting Society), and fights in Cohorts II Legion VI. He operates a 12-foot traction trebuchet, and teaches classes in Roman and Norse combat. He also teaches wood and metal crafts out of his atelier. He is an NRA firearms instructor with seven NRA certifications.

[Artwork] Eassie Stags ©Belsac

Brenda Carre

Brenda Carre is the author of more than 40 works of pro and semi-pro short fiction. She has been published in The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, Pulphouse Fiction Magazine, Fiction River Anthologies, Pulp Literature Magazine, Heart’s Kiss Romance Magazine, and elsewhere. Her adventure fantasy novel Gret of Roon, book one in The Chronicles of Ardebrin, will be released in 2023 through Pulp Literature Publishing. Join her on this adventure at https:// brendacarre.com/.

Brenda Cooper

Brenda Cooper writes science fiction and fantasy novels and short stories. Check out her website at www.brenda-cooper.com. Brenda lives in the Pacific Northwest in a household with two people, five dogs, more than three computers, and only one TV.

Bri Orsborn

Bri has been an active part of the Norwescon volunteer staff since the second year she attended—long, long ago—and has spent many years working specifically on the masquerade, in one role or another. Her passion for costuming has informed and fueled her drive to support other costumers in sharing their art with our vast convention community.

Brian U. Garrison

Brian Garrison serves as secretary of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Poetry Association (SFPA). His poetry has waited at a bus stop in Montpelier, Vermont; popped out of a vending machine in Boston, Massachusetts; traveled to Tuscaloosa, Alabama (among other cities) aboard Asimov’s Science Fiction; and flown to Mars aboard NASA’s MAVEN mission. 50 poems are squeezed into his chapbook New Yesterdays, New Tomorrows. Find him in Portland, Oregon, or online at bugthewriter.com.

[Artwork] Tree of Life ©Belsac

Brianna Tibbetts

Raised on a diet of fiction, novelist Brianna Tibbetts has been writing speculative worlds as long as she can remember. Currently based in the Pacific Northwest, she reads voraciously and writes extensively. From short stories to novels, Brianna demonstrates her passion for lively stories infused with hope. Her other superpowers include being ginger and yarn crafting. When she isn’t spending time in her own creations, she loves indulging in the fictional worlds of others.

Brittany Torres

Brittany Torres likes dragons, wine, and creating artwork late into the night. She has a degree in English and Medieval studies and has consistently worked in the creative industry, from doing book cover designs to working at art schools. Her current company, The Social Atelier, based in Seattle, is where she coaches artists in discovering the power of their unique branding. Brittany seeks to represent female empowerment through her artwork and tell the stories of women from myth in a new light.

[Artwork] Golden Hour ©Katie Croonenberghs

Brooks Peck

As a pop culture museum curator, Brooks draws on his strong knowledge of science fiction, fantasy, and horror to create exhibitions on subject as diverse as space-themed record album covers, Battlestar Galactica, SETI, and Avatar, among others. Recent exhibitions include Star Trek: Exploring New Worlds, Marvel: Universe of Superheroes, and Minecraft: The Exhibition, the last two of which he co-curated. Brooks is also a fiction writer and a screenwriter of two low-budget, direct-to-cable monster movies. Rawr!

Cait McKinzie

Cait McKinzie is a high school senior who’s been writing for fun since she was eight. Her dad started taking her to Norwescon when she was 12. She’s a creative makeup and digital artist. Alongside classes, she has track, an editorial position in her high school’s newspaper, a small-scale art blog on Instagram, and is a colorist for a graphic novel. So hey, if she embarrasses herself, blame it on sleep deprivation.

Camden Rose

Camden Rose brought her typewriter across the country to Seattle after completing degrees in marketing and creative writing at Elon University. She can often be found at the ocean’s edge taking notes on the local mermaid population. She loves exploring nature and seeking out the magic hidden beneath the everyday world.

Carmen Beaudry

Carmen Beaudry started her costuming career when she was 14. She has costumed for musical theater, opera, television, historical reenactment, and science fiction conventions. Historic clothing is her passion, especially the early 17th century and the 1880s. Her historical designs come from the study of period source material and of extant garments in museums in North America and Europe.

Carol Berg

A former software engineer, Carol Berg majored in math and computer science so she wouldn’t have to write papers. Her 18 fantasy novels have won national and international awards, including multiple Colorado Book Awards and the Mythopoeic Fantasy Award for adult literature. Her newest novel (writing as Cate Glass) is A Summoning of Demons, which was released in 2021 from Tor. Learn more at categlass.com.

Caroline M. Yoachim

Caroline M. Yoachim is a three-time Hugo and six-time Nebula Award finalist. Her short stories have been translated into several languages and reprinted in multiple best-of anthologies, including four times in Best American Science Fiction and Fantasy. Yoachim’s short story collection Seven Wonders of a Once and Future World & Other Stories and the print chapbook of her novelette “The Archronology of Love” are available from Fairwood Press. For more information, check out her website at carolineyoachim.com.

Casey Dunn

Casey Dunn was born and raised in Atlanta, Georgia. Her grandfather, nicknamed Casey Jones by local law enforcement for his habit of hopping trains, would sit with her and spin tales of a girl who ran wild in open country. His voice lives on in her mind. She is the author of Silence on Cold River and The Hightower Trilogy, which won the best equine fiction award at the 2018 Equus Film Festival in New York City, and was a finalist for the 2015 Frank Yerby award. She lives in Southern Oregon with her family.

Charlotte Lewis Brown

Charlotte Lewis Brown is a vertebrate paleontologist, a science writer, and a college professor. She has published numerous science articles for adults and three books that use true stories about dinosaurs and other fossil animals to draw children into the world of reading.

Cindy Fangour

Cindy Fangour has been going to science fiction conventions for 30 years. She loves costuming, belly dance, animals, and children. Her day job is working as a fingerprint examiner for a sheriff’s department, a position she’s held for 30 years. In the past, she has processed, collected, and analyzed fingerprint evidence. She hopes to see you around!

Colette Breshears

Colette Breshears is an academically trained geologist (plate tectonics). Before joining the natural gas team at Wood Mackenzie, where she spies on the natural gas market, she worked with the U.S.F.S. conducting climate change research. She has a Bachelor of Science in geology from Pacific Lutheran University, and a Master of Science in Earth science from Boise State University. Her hobbies include D&D, fishkeeping, gardening… and lasers. Let’s talk lasers.

Conor Tuohy

Coral Moore

Coral Alejandra Moore has always been the kind of girl who makes up stories. Fortunately, she never grew out of it. She writes because she loves to invent characters, and the desire to find out what happens to them drives her tales. She is an alum of the Viable Paradise workshop and has published short fiction with Diabolical Plots, Zombies Need Brains, and Secrets of the Goat People. She is one of the editors-in-chief of Constelación Magazine, a quarterly bilingual speculative fiction magazine.

Crystal Lloyd

Crystal Lloyd is a lifelong lover of science fiction, fantasy, and historial fiction. Armed with degrees in literature and sustainbility/public policy, she strives to understand our collective history as humans, and how we can better ourselves in the near future.

Curtis C. Chen

Once a Silicon Valley software engineer, Curtis C. Chen (陳致宇) now writes stories and runs puzzle games near Portland, Oregon. He’s the author of the Kangaroo series of funny science fiction spy thrillers, and has written for the Realm originals Echo Park, Ninth Step Murders, and Machina. His short fiction has appeared in Playboy Magazine, Aliens vs. Predators: Ultimate Prey, Daily Science Fiction, and elsewhere. Curtis is not an aardvark.

D.L. Solum

D.L. Solum is a recently published author of the four-volume urban fantasy series Persephone, A Tale of Darker Seattle. He lives in Seattle, Washington, but will always be from Butte, Montana. He’s a collector of odd friends and even odder hobbies, including medieval combat, armor and weapon collection, fishing, hunting, and computer games. His latest obsession with writing contemporary fantasy and sci-fi is only made possible through the mostly gentle encouragement and tolerance of his partner, Kate.

[Artwork] Shadow ©Michael Kucharski

DameRuth

DameRuth has a wide-ranging and checkered past involving science, history, fandom, art, and writing, and she’s happy to talk your ear off about any (or all) of those subjects. She currently works as a technician in a neurobiology research lab.

Dan Dubrick

Known to many in the Northwest U.S. fandom, Kahboi (pronounced Cowboy) has for many years been the editor for the H.R. McMillan Planetarium’s affiliated space and astronomy educational BBS SpaceBase™. Dan has witnessed space launches as an accredited journalist, including the U.S. Space Shuttle.

Daryl Gregory

Daryl Gregory’s novels and short stories have been translated into a dozen languages and have won multiple awards, including the World Fantasy, Shirley Jackson, and Crawford awards, and have been nominated for the Hugo, Nebula, Edgar, Locus, Lambda, and Sturgeon awards. His latest books are the novels Revelator and Spoonbenders, and the novella The Album of Dr. Moreau. He also writes for TV and is a regular instructor at the Viable Paradise Writing Workshop.

Dave Davis

Dave Davis has a Bachelor of Science in industrial engineering and more than 30 years’ experience in the aerospace field, ranging from commercial projects to the Space Shuttle. He works as a project manager on a commercial aircraft program. A member of the National Association of Rocketry and a tornado/ storm chaser, Dave has merged these two endeavors into The Glenda Project, which launches weather-related payloads into storms to supply data for improved severe weather warning systems.

[Artwork] Pony Fish Illuminators300 ©JeM Z Art

Dave O’Neill

Dave O’Neill has been an aerospace engineer, a marine engineer, and for one depressing and smelly summer, an engineer at a paper mill. He moved into software before it was cool. He has traveled a lot and knows far, far, FAR too much about flying, aircraft, and chain hotels. He writes because he needs something that takes his mind off what that weasel at CERN did to the universe in 2016. His science fiction is mostly light space opera with a satirical edge, and involves amusing (at least to him) animals. He lives in Seattle, where he moved for the weather. If you’d ever been to the Northwest of England, you’ll get the joke.

David D. Levine

David D. Levine is the author of Andre Norton Nebula Award-winning novel Arabella of Mars, sequels Arabella and the Battle of Venus and Arabella the Traitor of Mars, and more than 50 science fiction and fantasy stories. His story “Tk’Tk’Tk” won the Hugo, and he has been shortlisted for awards including the Hugo, Nebula, Campbell, and Sturgeon. His stories have appeared in Asimov’s, Analog, Clarkesworld, F&SF, Tor.com, numerous year’s best anthologies, and his award-winning collection Space Magic.

Dawn Shaw

Dawn Shaw is the chair of BritCon.

DJ Wüdi

DJ Wüdi has been spinning tunes since the 1990s, from all-ages alternative clubs in Anchorage, Alaska, to pandemic-induced Twitch DJing. He is happy to come back for his third Norwescon appearance! He’s always very request friendly, and loves finding creative and unexpected ways to blend formats and keep the dance floor busy. Star Trek is his home fandom, and he has been volunteering with Norwescon in various roles for more than a decade.

dQ Kaufman

dQ Kaufman has been a regular at Norwescon since the mid-80s. He is a filmmaker and graphic designer who has worked for several game and entertainment companies you’ve heard of, doing creative and cool things you’ve benefited from. He has occasionally designed and typeset the Norwescon program book. He is a frequent participant in local 48-hour film contests. His recent project is a Birds of Prey fanseries you can find on youtube.com/ pulledprok. That’s right, prok.

Dr. Ricky

Dr. Ricky is the nom de plume of a working research scientist with a passion for science education outreach, and the science and impact of food on culture and evolution. He blogs at http:// sciencebasedcuisine.com and is active on Twitter at @drricky.

Dr. Sean Robinson

Data scientist and astrophysicist by training; nerd, gamer, and athlete by avocation. With 20 years in applied statistics and research, Sean helped pioneer autoencoder-driven generalized anomaly detection. He has been a tech lead and business analyst for pre-seed and early-stage startups across the artificial intelligence/machine learning sector. He is also a long-time LARPer and role-player.

Dr. Susan Langley

Susan Langley is the Maryland State underwater archaeologist. She teaches at colleges and universities, currently St. Mary’s College of Maryland. Her classes include underwater archaeology, the anthropology of pirates and piracy, and a fiber, textiles, and trade course. She taught maritime archaeology in Thailand for UNESCO, is a master SCUBA diver instructor, and lectures internationally for Abercrombie & Kent and Zegrahm Expeditions. She was the beekeeper for two governors.

[Artwork] Celtic Fox ©Victoria Shaffer

Elise Stephens

Elise Stephens credits much of her storytelling influence to a lifelong love of theater and childhood globetrotting. Her work explores themes of beauty within imperfection, and finding purpose after a great loss. Her short fiction has appeared in Analog, Galaxy’s Edge, and Escape Pod. Learn more at EliseStephens.com.

Elliott Kay

Like many Seattleites, Elliott is a transplant from Los Angeles. He took a swing at selfpublishing just for grins and soon found his books paying more bills than his day job. His work ranges from military sci-fi to steamy/comedic urban fantasy. Elliott’s Poor Man’s Fight series has hit the top of Amazon’s sci-fi charts.

Ellis Bray

Ellis Bray is a science fiction, fantasy, and horror author and poet who lives near Seattle and hates the recent addition of a Fire Season to the regular Winter/Spring/ Summer/Fall lineup. He has a master’s degree in Medieval Scandinavian studies, and if you don’t run away fast enough, he will tell you everything he knows about the Old Norse poem “Vǫluspá.” You can find his nonfiction at NewMyths.com and the Sci Phi Journal (under S.P. Hofrichter), and his poetry at Eye to the Telescope and F&SF.

Emily Leverett

Emily Leverett is an author, editor, professor, and scholar. She writes the Medieval paranormal romance series The Wolf and the Nun, and the contemporary fantasy series The Eisteddfod Chronicles. Emily co-edited several short story anthologies. She has created scholarship on Terry Pratchett, Neil Gaiman, and the Vegas Golden Knights. A professor of English, Emily teaches creative writing, Chaucer, and Shakespeare. She lives in North Carolina with her spouse and three cats, where they are all avid Carolina Hurricanes hockey fans.

[Artwork] Mission to Mars ©Bill Grader

Eric L Vargas

Eric L Vargas is a freelance comic artist and illustrator with seven years’ experience in the industry. Based out of Washington state, he is currently doing pencils, inks, world building, and mecha and character design for a series called “Steel Siege” for Battle Quest Comics. He does character and monster design for Rocket Cat Games.

Erica L. Satifka

Erica L. Satifka’s fiction has appeared in Clarkesworld, Interzone, Apex, and many other places. Her collection How to Get to Apocalypse and Other Disasters was named one of the best SF books of the year by the Washington Post, and is a finalist for the 2021 Endeavour Award.

Erin Wilcox

The work of Pushcart Prize nominee Erin Wilcox appears in journals, magazines, radio broadcasts, and collections such as Cirque, Short and Twisted, and Veil: Journal of Darker Musings. She writes a wide range of speculative fiction, including SF, fantasy for young readers, and horror for adults under the pen name Celeste Wakefield. As an editor she has worked with some of the finest talent of our day, including winners of the Hugo Award and Pulitzer Prize.

Ethan Vodde

Ethan Vodde is an intellectual property attorney with the law firm Lee & Hayes, PC. His practice focuses primarily on trademark and copyright protection, registration, enforcement, licensing, and litigation. While he’s got a lot of clients with SaaS, he likes working with pizzazz. Specifically, Ethan enjoys working with creatives. An avid gamer, reader, nerdpop, and should-be-pop culture fan, Ethan is always happy to talk about the intersection of geek and IP.

[Artwork] Bewcastle Vine #2 ©Belsac

Eva L. Elasigue

Eva L. Elasigue combines an honor-awarded imagination with scientific and empirical backgrounds to create the fantasy space opera trilogy Bones of Starlight, as well as works from poetic to humorous for internet and stage. She lives on San Juan Island, Washington state, in the Pacific Northwest Cascadia bioregion. There she manages Primal Spiral, her imprint/events collective/ studio. A mixed-media artist and Renaissance woman, she loves music and the wilderness.

Evan J. Peterson

Evan J. Peterson is an author, critic, game writer, and Clarion West alum. His latest book is Better Living Through Alchemy from Broken Eye Books. Recent work includes Drag Star! (Choice of Games), the world’s first drag role-playing game, and Metaflesh: Poems in the Voices of the Monster (ARUS Entertainment). His writing appears in Weird Tales, PseudoPod, Queers Destroy Horror, and Nightmare Magazine. Go to Evanjpeterson.com to learn more.

Frank Morin

Frank Morin is a storyteller and outdoor enthusiast. He is the author of fast-paced grab-you-by-the-eyeballs-and-don’t-let-go adventures, including The Petralist, an epic YA fantasy, The Facetakers, a fastaction fantasy, and Bacon Master of the Apocalypse, a humorous epic fantasy. He’s often found hiking, camping, scuba diving, or traveling to research new books. Find out more about his novels and his shorter fiction, or join his readers group at www.frankmorin.org.

Gabe (G.S.) Denning

Gabe (G.S.) Denning writes the Warlock Holmes series for Titan Books. Anybody who thinks Sherlock Holmes would be more fun with a side plate of demons and absurdity is set to be his new best friend. Gabe is a lifelong D&D geek, console and computer gamer, and improv theater dork. He’s written video game scripts for Nintendo and articles for Wizards of the Coast and has been a live performer at Disney World. Say hi and he’ll tell you all about it.

Gordon B. White

Gordon B. White is a Shirley Jackson Award-nominated author of horror and weird fiction. Based in Seattle, he is a Clarion West alum and the author of As Summer’s Mask Slips and Other Disruptions, Rookfield, and And in Her Smile, The World (with Rebecca J. Allred). Gordon’s stories, reviews, and interviews have appeared in dozens of venues, including The Best Horror of the Year, Volume 12. You can find him online at gordonbwhite.com or on Twitter @GordonBWhite.

Gordon Van Gelder

Gordon Van Gelder became the sixth editor of The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction in 1997. He held the position until 2015. Before that, he worked as an editor for St. Martin’s Press and for The New York Review of Science Fiction. He has edited several anthologies, including Welcome to the Greenhouse, Fourth Planet from the Sun, and, most recently, Go Forth and Multiply and Welcome to Dystopia. He lives in New Jersey.

GregRobin Smith

GregRobin is a performance artist. As Ben Franklin, he has performed at fundraisers across the U.S. As a musician, he performs with the group Celt Check, as well as solo works and collaborations at Renaissance Faires. With The Washington Shakespearean Festival (www.WaShakespeare.org) he helps produce books and other media, performs at Ren Faires, does podcasts, and more. With the group Scholars for Educational Advance (S.E.A.) he produces educational and public historical-themed events.

Heather S. Ransom

Heather is a middle school science, careers, and creative writing teacher; a pizza pub and cigar shop owner; a science fiction author of the awardwinning YA Going Green trilogy and multiple short stories which have been published in various anthologies; a director for the Southern Oregon Young Willamette Writers; and a believer in the magic of an incredible story.

Howard Davidson

Howard Davidson was captured by a Heinlein book in second grade and hasn’t been seen much since. Inspired to do science fiction by reading it, he went off and got a Ph.D. in physics, the best training available for becoming a crackpot inventor. He is currently a senior physicist in the computer industry. He gets to write science fiction for the annual budget cycle.

Ian Shaw

Ian Shaw is a retired electrical engineer and long-time old school AV nerd. When not paneling (or being paneled) you will find him handling the nuts-and-bolts audio-visual requirements in Norwescon’s panel rooms.

Ieva Ohaks

Ieva Ohaks’ background in theatrical costume includes construction and alteration of costume accessories, costume design, and design support roles. She gained her special expertise in costume maintenance, storage, and packing during her 23-year tenure as costume stock and rental coordinator at the Seattle Opera. Her current costume interests include designing specialized clothing for imaginary professions in fictional locations.

J Tullos Hennig

Talulah J. Sullivan has been a professional equestrian, a dancer, an actor, a teacher... and yet has never managed to not be a storyteller. Ever. Her novel Blood Indigo seeks to weave a tale basket in the proud example of her Choctaw and Chickasaw grandmothers. As J Tullos Hennig, she was awarded the Speculative Literature Foundation’s juried older writers grant, and wrote the awardwinning historical fantasy series The Books of the Wode, which reimagines Robin Hood as a queer, chaotic-neutral druid.

J.P. Barnett

J.P. Barnett is the author of the awardwinning Lorestalker series, a six-book collection of horror adventures examining folklore of mysterious creatures roaming our world, published by Evolved Publishing. As a life-long consumer of stories, J.P. was more than ready to move from writing software to novels when he published his first book in 2019. J.P. currently resides in Redmond with his partner and hellion of a cat, both of whom look at him dubiously with some frequency.

[Artwork] Bookworm ©Rebecca Scarborough

Jack Skillingstead

Jack Skillingstead’s stories have appeared in Asimov’s, Clarkesworld, F&SF, and Lightspeed, as well as various year’s best volumes and original anthologies. His first published story was a finalist for the Sturgeon Award. His second novel, Life on the Preservation, was a finalist for the Philip K. Dick Award. He lives in West Seattle with his wife, writer Nancy Kress.

Jake McKinzie

Jake McKinzie, a high school science teacher since 1999, currently teaches astronomy and chemistry and runs his high school’s philosophy club. His favorite authors are Moorcock, Feist, Niven, Bova, Howard, and deGrasse Tyson. A gamer since 1980, beginning with Car Wars and Red Box D&D, he is currently playing various Savage Worlds settings and D&D 5E. His daughter Cait is also a panelist on the teen and writing tracks. Traveling where his jeep, ShadowWalker, takes him is one of his favorite things.

Janet Borkowski

Janet Borkowski is a costumer, artist, tarot reader, and professional psychic. She has been a professional actress, retail salesperson, caregiver, nanny, and photographic stylist prepper for Ralph Lauren’s Polo for Kids. She knows more about suitcases than your average human should.

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Guest of Honor Art by: ©Grace P. Fong

[Artwork] Alina Starkov ©Grace P. Fong

[Artwork] City of Bridges ©Grace P. Fong

[Artwork] Silk and Steel ©Grace P. Fong

[Artwork] Six of Crows ©Grace P. Fong

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[Artwork] The Hunger Games ©Grace P. Fong

PROFESSIONAL PANELISTS & PERFORMERS (Cont.)

Jeff Sturgeon

Jeff is a Northwest artist known for his beautiful award-winning metal paintings. He is considered one of the top astronomical and science fiction artists working in the field today, with guest of honor appearances at exhibitions and conventions around the country. His newest works are highly sought after by collectors. Jeff paints primarily with acrylics on textured aluminum and over the years has had an impressive client list from book, music, and magazine publishers to NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Jeff was an art director and game designer in computer games for many years, most notably Electronic Arts, before turning to illustrating and painting full time. Jeff is working on the anthology The Last Cities of Earth, a world he created that is being brought to life by his paintings and stories written by many of the leading writers in science fiction.

Jennifer Brozek

Jennifer Brozek is a wordslinger and optimist, author, media tie-in writer, editor, and a collector of antique occult literature. She believes the best thing about being a full-time freelance publishing industry professional is that she gets to choose which 60 hours of the week she works. In-between cuddling her cats, writing, and editing, Jennifer is an active member of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Association, Horror Writers Association, and International Association of Media Tie-In Writers. She keeps a tight schedule and credits her husband with being the best sounding board ever.

Jenny Shafer

Jessie Kwak

Jessie Kwak has always lived in imaginary lands, from Arrakis and Ankh-Morpork to Earthsea, Tatooine, and now Portland, Oregon. When she’s not writing, she can be found sewing, mountain biking, or out exploring new worlds both at home and abroad. She is the author of a supernatural thriller, two series of space pirate and space mafia novels, and the productivity guides From Chaos to Creativity and From Big Idea to Book.

Jim Kling

Jim Kling is a science and medical writer. He has also published short fiction, and serves as the reader coordinator for the Endeavour Award.

Joseph Brassey

Joseph Brassey lives in the Pacific Northwest with his wife, children, and two cats. In his spare time, he trains in and teaches historical European martial arts. He has lived on both sides of the continental United States and has worked everywhere from a local newspaper to the frame shop of a crafts store to the smoke-belching interior of a house-siding factory with questionable safety policies.

Joseph Malik

Joseph Malik is the bestselling author of Dragon’s Trail and The New Magic. A veteran of Operation Enduring Freedom, he has worked as a stuntman, high-rise window washer, touring rock musician, and a soldier in the United States Special Operations Command. He is represented by Sarah Hershman of Hershman Rights Management, New York.

[Artwork] ForestPerch ©Katie Croonenberghs

[Artwork] Fishing ©Katie Croonenberghs

[Artwork] Things Are Going Well ©Ellis Bray

Julie McGalliard

Julie McGalliard is a writer and occasional cartoonist. Her most recent novel is Fighting the Moon, the second sequel to the werewolf coming-of-age novel Waking Up Naked in Strange Places. Her short stories have appeared in the magazine Talebones and in the anthologies Witches, Stitches & Bitches: A Three Little Words Anthology (Volume 1) and Space Grunts: Full-Throttle Space Tales #3. She lives in Seattle with her husband Paul, a fellow lover of books and New Orleans native.

Julie Zetterberg

Julie Zetterberg has been making and wearing costumes since 1975. She has appeared as everything from Princess Leia (at Norwescon 1) to Rocket Racoon; and from Olive Oyl to Queen Anne’s Lace. She has won major awards at multiple Costume-Cons and Worldcons. She was Costume GoH at Marcon 39 and Rustycon 33, and co-chair for Costume-Con 14. She is a twice-past president of the Beyond Reality Costumers’ Guild. She lives in Seattle with her husband, fellow costumer Greg Sardo, and their two cats.

K.G. Anderson

A journalist and technology writer, K.G. Anderson has interviewed Muddy Waters and Harlan Ellison, worked on the launch of the iTunes Music Store, and served on the boards of Clarion West Writers Workshop and the Northwest Folklife Festival. Her short fiction appears in magazines, anthologies, and podcasts including Galaxy’s Edge, The Overcast, Weirdbook, Welcome to Dystopia, and Alternative Deathiness. Find out more at writerway.com/fiction.

Kimberly Unger

Kimberly created her first videogame back when the 80-column card was the new hot thing. This turned her literary love of science fiction into a full-blown obsession with the intersection of technology and humanity. Today she spends her day job working for Meta in XR, lectures on the intersection of art and code, and writes science fiction about how all these app-driven superpowers are going to change the human race.

Kris “Pepper” Hambrick

Kris “Pepper” Hambrick has been in fandom since she discovered Prodigy message boards in 1994. She used to put on plays for her parents, always as Sherlock Holmes or Doctor Who. Now she is the co-founder/producer of Hello Earth Productions’ outdoor Star Trek and Star Wars series, so life has not changed much. Since moving to Seattle in 2005, she has been involved in libraries, laser shows, SIFF film classes, informal science education, and acting. In her “spare time” she does writing and cosplay

Larry Lewis

Larry Lewis is a cartoonist, illustrator, writer, and teacher whose degree is in architecture. He lives with his girlfriend and adoptive family near Tacoma, and his son is from Shoreline. Lately he has made 40+ autobiographical minicomics, and is working on much larger fantasy, sci -fi, and urban planning projects.

Leigh Harlen

Leigh Harlen is a queer, non-binary writer who lives and works in Seattle. Their nonwriting hobbies include petting strangers’ dogs and enthusing about how awesome bats are. Leigh is the author of the novella Queens of Noise and an illustrated horror collection, Blood Like Garnets. Their novellas A Feast for Flies and What Time Forgets, the Blood Remembers are forthcoming.

[Artwork] Sherlock Holmes ©Michael Kucharski

Luke Elliott

Luke Elliott’s fiction has appeared in Reckoning, Metamorphosis, and Buckman Journal, among other magazines and podcasts. He is the cohost of the Ink to Film podcast where he discusses books and their film adaptations from a writing craft perspective. He has a Master of Fine Arts in writing popular fiction from Seton Hill University, and is a graduate of the Viable Paradise writers workshop. His creative work spans science fiction, fantasy, and horror, but he goes wherever the inspiration takes him.

Maddy Vonhoff

Maddy Vonhoff is the co-founder of Foulplay Games, a women-owned murder mystery company based in the Pacific Northwest. Through Foulplay Games she helps geeks everywhere throw killer murder mystery parties.

Maquel A. Jacob

Maquel A. Jacob is an author of gendershift social science fiction with a bit of romance and a touch of gore. She originally hails from Chicago, Illinois, and resides in the Pacific Northwest. She has over 15 titles that span three different series, with short stories in various anthologies and magazines. She holds degrees in accounting and business administration, was the head of programming for OryCon 41 and 42, and was an instructor at the 2022 Cascade Writers Critique Workshop.

Marie Bilodeau

Marie Bilodeau is a French-Canadian author and storyteller who writes mostly in English because, as her family would say, she’s contrary. Her speculative fiction has won several awards and has been translated into Chinese and French (to her family’s delight, though they still believe her to be contrary). Marie is also a storyteller and has told stories (in both languages!) across Canada in theatres, tea shops, at festivals, and under disco balls. Find out more at mariebilodeau.com.

Marilyn Holt

Marilyn Holt is the current chairperson of the Endeavour Award. She was a founder of the current Clarion West, with J.T. Stewart, cheered on by Vonda N. McIntyre, who started the original in the 1970s. She has two mystery thriller novels written as M.J. Holt. She has published science fiction and fantasy short stories, as well as crime stories.

Mark Teppo

Mark Teppo is the author of more than a dozen novels, including The Potemkin Mosaic, Solitaire, and In the Mansion of Madness. He also teaches writing and living a creative life. When he’s not doing this, he’s running Underland Press, an independent genre publisher.

Marlow Weaver

Marlow is a long-time science fiction and fantasy fan, who has been going to conventions for over 40 years. She collects Star Wars toys, mainly female figures and the occasional Ewok, plus too many others to list them all. She is a longtime fan of Doctor Who and other British television shows. Historical mysteries are of special interest. Marlow has been a panelist at Anglicon, Britcon, and Norwescon. She manages the club table for Britcon at various other conventions in the local area, including Norwescon. Come by and say hello.

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PROFESSIONAL PANELISTS & PERFORMERS (Cont.)

Marta Murvosh

Marta is a teen librarian and writer living in the Pacific Northwest. She grew up watching Star Trek reruns and lunar landings. She loves pulp fiction with gnarly apocalypses and hard-boiled mysteries. Prior to becoming a librarian, she was an award-winning newspaper reporter and continues to write for national trade magazines. She will talk anywhere, anytime about books, writing craft, research skills, digital literacy, and digital citizenship. Find her at murvosh.weebly.com.

Melissa Quinn

Melissa Quinn’s life took a sharp turn when she discovered costuming at her first sci-fi convention. She opened Faerie Fingers Custom Costumes & Event Apparel in Seattle, where she has spent the last 20 years creating costumes and unique event attire for clients around the country. Her current pursuits include cosplaying with her daughter and launching her YouTube channel, Faerie Fingers.

Mermaid Merlissa

Melissa “Merlissa” Thomas, also known online as “Little Orca,” has been part of the mermaid community since 2008, when she got her first monofin and made her first tail. Since then, she has made many more tails and acquired a silicone tail made by Merbella Studios. She has volunteered at various fantasy-themed events and served as inspiration for other merfolk to achieve their dreams regardless of body type and society’s pressure to look a certain way.

Mermaid Undine

Tam Songdog, aka the mermaid Undine (among other recurring characters), is a professional entertainer, sound effects and props fabricator, haunter, and circus arts performer. She has almost 20 years in the entertainment industry and considers herself to be a true “Ghoul Friday.” She is a strong advocate for body positivity, sex positivity, and chronic illness awareness. Part of her life mission is to reignite the magic we experience in the world for not only a better future, but a better now.

Mermaid Ylluria

Yl’luria has been flipping her fins and making darkly sparkly magic both above and below the waves at festivals, cons, parades, and other events as a professional mermaid for the past eight years. She’s a Mermaid at Any Age ocean ambassador, a certified level 1 NAUI mermaid, a level 2 Portland Parks & Recreation swim instructor, an artist, singer, bellydancer, and content creator, and a fantasy, horror, and makeup fan. In all she does, her goal is to uplift, educate, and entertain, while inspiring EVERYbody to live their dreams.

Michael “Tinker” Pearce

Michael “Tinker” Pearce lives in Seattle with his wife Linda. He is a well-known sword maker, author of The Medieval Sword in the Modern World, and coauthor of The Shield Maiden, Tyr’s Hammer, Diaries of a Dwarven Rifleman, its sequel Lord of the North, and Rage of Angels. He is a student of historic European martial arts and has worked as a fight choreographer and consultant. He also writes a popular firearms hobbyist blog, Tinker Talks Guns.

Michael Ormes

Michael has a diverse and dynamic set of interests limited (largely) by time and focused (somewhat) by current projects. An avid reader of science fiction since finding the genre in his high school library, he learned to pace himself after running out of readily available SF novels later that same year. Normally describing himself as a computer programmer, a full account of his career would include four continents and involve most aspects of the software industry, with various side trips into other areas.

[Artwork] Jeremy Brett Violin ©Michael Kucharski

[Artwork] The Watcher ©Brittany Torres

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PROFESSIONAL PANELISTS & PERFORMERS (Cont.)

Mikko Azul

Mikko has always pursued knowledge of magic, secret societies, the occult, science, and spirituality. As an adult, Mikko’s tastes broadened to include historical fiction and action-adventure. These influences can be found in her epic fantasy novels. Mikko’s debut novel Askari won a Moonbeam Children’s Book Award and took first place at the San Francisco Writer’s Conference. Her novel The Staff of Fire and Bone was released in 2018, and its sequel, The Rod of Wind and Iron, was released in 2020. She lives on the shores of Puget Sound with the love of her life.

Mimi Noyes

Convinced as a child that she was left on this planet by aliens and taken in by a kind lady who became her mother, Mimi has always been a bit weird. Drawn to the fantastic and the strange, she has “grown up” to be an artist, muralist, monster-maker, convention runner, and film critic, among other random careers. Mimi is currently obsessed with anime, creating games, and reading fanfiction. She spends an inordinate amount of time being silly and adding sound effects to everyday life.

Monte Lin

While being rained on near Portland, Oregon, Monte Lin writes, edits, and plays tabletop role-playing games. He is managing editor for Uncanny Magazine and staff editor for Angry Hamster Publishing. Clarion West got him to write about dying universes, dreaming mountains, and singularities made of anxieties. He can be found tweeting Doctor Who news, Asian American diaspora discourse, and his board game losses at @Monte_Lin.

Nancy Kress

Nancy Kress is the author of 35 books, most recently Sea Change (Tachyon, 2020) and The Eleventh Gate (Baen, 2020). Her work has won six Nebulas, two Hugos, a Sturgeon, and the John W. Campbell Memorial Award. She is best known for her stories about the Sleepless, people genetically engineered to not need sleep, as well as other fiction featuring genetic engineering. Nancy frequently teaches writing at various venues, including numerous Clarions, summer writing workshops, an intensive workshop in Beijing, and a semester as a visiting professor at the University of Leipzig in Germany. She lives in Seattle with her husband, SF writer Jack Skillingstead, and Pippin, a lethally cute chihuahua.

Nick Fraser

Nick is a librarian, traveler, reader, and film buff. He is the co-programmer and co -host for Seattle Movie Geeks.

Nisi Shawl

Nisi Shawl is the multiple award-winning author and editor of over a dozen books of speculative fiction and related nonfiction, including the Nebula Award finalist novel Everfair, two volumes of the New Suns anthology series, and the collection Filter House, co-winner of the 2008 Otherwise Award. They’ve taught and spoken at Duke University, Sarah Lawrence, and many other institutions. Recent titles include the horror collection Our Fruiting Bodies and the middle-grade fantasy Speculation.

[Artwork] Mandala Moon ©Victoria Shaffer

Patrick Swenson

Patrick Swenson runs Fairwood Press, a book line that began in 2000. A graduate of Clarion West, his first novel The Ultra Thin Man appeared from Tor. His novel Rain Music came out in late 2021. He has sold stories to the anthologies Unbound II, Crooked V.2, Unfettered III, Gunfight at Europa Station A, Seasons Between Us, Like Water for Quarks, and a number of science fiction magazines. He runs the Rainforest Writers Village at Lake Quinault, Washington.

Paul Pedersen

Paul Pedersen is with NorthWest ShieldWall, who are Viking reenactors and educators. Their quest is to share their knowledge and passion for the ancient Viking world.

Rachel Swirsky

Rachel Swirsky lives in rainy Portland, Oregon, where she writes short stories. Her work has appeared in venues such as Tor.com and Clarkesworld Magazine, been nominated for the Hugo and World Fantasy Awards, and twice won the Nebula Award. She holds a Master of Fine Arts degree from the Iowa Writers Workshop. Her 2022 Tor.com novella, January Fifteenth is a nominee for this year’s Philip K. Dick Award.

Randy Henderson

Randy Henderson is the author of the quirky Finn Fancy urban fantasy trilogy from Tor and member of the Dungeon Scrawlers D&D live-play show. He’s also a Writers of the Future grand prize winner, Clarion West grad, and relapsed sarcasm addict. Don’t hesitate to say hi or ask questions, he’s happy to chat and be of help where he can. Web: www.randy-henderson.com. Facebook: / randyhenderson. Twitter/Mastodon/ Instagram: @randyauthor .

Rebecca A. Demarest

Rebecca A. Demarest is an awardwinning author, book designer, and writing coach living in Seattle, Washington with her two Muppets and her husband. When not obsessing over words, you can find her tending her indoor jungle, enjoying the outdoors, or being crafty.

Remy Nakamura

Remy is a writer of dark and weird fiction. You can find his stories in Escape Pod, Pseudopod, and several anthologies. He works in the funeral industry, is a student in a genre writing master’s program, and is a graduate of the Clarion West Writers Workshop. He currently serves on the Science Fiction & Fantasy Writers Association (SFWA) Board as a director at large. He lives in Portland, Oregon with his partner and their celebrity cat, and spends his free time getting cold, wet, and muddy.

Rhiannon/R.Z. Held

Rhiannon Held is the author of the Silver series of urban fantasy novels published by Tor. As R.Z. Held, she writes the Amsterdam Institute series of space opera novellas. Her short fiction, also under R.Z. Held, has most recently appeared in Beneath Ceaseless Skies. She lives near Seattle, where she works as an archaeologist and technical editor for an environmental compliance firm.

Richard Stephens

Richard Stephens works as an actor, director, and costume designer. During 30+ years in fandom, his costume journey has gone from media recreation to fashion anthropology. Recent design credits include Fortinbras, Gaslight, and Miss Bennet - Christmas at Pemberley, which he also directed. In the spring he will be directing and designing Medea for Peninsula College.

Ryan K. Johnson

Ryan K. Johnson is an independent camera operator and video editor living in Seattle who has also produced two dozen shorts ranging from parodies to thrillers. He has shot every year of the Hellbender Filmmaking Workshop, as well as three feature-length films. His work has been shown on the BBC, TLC, and at the Seattle International Film Festival. He’s married to Kate Waterous.

Sam Stark

Sam Stark is a queer author and audiobook narrator living in Everett, Washington, about 20 minutes north of Seattle. They’re a parent, spouse, former army vehicle operator, and foodie. They definitely play too many video games, watch too many horror movies, and believe there are not enough BBQ potato chips in the world.

Sar Surmick

Sar is a nonbinary trans fem therapy professor and marriage and family therapist/supervisor specializing in identity, systems work, and consent. As a therapist, Sar focuses on non-monogamy, sex and gender, trans, and BDSM/kink. Sar is the former director of the Consent Academy, author of The Consent Primer, and a consultant, sexpositive educator, and organizer. In what little downtime remains, Sar is an author, gamer, GM, world builder, and seeker of interesting people.

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PROFESSIONAL PANELISTS & PERFORMERS (Cont.)

[Artwork] Siren Shield ©Rebecca Scarborough

Scott James Magner

Scott James Magner is an author, game designer, editor, and developer. His work has appeared in games such as Dungeons & Dragons, TERA Online, Kritika Online, Closers, AEON, and Lineage II. He spends his days twisting and tuning new worlds, and is always looking for something new to learn.

Seth Tufteland

Seth Tufteland (Olaf) is the Jarl of Hrafngardr Vikings in Bothell, Washington. He is also an elder in the Northwest Viking Alliance. Jarl Olaf is the current lawspeaker for the Northwest Viking Alliance.

Shaylee “Davros” Bell

Shaylee is well-known in the Seattle area as the driver of two different Daleks since 2013. A former resident of the United Kingdom, Shaylee moved to the Seattle area in 2009, and has been a regular convention attendee since 2011. Shaylee has a background in engineering, and various hobbies that include gaming and model railroading.

Sheye Anne Blaze

Sheye Anne Blaze grew up reading Zelazny and Piers Anthony books that were left about by her uncle. She is a gadgety, geeky, queer, kinky, fat, polyamorous activist-type of Native (Lakota ). She has a passion for civil liberties for everyone. She lives in Denver, Colorado with her husband, two children, every Heroscape piece ever made, more than 15,000 Magic cards, The Box of Many Munchkins, hundreds of video games, and more computers than humans.

Shiv Ramdas

Shiv Ramdas is an Indian writer of science fiction, fantasy, horror, and humor. His short fiction has appeared in publications like Strange Horizons, Slate, Lightspeed, and others, and has been nominated for the Nebula, Hugo, and Ignyte Awards. He currently lives and works in Seattle with his spouse, three cats, and two highly demanding trees. You can find out more about him at https://shivramdas.net/ or find him tweeting as @nameshiv.

Shweta Adhyam

Shweta belongs to Madras, Seattle, and speculative fiction. She speaks five languages, has had four careers, is three layers of immigrant, calls two cities home, and believes escapism is of the first importance. She is frenemies with ADHD, knows far more about Hindu mythology than is good for her, and attended Clarion West in 2017. She lives with her spouse and child and can be found online at www.shweta-adhyam.com, on Twitter as @shweta_adhyam, and Mastodon as @shweta@mastodon.social

Sonja Thomas

Sonja Thomas writes stories for readers of all ages. Sir Fig Newton and the Science of Persistence is her debut middle grade novel. Her next book is scheduled for release in spring 2024, and she’s a contributing author for Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls: 100 Real-Life Tales of Black Girl Magic. Raised in Central Florida and a Washington, D.C. transplant for 11 years, she’s now “keeping it weird” in the Pacific Northwest. Visit her at www.bysonjathomas.com or @bysonjathomas on Twitter and Instagram.

Sven Red Beard

Sven Red Beard is a retired Boeing worker with interests in the history of flight. He has also been an active member of the Society for Creative Anachronism (SCA) for over 30 years. He is a past baron of Blatha An Oir and a member of the Order of the Laurel, with his area of study being Viking Age and Pre-Viking Age history and culture. Blacksmithing and armormaking are among his hobbies.

Teresa Drag

T. Drag grew up in Maine and attended college and worked in Washington, D.C. before going the U.S. Marine Corps. She retired after 20 full years, having served all around the globe. She found time to get her pilot’s license and participate in Renaissance festivals as a squire to several jousting knights. T. Drag has kept busy after retiring from the military. Some of her pursuits include editing books, studying martial arts, and quilting.

Theresa Halbert

Theresa Halbert is a textile artist with a focus on costumes, art quilts, and art bags. She has worked professionally in Chicago and Los Angeles theaters for over 20 years and received her Master of Fine Arts degree from the University of Southern California. She has received awards at Worldcon and Norwescon for her costumes, and at Norwescon, OryCon, and other shows for her artwork.

R. Thursday

R. Thursday (they/them) is a writer, educator, historian, and all-around nerd. When not subverting Middle School Language Arts and Social Studies curricula, they can be found watching cartoons, playing video games, reading, or writing about vampires, mutants, queerness, space wizards, and sometimes, all of the above. Their poetry and short fiction have been featured in numerous journals and they’ve been wandering the halls of Norwescon since they could toddle.

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PROFESSIONAL PANELISTS & PERFORMERS (Cont.)

[Artwork] Dr. Manhattan ©Victoria Shaffer

Tom Whitmore

Tom Whitmore was one of the founders of The Other Change of Hobbit bookstore in Berkeley in 1977, has been a Locus reviewer for decades, and co-chaired the Worldcon in 2002. He lives in Seattle with his partner K.G. Anderson, several cats, many thousands of books, and a wealth of stories. Ask him about data analysis, The Book of the Law, his collection of etchings, or odd books. He is currently a licensed massage therapist as well.

Torrey Stenmark

Torrey Stenmark is an award-winning costumer and a college chemistry instructor. The same skillset that earned her a master’s degree in organic chemistry (attention to detail, record keeping, delicate physical coordination, and refusal to be intimidated by new problems) enabled her to compete and win in the master’s division of several costume contests on the local and national scale. She now teaches at Shoreline Community College.

Tracy Furutani

A physics instructor at North Seattle College for years and years, Tracy now spends his time grading while watching Gravity Falls reruns.

Tyrean Martinson

Tyrean Martinson is a word hunter and English language arts tutor and coach for students ages 12 to 92. She lives and writes on the Washington state peninsula, enjoys a full family life, and likes to daydream about life in rocket boots or flying on griffins. She is the author of a fantasy trilogy, a fantasy serialization, and a science fiction novella series for young adult readers, and also writes poems, short stories, and nonfiction for all ages.

V Whitlock

Victoria has spoken around the world on topics of privacy, computer security, and women’s history. She has written and contributed to over 13 books on highly technical topics involving Oracle. Victoria loves learning and sharing and is now working on a pairing blog for food and wine.

[Artwork] Nostoc BGA 300 ©JeM Z Art

Vandy H. Hall

Vandy is a multimedia artist and glassblower who makes functional and decorative art with the goal of bringing magic and beauty into people’s everyday lives. When not making art, Vandy enjoys travel, the outdoors, waterfalls, storms, spinning, historical reenactment, juggling, rock climbing, caving, canyoneering, and circus arts. Vandy lives on a small farm near Portland, Oregon with her boyfriend Chris, several cats, cashmere goats, and a flock of chickens.

William C. Tracy

William C. Tracy writes and publishes queer SF/F through his indie press Space Wizard Science Fantasy, open to submissions (spacewizardsciencefantasy.com). He is an North Carolina writer with a master’s degree in mechanical engineering who has designed and operated heavy construction machinery. He is a practitioner of Wado-Ryu karate, gamer, reader, writer, and cosplayer. William has written about musicbased magic, seasonal fruit-based magic, and hard sci-fi with generational ships and a sentient fungus.

Wm Salt Hale

Salt is a Seattle local involved with a wide variety of Free/Libre/Open (FLO) communities. He attended graduate school at the University of Washington, studying the intersection of communication, computer science, and law. Salt participates, organizes, and speaks worldwide at various conferences, conventions, events, festivals, and faires. He tries to be very approachable and will always be found wearing a kilt.

Xander Odell

Xander lives in Washington state with his/ their husband and sons. His/their work has appeared in such venues as Jim Baen’s Universe, Daily Science Fiction, Galaxy’s Edge, Crossed Genres, Pseudpod, Cast of Wonders, and Podcastle. His/their short story collection, Godfall & Other Stories, was released by Hydra House Books in 2018.

Zamesta Cosplay

Zamesta Cosplay is an Army veteran who uses her cosplay to combat her MST PTSD symptoms. Her favorite thing about making costumes is getting to incorporate her mobility aids as props!

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August 18-20, 2023

Bellevue Hilton

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[Artwork] Nott, Goddess of Night ©Brittany Torres

[Artwork] The Lady of Shalott ©Brittany Torres

MEMORIALS

We will missing these attending professionals who were at Norwescon 44.

Greg Bear

August 20, 1951 - November 19, 2022

Greg Bear did more for science fiction, fantasy, and comics fandom than any of us can know. This tribute can touch on only a few aspects of what he’s left us: investigate any of them, and you’ll discover more riches. He was a prolific, award-winning writer. If you want to start reading his novels, try Blood Music (his Nebula winner), Eon, or one of his fantasies. He was an artist, the only science fiction writer I know of to do covers for several of his own books. As one-third of the Killer Bs, with Greg Benford and David Brin, Greg was an educator, a passionate advocate for science, and an engaging public speaker. He was a film buff and treasured his memories of meeting Ray Harryhausen, Chuck Jones, and other greats of the field.

Greg brought all of this to Norwescon whenever he attended. He brought his personality. Greg was approachable. He liked people, and he liked finding out who he was talking to. You didn’t need to be famous to talk with Greg about anything—just knowledgeable. He’d make sure you had enough time to talk; he wasn’t interested in hogging the conversation. What made his life full was learning. He was always in discovery mode, looking for another new tidbit to help expand his world. If you could give that to him, he wanted it. His world was very large and complex, so there was plenty of room to grow.

The last novel published before he died was The Unfinished Land. That’s a description of Greg: he was always growing, always polishing, always becoming. When we were around him, he brought us along, using us to polish him and polishing us right back. He was kind, insightful, and dedicated. The best we can do to honor his memory is to talk with one another, and expand who we are. If you knew Greg, talk with someone who you don’t know this weekend and ask if that person knew him. If they did, you can have some great reminiscences; if they didn’t, you can tell some stories. Greg loved stories, and would love for you to share them. —By Tom Whitmore

Dr. Dana Andrews

Died January 10, 2022

Dana Andrews served for many years as an attending professional at Norwescon in the science track. He worked in aerospace for more than 45 years, including 33 years for Boeing, 10 years for Andrews Space, Inc., and three years teaching at the University of Washington. His 2020 book Chasing the Dream provided an insider’s view and critique of the development of the U.S. space program over 50 years. Dana designed commercial airplanes, military aircraft, missiles, spacecraft, and the current space station modules. His areas of expertise were space systems design, orbital mechanics, safety, and advanced propulsion.

Bruce Taylor

May 28, 1947—August 31, 2022

Bruce Taylor was the one at Norwescon wearing the white suit and top hat. He was called Mr. Magic Realism for the style of magic in his hundreds of stories and two novels. He was president of the Seattle Writers Association from 20012004.

MORE MEMORIALS 2022 - 2023

We remember significant figures in our genre and Pacific Northwest fandom who have left us since the last time we were together. Some biographical information taken from Wikipedia.

"To live in hearts we leave behind, is not to die.”

Alexei Panshin

August 14, 1940—August 21, 2022

Alexei Panshin wrote; he wrote science fiction, he wrote about science fiction, and he wrote about science fiction writers. He was nominated twice for the Hugo Award for best fan writer, and won a Nebula Award for his novel Rite of Passage. With his wife Cory he won the 1990 Hugo Award for best non-fiction book for The World Beyond the Hill: Science Fiction and the Quest for Transcendence.

Aline Kominsky-Crumb

August 1, 1948—November 29, 2022

Aline Kominsky-Crumb was one of the first women to write and draw underground comics. She contributed to Wimmin’s Comix, co-founded Twisted Sisters, and collaborated with her husband, Robert Crumb, on Dirty Laundry.

Bryan Barrett

August 11, 1957—June 21, 2022

Bryan was a book dealer from the late 1970s until early this century. He chaired Bouchercon 16, cochaired Bouchercon 28, chaired the 1991 and 2022 Left Coast Crime Cons, and co-chaired the World Fantasy Convention in 1998. Bryan was a bird breeder and ceramic artist.

Daniel P. Lynge

January 27, 1974—October 29, 2022

Daniel was well known at Norwescon. He was considered one of the gentle giants of the parties for many years. When Norwescon asked him to be the liaison between the convention, the hotel, and the parties, naturally he accepted and served that role for a couple of years. Dan was also a science professional at Norwescon. He developed a formula and process for Aerogels that he was able to create in his own home lab. He could be found discussing a variety of real science and science fiction topics during the day at the con.

In later years, Dan was a member of the security team. Patrolling the hotel and helping the dispatch team were some of the ways Dan served the convention. Since his roommates and his son were part of the team, he wanted to do his part.

Dan passed on October 29, 2022, two days after his silver anniversary with his wife Tanya.

[Artwork] I Would Give You The Moon and The Stars ©Sherry Kirk

[Artwork] Dragon Dreams ©Sherry Kirk

David Warner

July 29, 1941—July 24, 2022

David Warner was a British actor seen in many movies, television shows, games, and audio dramas.

A recognizable face on TV and film, the Emmy-winning actor’s career spans back to the 1960s with memorable roles in films including The Omen, Time After Time, Time Bandits, Tron, A Christmas Carol, Titanic, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ooze, and the 1984 television movie Frankenstein.

Star Trek fans will remember Warner in a number of roles starting with Federation representative St. John Talbot in Star Trek V: The Final Frontier (1989), Klingon Chancellor Gorkon in Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country (1991), and in 1992, he appeared as the Gul Madred, the Cardassian who tortured Picard, in the Star Trek: The Next Generation two-parter “Chain of Command.”

He was a regular actor of Big Finish Productions' Doctor Who audio adventures. At one point, 1980s Doctor Who writers Pip and Jane Baker recommended him for the role of the Seventh Doctor.

Eric Flint

February 6, 1947—July 17, 2022

Eric Flint wrote a lot of books, including many that changed people’s lives. That is because he coauthored with many, many people; some established authors, but a lot of them who had never written a novel before. He created a universe with his novel 1632 that spawned a growing number of books written by other authors, and hundreds of stories published in The Grantville Gazette, a fan fiction e-magazine, and set of anthologies.

His work spans time, mostly alternative timelines, often with magic and humor.

Michael Montoure

December 1, 1970—December 19, 2022

Michael was an active fan and pro known for horror writing, an artist, author, Whovian, and all-around nerd. He was active in Star Trek fandom, being a member of the Klingon Diplomatic Corps, and the local Terran Empire. Michael was a major force in Merchants of Deva.

Nichelle Nichols

December 28, 1932—July 30, 2022

Nichelle Nichols was an American actress, singer, dancer, and best known for her portrayal of Nyota Uhura in Star Trek (1966-1969) and its film sequels. Later, she volunteered her time to promote NASA programs, and to recruit diverse astronauts, including women and ethnic minorities.

On Star Trek, Nichols was one of the first African American women featured in a major television series. Her prominent supporting role as a bridge officer was unprecedented. Nichols was once tempted to leave the series; however, a conversation with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. changed her mind.

Tom Maddox

Oct 1945 - October 18, 2022

Tom Maddox was a science fiction author with one novel and several short stories, well known for his collaborations with William Gibson, with whom he authored two episodes of The X-Files. He attended The Evergreen State College, graduating in 1975, and earned his Ph.D. at American University, later teaching literature at Evergreen.

[Artwork] To Boldly Go ©Ellis Bray

[Artwork] Nuada ©Michael Kucharski

ARTISTS - 2023

Agathon McGeachy
Alan M. Clark
Andy Vanoverberghe
Arkham Bazaar
Asstarte
Aubrey Elise Snellings
Belsac
Betsy Mott
Braden Duncan
Brittany Torres
Cait Mckinzie
Charlene Hamilton
Christy Grandjean
DragonPAWs
Elizabeth Fellows
Ellis Bray
Grace P. Fong
Jeff Sturgeon
JeM YinJoy
John R. Gray III
Katie Croonenberghs
Kayla Klassy
Keith Waters
Kurt Cagle
L. Pierce Ludke
LA Wilson
Laura Cameron
Lisa Snellings
Lizzy D.
Lynne Taylor Fahnestalk
Marjorie Stratton
Master of Space and Time
Meredith Dillman
Michael Brugger
Michael Kucharski
Mike Rerick
my treehouse studio
Nisnow Studios
Peri Charlifu
Raven Oak
Rebecca Scarborough
Rob Carlos
R.R. Meisler
Sandra SanTara
Sarah Clemens
Shaughnesey
Shellay Lynne Maughan
Sidhefire Arts
Tarot of Brass and Steam
The Creeping Moon
Theresa Halbert
Theresa Mather
Tricia Diaz
Vandy Hall
Victoria Shaffer

DEALERS - 2023

1985 Games
Arkham Bazaar
Art by Erika Rae Heins
Authors 4 Authors Publishing
B Cubed Press
Blue Heron Games
Brio and Brandish
Cargo Cult Books
Celtic Moonlighting, LLC
D and D Chain Maille Creations Dragon’s Hoard Games
DragonStorm Sports
Dropping Needles Embroidery
Elizabeth Guizzetti- Author & Illustrator
Firebird Creative / Underland Press
Firefox Fashions (The Fur Connection)
Forest Path Books
Frank Morin
Friday Afternoon Tea
Geek Girl Stuff
Gretchen S.B.
Jennifer Brozek Productions
Lost Heart Leather
Matt Dinniman
Miranda Levi
Monkey House Studio
Nemesis Gear
Not a Pipe Publishing
Optimystical Studios
Pegasus Publishing
PM Press
Practically Perfect Pillows
Robin Jeffrey Author
SewCherie
Simply Passe’ Mardi Gras Masks
Sinister Metalworks
Six String Games LLC
Skydragons
Space Wizard Science Fantasy
Springtime Creations
Studio Foglio
TANSTAAFL Press
The OddPetz Emporium
The Peculiar Magpie

NORWESCON 45 ORGANIZERS

Chair SunnyJim Morgan
Charitable Giving Assistant Phillip Buff
Elections Myke Gephardt
Historian Michael Citrak
Timeline Kyle Hall

Vice Chair Rob Stewart
Hotel Liaison Pat Booze
GOH Selection Thom Walls
GOH Selection Richard Stephens

Secretary Jenn Baker
Secretary Second Caryn Meyer

Business Tim Ketron
Auditors Mike Orosz, Eric Weber, Mary Parker, Kevin Black,
Purchasing Agent Cherie Playter
Purchasing Runner Caryn Meyer

Treasurer Shawna Batty

Member Services Michelle Morrell
Member Services Second Alex Demboski
Registration Manager John Demboski
Reg. Services Staff Jessica Akins, Carla Viltz
Art Show Manager Doug Booze
Print Shop Staff Laura Penty
Lead Cashier Jean Carlos
Art Show Cashier Lori Burtis (Shaughnessy)
Art Show Staff Mary Parker, Mike Orosz, Caroline Westra, Sally Woehrle, Bill Cochell, Jr.
Information Table Manager Alex Dembowski
Info Table Staff Tina Anderson
Club Tables Jerry Johnson
Dealers' Room Manager Amy Gembala
Dealers' Rm 2nd Lea Rush
Accessibility Team Lead Loree Parker

[Artwork] Celluloseto Ethanol 300 ©JeM Z Art

[Artwork] PCB Degrading Community 300 ©JeM Z Art

Publications Katrina Marier
Newsletter Staff Writer Mike Brennan
Daily Zine Editor Scotty Summers
Daily Zine Assist. Minion Sterling Summers
Graphic Designer Caitlyn McKinzie
Souvenir Book Designer Shelley George
Pocket Program Editor Cheryl Dyson
Photography Team Lead Thom Walls
Photographers Patrick White, Lennyx
Lead Editor Kevin Black
Editors Carla Moore, Emily Teng, Anne Cagel, Mark Sebring, Max, Katie Waterous
Web Team Lead/Webmaster Michael Hanscom
Social Media Assistant Alex Demboski
Signage Tabby L Rose
Guidebook Asst. Kurt Cagle

Convention Services Keith Jewell
A/V Tech & Facilities
A/V Services Manager Ian Shaw
A/V Services Tech Dawn Shaw
Layouts Designer Michael Citrak
Hotel Layouts Assistant Caryn Meyer
Logistics (Transportation) Manager Yvonne Pawtowski
Logistics Staff Eric Pawtowski, Daniel Pawtowski
Main Stage Manager Alan Bond
Audio Lead Alex Kiwerski
Grip Nels Satterlund
Tech Dawn Shaw
Safety
Radio Operator Mir Plemmons
Safety Ambassador Grey Wolfe

It’s the little things…

[Artwork] Dolphin Rider 300 ©JeM Z Art

Programming Adrienne Loska
Programming Assistant Bernie Strub
Autograph Sessions Coordinator Autumn Santercier
Guest of Honor Liaison Marilyn Mauer
Pro Check-in Staff Meghan Lancaster, Crystal Lloyd, Marilyn Mauer
Programming Service Marilyn Mauer, Crystal Lloyd
Hands-On Workshops Assistant Autumn Santercier

Personnel Jeanine Swanson
Job Descriptions Admin Purple Pearl Young
Year Round Engagement
Book Club Kevin Black
Book Club 2nd Caryn Meyer
Gaming Meetups Rob Stewart
Geek Garage Sale & SF/F Swap Meet Cate Siguenza
Camping Trip Sunny Jim Morgan
LAW (listen assure walk) Jeanine Swanson
DEI Training Rebecca Demarest
Convention Lounge Hosts Lead Michael Pinnick
Teen Runners Advisor Myke Gepharde
Cloakoom Host Lead Tory Poling
Cloakroom Hosts Donna Poling, Daniel Campbell, James Akins Zillman

Special Events Peggy Stewart
Opening Ceremonies Lydia Valentine
Lazer Tag Lead Scott Perrin
Lazer Tag Assistant Elizabeth Fellows
Nerf Lead Steven Hasenbuhler
Nerf Herders Donna Strain, James Adkins-Zillman
Dance DJ's DJ Wüdi, DJ Equus, mc300baud
Masquerade Director Bri Orsborn
Masquerade Head Ninja Nels Satterlund
PK Dick Awards Producer Michael Hanscom
PK Dick Awards Second William Sadorus
Artemis Coordinator Mark Alexander
Single Pattern Contest Meghan Lancaster
Game Shows Dave O'Neill
Speculative Film Festival Producer Shawn Marier
Film Festival Judges Peggy Stewart, Marie Jackson, Abie Ekenezar, Kin Ferate, Willlow Clark, Alan Bond

[Artwork] Glass Eaters 300 ©JeM Z Art

[Artwork] Dreamer Final ©Jeff Sturgeon

Norwescon acknowledges that we conduct our meetings and hold our annual convention on the traditional land of the Salish and Coastal Salish peoples, including the Duwamish People - the first peoples of what is now called Washington State. We honor with gratitude the land itself and the Duwamish Tribe: past, present, and future. This acknowledgment does not take the place of authentic relationships with indigenous communities but serves as a first step in honoring the land we are on.

NORWESCON STAFF-CONCOM 2022-2023

[Photo] 2023 Norwescon ConCom by Thom Walls

Standing (from the left): Tim Ketron, Jeff Cornish, John Demboski, Salt Hale, Keith Jewell, Julie Demboski, Michael Hanscom Shawn Marier, Steve Hasenbuhler, Jenn Baker, Make McKindle, Michelle Morrell, Ian Shaw, Pat Booze, Doug Booze, Alex Demboski

Seated (from the left): Elizabeth Fellows, Shawna Beatty, William Sadorus, SunnyJim Morgan, Kevin Black, Bond, Daniel Pawtowski, Meghan Lancaster, Yvonne Pawtowski, Eric Pawtowski, Laura Penny, Maureen LaCoss, Jeff LaCoss, Kat Marier, Tina Anderson, Caitlyn McKinzie

[Screenshot]

ZOOM CHAT (from top, left to right): Thom Walls, Rebecca Panzer, Kyle Hall, Sam Stark, Adrienne, Michael Citrak, Jeri Lynn Cornish, Rob Stewart, Lea Rush, Mark & Cas (Artemis), Jeffrey Cornish, Bill Boyde, Peggy Stewart, Bernie Strub, Jerry Johnson, Shelley George, Loree Parker, Don Glover.

CHARITABLE GIVING

Charitable giving is part of Norwescon’s identity and history. Our mission statement is:

To promote science fiction, fantasy, horror, related fictional genres, and science through the written word, art, and educational programs, such as the holding of a yearly convention where the public is provided with the opportunity to hear noted writers, scientists, and educators speak on various aspects of the fields of science fiction, fantasy, and science, and to participate in discussions, displays, and lectures involving these fields.

Norwescon believes that its mission is to provide to the public the opportunity to be educated on the latest trends in science fiction, fantasy, horror, and science, as science fiction in many cases becomes the science of the future. As one of the many consequences of doing this, Norwescon will uplift marginalized voices in our community and work to advance a more equitable, just society.

To further our mission, your membership dollars help us fund a scholarship to the Clarion West workshop—a prestigious, six-week intensive workshop for emerging writers. Clarion's students are given the opportunity to make intimate connections among a close-knit community of peers and hone their writing skills in a challenging and supportive environment. They are joined each week by a different instructor who is a highly regarded author or editor, who offers their unique perspective on the field.

Charitable donations made during the convention, such as by purchasing items from the charity sale in the art show, will be going to the Science Fiction & Fantasy Writers Association (SFWA)'s charitable funds. SFWA administers multiple funds to benefit their mission to support, defend, advocate, educate, and promote writers of science fiction, fantasy, and related genres both within their organization and the SFF community at large. The Emergency Medical Fund (EMF) and SFWA Legal Fund help members with urgent medical or legal fees. The Givers Fund additionally funds grants to deserving organizations in support of their mission and the SFF community. Prior recipients include the Alpha SFF Teen Writing Workshop, Clarion West, and the Parsec YA Lecture Series.

As a part of the larger SFF community, Norwescon believes that it’s important for us all to support each other, especially those in our community who need additional assistance. Please consider a donation to help us continue to promote SFF, both now and in the future.

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[Artwork] Azrael ©John R Gray III