Norwescon 43 Program Book

Norwescon 43

The souvenir program book for Norwescon 43. As NWC43 was a virtual convention, the program book was distributed digitally.

Norwescon

April 1–4, 2021

Content ©2021 Norwescon, save for all artwork © the original artists as noted within the book and used by permission.

English

The Northwest Science Fiction Society proudly presents

NORWESCON 43

The 43rd annual
Northwest Science Fiction and Fantasy Convention
April 1st - April 4th 2021

Contents

5
Letter From the Chair

7
PK Dick Award

13
Guests of Honor

21
Professional Panelists & Performers

57
Memorials

64
Art Show

65
Dealers Room

69
Norwescon Staff

Letter From the Chair

Welcome to Norwescon 43. My name is Tonya Clark, the chair of Norwescon, and on behalf of the staff, volunteers, panelists, and your fellow members, we are glad you are here!

You may have noticed some changes from previous years. For example, parking is easier, and there is never a wait for the elevator. While we all look forward to living in a post-apocalyptic world, or at least a post-pandemic world, this year we are making virtue of virtuality, and have decided to hold the con at your place. Thanks for inviting us!

Actually, we are holding the con in Airmeet, which I think you will find intuitive and easy to use. Be sure to check out the features beyond just the panels. Most virtual cons have one main stage. We have 10! Take a moment to look through the Guidebook and see all we have to offer.

We are excited to offer over well over 200 hours of panels, workshops, and special events. We have 110 panelists, and that’s not counting game hosts and performers. There are 20 hours of author readings. We have improv comedy, concerts, contests, and dances. Club tables, games, watch parties, and venues where people can get together and schmooze. It will be much easier to get a good seat at the masquerade. this year there is even a Drag Academy with a Saturday showcase!

Be sure to check out the art show and the dealers’ room. This year we are not limited by space. Artists and vendors are not limited by how much they can haul to the con, and there is never a crowd blocking you from that thing you didn’t even know you wanted.

Our guests of honor from 2020 have traveled through time to be with us for this event. Jacqueline Carey is our writer guest of honor, author of the award-winning Kushiel’s Legacy historical fantasy series, and the inspiration for the Longest Night theme of the convention and the Longest Night Concert Dance Party, featuring five musical acts. Our science guest of honor, Dr. Susan Langley, helped create the field of underwater archeology and knows more than a little about pirates. Claire Eddy, representing our spotlight publisher, Tor Books, is an executive editor who has been working with fantasy, science fiction, and horror authors for 30 years. Finally, Sana Takeda, our artist guest of honor in absentia, has loaned us her wonderful artwork and graphics from Japan, where she is a Hugo-winning illustrator of comics.

So welcome to Norwescon 43! We are glad you are with us!

Tonya Clark
Chair, Norwescon 43

Philip K Dick Award

2020

The judges of the 2020 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 2, 2021 at Norwescon 43 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 the Northwest Science Fiction Society.

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

The 2020 judges are John P. Murphy, Kelly Robson, David M. Sandner, Allen Steele, and Molly Tanzer.

2020 Nominees

FAILED STATE
by Christopher Brown (HarperVoyager)

THE BOOK OF KOLI
by M. R. Carey (Orbit))

DANCE ON SATURDAY
by Elwin Cotman (Small Beer Press)

BONE SILENCE
by Alastair Reynolds (Orbit)

ROAD OUT OF WINTER
by Alison Stine (Mira Books)

THE DOORS OF EDEN
by Adrian Tchaikovsky (Orbit)

Previous Winners

2019 - SOONER OR LATER EVERYTHING FALLS INTO THE SEA: STORIES by Sarah Pinsker (Small Beer Press) with a special citation to THE LITTLE ANIMALS by Sarah Tolmie (aqueduct press)

2018 - Theory of Bastards by Audrey Schulman (Europa Editions) with a special citation to 84K by Claire North (Orbit).

2017 - Bannerless by Carrie Vaughn (Mariner/Houghton Mifflin Harcourt). Special Citation: After the Flare by Deji Bryce Olukotun (The Unnamed Press)

2016 - The Mercy Journals by Claudia Casper (Arsenal Press Publications). Special Citation: Unpronounceable by Susan deRendi (Aqueduct Press)

2015 - Apex by Ramez Naam (Angry Robot). Special citation: Archangel by Marguerite Reed (Arche Press)

2014 - The Book of the Unnamed Midwife by Meg Elison (Sybaritic Press). Special Citation: Elysium by Jennifer Marie Brissett (Aqueduct Press)

2013 - Countdown City by Ben H. Winters (Quirk Books). Special Citation: Self - Reference Engine by Toh EnJoe, translated by Terry Gallagher (Haikasoru)

2012 - Lost Everything by Brian Francis Slattery (Tor). Special Citation: Lovestar by Andri Snaer Magnason

2011 - The Samuil Petrovitch Trilogy by Simon Morden. Special Citation: The Company Man by Robert Jackson Bennett

2010 - The Strange Affair of Spring-Heeled Jack by Mark Hodder (Pyr). Special Citation: Harmony by Project Itoh, translated by Alexander O. Smith (Haikasoru)

2009 - Bitter Angels by C. L. Anderson (Ballantine Books/Spectra). Special Citation: Cyberabad Days by Ian McDonald (Pyr)

2008 - (tie) Emissaries from the Dead by Adam Troy Castro (Eos Books), Terminal Mind by David Walton (Meadowhawk Press)

2007 - Nova Swing by M. John Harrison (Bantam Spectra). Special Citation: From the Notebooks of Dr. Brain by Minister Faust (Del Rey)

2006 - Spin Control by Chris Moriarty (Bantam Spectra). Special Citation: Carnival by Elizabeth Bear (Bantam Spectra)

2005 - War Surf by M. M. Buckner (Ace Books). Special Citation: Natural History by Justina Robson (Bantam Spectra)

For more information about the Philip K. Dick Award, please visit the official award website at philipkdickaward.org.

GUESTS OF HONOR 2021

Writer Guest of Honor Jacqueline Carey

New York Times bestseller Jacqueline Carey is the author of the critically acclaimed and award-winning Kushiel’s Legacy series of historical fantasy novels. The first book in series, Kushiel’s Dart, won the 2001 Locus Award for best first novel. Her other works include The Sundering tragedy duology, postmodern fables Santa Olivia and Saints Astray, the Agent of Hel contemporary paranormal trilogy, Shakespearean adaptation Miranda and Caliban, and the epic fantasy standalone, Starless.

Beyond writing, her pastimes include cooking, yoga, and tending to an ever-growing collection of orchids. Jacqueline enjoys doing research on a wide variety of arcane topics, and an affinity for travel has taken her from Iceland to China to date. She currently lives in west Michigan.

Further information is available at jacquelinecarey.com. Join her on Facebook at www.facebook.com/jacquelinecarey.author or follow her on Twitter at @JCareyAuthor.

Bibliography

Novels:
Kushiel’s Dart (Tor Books, June 2001)
Kushiel’s Chosen (Tor Books, April 2002)
Kushiel’s Avatar (Tor Books, April 2003)
Banewreaker (Tor Books, November 2004)
Godslayer (Tor Books, August 2005)
Kushiel’s Scion (Grand Central Publishing, June 2006)
Kushiel’s Justice (Grand Central Publishing, June 2007)
Kushiel’s Mercy (Grand Central Publishing, June 2008)
Santa Olivia (Grand Central Publishing, May 2009)
Naamah’s Kiss (Grand Central Publishing, June 2009)
Naamah’s Curse (Grand Central Publishing, June 2010)
Naamah’s Blessing (Grand Central Publishing, June 2011)
Saints Astray (Grand Central Publishing, November 2011)
Dark Currents (Roc, october 2012)
Autumn Bones (Roc, october 2013)
Poison Fruit (Roc, october 2014)
Miranda and Caliban (Tor Books, February 2017)
Starless (Tor Books, June 2018)

Nonfiction:
Angels: Celestial Spirits in Art and Legend (Metrobooks, November 1997)

Short Stories and Novellas:
"jazznight," I-94: a collection of southwest michigan writers (3 a.m. publishing, Fall 1998) “The Isle of Women,” Emerald Magic: Great Tales of Irish Fantasy (Tor Books, February 2004) “In the Matter of Fallen Angels,” Elemental: The Tsunami Relief Anthology (Tor Books, May 2006)
“you, and you Alone,” Songs of Love and Death (Gallery Books, November 2010)

Awards & Honors
2001 Locus Award, best first novel (Kushiel’s Dart)
2001 Romantic Times Reviewers’ Choice Award, best fantasy novel (Kushiel’s Dart) Barnes & Noble, Top Ten Science Fiction & Fantasy of 2001 (Kushiel’s Dart)
Amazon.com Editors, Top Ten Fantasy of 2001 (Kushiel’s Dart)
Borders, Top Ten Fantasy of 2002 (Kushiel’s Chosen)
Amazon.com Editors, Top Ten Fantasy of 2003 (Kushiel's Avatar)
National Public Radio Summer Readers Poll, Top 100 Science Fiction and Fantasy Books, August 2011 (Kushiel’s Legacy series)

Artist Guest of Honor Sana Takeda

Sana Takeda’s path to award-winning illustration began in Niigata Prefecture, on the Sea of Japan, where she grew up. As a child, she taught herself to draw by mimicking what she found in graphic novels and Manga. This laid the foundation for her career as an artist.

At 20, Sana went to work for SEGA, using 3D Computer Generated Imagery systems to create images of NBA players and other athletes. She left SEGA to go out on her own as an illustrator, and started working with Marvel Comics. Over the years, she worked on several Marvel publications, including X-Men, Venom, Civil War II, Ms. Marvel, and X-23. In 2006, she started working with C. B. Cebulski on Drain, a series about an immortal Japanese vampire.

While working on X-23, Sana collaborated with Marjorie Liu, and in 2013, the two teamed up to create the Monstress series.

Monstress is an epic fantasy about war, race, and slavery, with underlying themes of inner strength and the power of friendship between women. It has been described as being “paced like a novel but drawn like a comic.” Monstress has been critically acclaimed, winning Sana two British Fantasy Awards for Best Comic/Graphic Novel, five Eisner Awards, a Harvey Book of the year Award, and four Hugo Awards for her work on it.

Science Guest of Honor Dr. Susan Langley

Susan Langley is a maritime archaeologist living in the state of Maryland. She has held the post of Maryland State Underwater Archaeologist at the Maryland Historical Trust for more than 25 years. She served on the Advisory Council for Underwater Archaeology from 2009-2012 and was re-elected to serve 2016-2020. Susan was nationally recognized as one of the National oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NoAA) volunteers of the year in 2015 for serving 10 years on the Monitor National Marine Sanctuary’s Sanctuary Advisory Council holding the Archaeological Research Chair, as well as the vice-chair and chair positions for the Council over the course of her time there.

Susan worked with NoAA, Maryland’s Department of Natural Resources, and Charles County to have the nearly 100 World War I-era vessels and related structures located in Mallows Bay and the Potomac River designated the first new National Marine Sanctuary in more than 20 years. She has been working with the U.S. Coast Guard since 1999 on emergency planning and response for heritage resources threatened by oil and hazmat spills.

Susan has a strong background as an educator. She taught in Canada at the University of Calgary, Mount Royal College, and olds College and in Thailand for several years for the Southeast Asian Ministers of Education organization (SEAMEo). In Maryland she taught at Salisbury University, University of Maryland Baltimore County, Washington College, and Johns Hopkins University in the master of liberal arts program. She is currently an adjunct professor at St. Mary's College of Maryland.

In addition to maritime archaeology and the history and anthropology of piracy, Susan is a recognized authority and international lecturer on textiles and beekeeping past and present.

Susan is a PADI scuba Instructor at the master diver trainer level and assists with the scuba classes in the St. Mary’s Physical Education Program.

Spotlight Publisher & Representative Claire Eddy of Tor Books

Claire Eddy is an executive editor at Tor/Forge Books and has been with the company for over 30 years. Asked for a bio, she provides this statement:

They say that those who can’t do, teach. In college, I envisioned becoming a professor in Medieval studies, teaching generations of students and toiling away as a nameless handmaiden of history. But the editing life called its siren song and for more than 30 years I’ve worked at Tor, indulging in my many passions in genre fiction—fantasy, science fiction, horror, and mysteries. I’ve had the honor of working with such wonderful authors as Jacqueline Carey, Juliet Marillier, Ramsey Campbell, Sherrilyn Kenyon, Gene Wolfe... and many others, too many to count.

I’ve spent the better part of my adult life working with authors to (hopefully) make their stories and dreams the best that they can be, becoming that “third eye,” general nudge, and all around pain in the butt to accomplish this feat. I give encouragement when I can, instruct when possible, and, again, hopefully contribute in some small way to sharing in the dream, giving readers new worlds and delightful puzzles.

And the best part? I still get to do this and every day feels as fresh as my very first day at Tor did. There is no other feeling like that in the world...

Professional Panelists & Performers

Aaron J. shay, Balladeer

Sci-fi singer-songwriter Aaron J. Shay is a balladeer who blends old-world banjo twang with modern melancholy. His performances are highly interactive experiences, featuring many sing-alongs and stomp- alongs, all punctuated by his funny and heartfelt musings on relationships, creativity, magic, and the future of humanity. Influenced heavily by folk-punk and Americana, his songs fall in some strange realm between Phil ochs, Tom Waits, and The Mountain Goats.

Abie Ekenezar

Abie Ekenezar is an actress, singer, writer, and director living in Seattle, Washington, with an extensive background resume. She has been in the entertainment industry professionally, with IMDB credits, for just four years. She came on board with TV and film professionals and later found her passion for the film industry, acting in such projects as Grimm, Man in the High Castle, Librarians, Portlandia, JourneyQuest, and Z-Nation, along with multiple undisclosed future projects filming now and for the rest of 2020.

Adrian Cerrato

Adrian Cerrato has been seen all over Washington State and beyond in many live shows with the Murder Mystery Company. He has also been seen in numerous children’s shows across the state (and beyond) with Last Leaf Productions, most recently as Pluto and Mercury in Purrlie’s Mission to Visit the Milky Way. More recently he has been seen in a number of Zoom shows, including Clytemnestra, in which he played Orestes and Aegisthus. Adrian received his Bachelor of Arts in drama from the University of Washington.

Adrian Tchaikovsky

Adrian Tchaikovsky is the author of the acclaimed 10- book Shadows of the Apt series, the Echoes of the Fall series, and other novels, novellas, and short stories including Children of Time (which won the Arthur C. Clarke award in 2016), and its sequel, Children of Ruin (which won the British Science Fiction Award in 2020). He lives in Leeds in the U.K., and his hobbies include entomology and board and role-playing games.

Adrienne Dellwo

Adrienne Dellwo writes yA superhero and urban fantasy, plus some horror and traditional fantasy. She is also an award-winning indie filmmaker and a freelance medical writer and editor. Adrienne lives in Eastern Washington with her husband/creative partner, two awesome teenagers, and a really spoiled cat. She plays tabletop RPGs, drinks entirely too much tea, and frequently changes her hair color.

Aetheria

Aetheria has performed in the greater Seattle area for over 10 years, and has traveled to many national stages. She also teaches flow workshops locally and at festivals. Check her out on Instagram @ladyaetheria.

Alan Andrist

Alan has 20 years’ experience in Nordic studies, with a master’s degree in English literature and bachelor of science degree in biology. He has taught veterinary nursing and published animal science research. He has participated in Nordic archeology, biomechanical research, and seating and mobility design and manufacture. Alan has an MBA in international trade, project management, and business management.

Alan Halfhill

Alan Halfhill has been involved with the Norwescon masquerade video almost as long as he has been attending the con. He has produced the video since 2000. Since 2006, Alan has teamed up with Keith Johnson to do movie previews for Norwescon. He is perhaps best known in Puget Sound fandom as the photographer and editor of the highly popular sci-fi video Star Trek: The Pepsi Generation. He also worked with Ryan K. Johnson on two homebrewed Doctor Who videos, Pentagon West and Broken Doors. The first science fiction convention Alan attended was Norwescon 9 in 1986. Alan has a daughter, Dana, who, after attending her first sci-fi convention at the age of two months, is rapidly becoming part of “Science Fiction Fandom: The Next Generation.” Shooting on various digital video formats since 1995, Alan currently produces 4K video with large sensor cameras. He has over 400 videos on youTube under Personal-View.com.

Alastair Reynolds

Alastair Reynolds was born in Wales, U.K. in 1966. He studied astronomy and became a researcher at the European Space Agency in the Netherlands, studying pulsars. He has been publishing short stories since 1990 and novels since 2000, including Revelation Space, House of Suns, and Revenger. His most recent book is Bone Silence (2020). He now lives back in Wales with his wife and enjoys running and guitar.

Alexander James Adams

From the land of Fae, carrying the legacy of Heather Alexander, comes the Faerie Tale Minstrel with stories and songs of myth and magic. Fiddle, guitar, and a voice of magic spin tales old and new to enchant listeners of all ages. Aja's most recent endeavor is the writing, production, and release of music for the live adventure online series Canticles, conceived by Matthew Morrese. Find his work at www.faerietaleminstrel.com, and alexanderjamesadams1.bandcamp.com.

Alison Stine

Alison Stine grew up in rural ohio and now lives in Colorado. Her first novel, Road out of Winter, is a finalist for the Philip K. Dick Award. A recipient of grants from the National Endowment for the Arts and National Geographic, she has published in The New york Times, The Atlantic, The Paris Review, and elsewhere. Her next novel, Trashlands, will be published in october 2021.

Allen Ryde

Allen Ryde is a longtime Baltimore burlesque native. He has traveled the country as a performer doing nerdlesque of all different flavors and varieties. When not performing, Allen runs his own party entertainment company, bringing top notch entertainment to parties of all kinds. He likes sexy underwear, whiskey sours, and a good time!

Amélie Mantchev

Amélie Mantchev has been a nerd since birth. Spawn of author Lisa Mantchev, she is the subject of Lisa’s picture book, Jinx and the Doom Fight Crime! Amélie is currently writing her own homebrew Dungeons & Dragons campaign. Her other interests include anime, cosplay, theater, comic books, cartoons, practicing her craft, and galivanting in the woodland. She shares a room with her rescue cats, Soot Sprite, Toothless, and a new monster, Leluminaï Lekatariba Lamina-Tchaï Ekbat De Sebat.

Amy Heidrick

Amy Heidrick is the director of collections at The Museum of Flight in Seattle, Washington, and is responsible for the care and protection of the museum’s artifact, library, and archival collections. Amy has been with The Museum of Flight for more than 13 years and has a Bachelor of Arts in history from Linfield College and a Master of Arts in museum studies from the University of Washington.

Bella la Blanc

Better known as “The Villainess of Burlesque,” this award-winning touring performer discovered her love of the stage at a very young age. As a classically- trained vocalist and dancer, she captivates the audience with grace and style. She has studied under choreographers and performers all over the country. Bella graduated from Coney Island’s Sideshow School in 2015, and has been pushing herself ever since. She is the owner of Bella’s Tchotchkes, original maker of the 3D pastie. She makes laser-cut jewelry and accessories. Mixing tech with art has become a passion for her, especially during this current time. She originally hails from Miami, Florida, but currently calls the state of Maryland home. For more info on her jewelry check out Bella’s Tchotchkis. To find out when and where she will be performing visit Bella La Blanc.

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: A Science Fiction Reimagining of William Shakespeare’s The Tempest (2017), Don’t Read This Book (2019), and his first book of poetry, When She Leaves Me (2020). Benjamin is a high school English teacher. He lives in Independence, oregon, with his son, Noah.

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.

Betsy Tinney

Betsy Tinney is a cello storyteller. Using a cello and an electronic loop pedal, Betsy weaves rich, complex, and varied tapestries of sound. Her original cello compositions paint pictures and tell tales, from thunderstorms and skeletal mice to dancing elephants. In addition to her solo work, Betsy performs with many groups and individuals, including Vixy & Tony and Tricky Pixie. Website: betsytinney.com

Beverly Poole

Beverly Poole (she/her) has been a performer for many years, and is a longtime fan of Norwescon! It's been years since she attended, and she is pleased to be back!

Bill Gruner

An armorer/weaponsmith, Bill Gruner travels worldwide to historical sites. He has a Master of Science in education, has been an EMT, taught science, and leads an SF oPDETA. 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, Society for Creative Anachronism (a peer), SASS, and fights in Cohorts II Legion VI. He operates a 12’ traction trebuchet, and teaches classes in Roman and Norse combat. He teaches wood and metal crafts out of his atelier.

Blue

Blue received a Master in Fine Arts degree from Goddard College and is now a doctoral candidate at the Union Institute & University. Their research focuses on the link between environmentalism and social justice, and the power of storytelling to create justice for all people, animals, and the natural environment. Blue’s hybrid memoir Chroma, Honey, and Cornbread is in search of a publisher. Follow them on Instagram @bluerites for word and image fragments..

Brian Haas, Ph.D.

Bridget Landry

Bridget Landry was educated as a chemist/planetary scientist, and works as an engineer. She has worked on robotic space missions for over 25 years, including the HST, Mars Pathfinder, and the Cassini mission to Saturn. In her technical hat, Bridget has been on science panels at Worldcons, as well as local and regional conventions. She has been attending and working cons since the age of 13. She is a master level costumer and has won masquerade awards from the local to the Worldcon level.

Caitlyn McKinzie

Caitlyn McKinzie is a high school sophomore who has been writing for fun since she was eight. Her dad, Jake, started taking her to Norwescon when she was 12. As for experience, she doesn’t have much, so she is going to try her best not to embarrass herself..

Carol Berg

A former software engineer, Carol Berg majored in math and computer science so she wouldn’t have to write papers. Her 17 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, released in February 2021 from Tor Books. Learn more at http://www.categlass.com.

Cat Rambo

Endeavour and World Fantasy-nominated, and Nebula Award-winning Cat Rambo’s 200+ fiction publications include stories in Asimov’s, The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, and Tor.com. Among their forthcoming works are novels Exiles of Tabat (WordFire Press) and You Sexy Thing (Tor MacMillan). Cat served five years on the board of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America, including two terms as its president. For more information about them, visit http://www.kittywumpus.net.

Charlotte Lewis Brown

Charlotte Lewis Brown is a vertebrate paleontologist, science writer, and 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.

Chris Waffle

Chris Waffle started Megathruster in 2016. The origin of his songwriting superpower is said to have begun when, after hours of playing Castlevania, he finally beat Dracula. In a raw, visceral joy he threw his controller down, only to watch in horror as a gargoyle dropped down for a second final fight. He watched helplessly as he died on the brink of glory. He then vowed to find greatness by writing songs, singing about nerd pop culture, and perhaps one day facing the gargoyle again.

Chris Wiswell

Christian Wiswell is one of the two regular hosts of Seattle Movie Geeks’ B-Movie Bingo. He has a lifelong interest in and appreciation for sub-par science fiction film. Christian’s strong interest lies in intersectional media that blurs the lines between science-fiction stories, movies, music, and games. He prefers that you call him Chris.

Christopher Brown

Christopher Brown is the Philip K. Dick, Campbell, and World Fantasy Award-nominated author of Tropic of Kansas, Rule of Capture, and Failed State, and of the acclaimed urban ecology newsletter Field Notes. He lives and works in Austin, Texas.

Christopher Corbitt

A cosplayer and costumer, Chris is always looking for new ways to improve his costumes and make them look more like the real thing. Chris mostly cosplays as comic book or video game characters but is working towards more literary characters. As a costumer, Chris recognizes that our craft gets better when we share information about what we do and learn from others. Chris is a member of Beyond Reality Costumers Guild, the Society for Creative Anachronism, and Costumed Characters for Causes.

Colette Breshears

Colette Breshears is an academically trained geologist and prior to joining the natural gas team at Genscape, where she tracks the development of natural gas pipelines and markets, she worked with the U.S. Forest Service conducting climate change research through stream temperature data analysis. She has a BS in Geology from Pacific Lutheran University and an MS in Earth Science from Boise State University. Her hobbies include D&D, fish keeping, and gardening.

Coral Moore

Coral Alejandra Moore has always been the kind of girl who makes up stories. Fortunately, she never grew out of that. She writes because she loves to invent characters. 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.

Corry L. Lee

Corry L. Lee is a science fiction and fantasy author, Ph.D. physicist, science teacher, data scientist, pansexual, and mom. In her Russian-inspired fantasy, Weave the Lightning (Solaris, Spring 2020), magic storms have returned decades early, and a young female resistance fighter hides a treasonous secret from the fascist state. Corry won the Writers of the Future Award, made finding products on Amazon easier, and created sub-atomic particles that haven’t existed since fractions of a second after the Big Bang.

Curtis C. Chen

once a Silicon Valley software engineer, Curtis C. Chen (陳致宇) now writes fiction and runs puzzle games near Portland, oregon. His debut novel, Waypoint Kangaroo, is a science fiction thriller about a superpowered spy facing his toughest mission yet: vacation. The sequel, Kangaroo Too, sends our hero to the moon. Curtis’s short stories have appeared in Playboy Magazine, Daily Science Fiction, and Mission: Tomorrow. He is a graduate of Clarion West and Viable Paradise. https://curtiscchen.com.

D.L. Solum

D.L. Solum is a recently published author, currently living in Seattle, Washington, but will always be from Butte, Montana. He is 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 science fiction is only made possible via the most gentle encouragement and tolerance of his partner, Kate.

Dale Ivan Smith

Dale got into trouble in grade school for sneaking off to the library during class, so naturally, after earning a history degree, he became a librarian. He worked for Multnomah County Library for 32 years, retiring in December 2019 to write fiction full time. His stories have appeared in various online publications. He has published five books in his Empowered fantasy series; Gremlin Night, an urban fantasy; and Spice Crimes, a space opera. He’s currently working on a sixth Empowered novel.

DameRuth

DameRuth has a wide-ranging and checkered past involving science, history, fandom, art, and writing. She is 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 Butler

Dan Butler is the producer and primary songwriter for Techno Mage, an electronic music project that incorporates elements of synthwave, chiptune, and metal. He formerly hosted Chiptune Night, a webradio show that highlighted new releases in chiptune and chip-adjacent spaces. Both he and his wife, Melissa, are preparing to write a Techno Mage companion comic series. In the meantime, Dan is writing a new, full-length album which he hopes to release in 2021.

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 TM. Dan has witnessed space launches as an accredited journalist (including the U.S. Space Shuttle), and on his annual holidays he can be found prowling the aerospace boneyards of the Arizona desert, studying American aerospace history (but they still won’t let him into the B-52 that dropped the X-15).

Danny Denial

Danny Denial is a solo artist and filmmaker listed in Status magazine as a “PoC of the Queer Punk and Alternative Scene” to watch, and in Afropunk as one of “The 8 Punkest Bands on the Planet Right Now.” He is also known for his work in the Seattle band Dark Smith. After releasing Goodbye (2017) and Dead Like Me (2018), Denial set out to explore new themes and sounds for his third LP, fuck danny denial, an ever-shifting, genre-curious collection of songs with special appearances by Seattle artists DoNormaal, Eva Walker from The Black Tones, Rat Queen, and Razor Clam. The record charts a yearlong exploration of highs/lows, power/rejection, and euphoria/dysphoria, with the common theme being extremes—how self-perception can lead to narcissism and confusion in a way that's both manic and depressive. The LP is paired with the visual album/short film CONDiTiONER..

Darcy Davis

Darcy performs vocals and recorder for Celt Check. She has been a performer for over 25 years in music and theater. With accomplishments in University Interscholastic League, All-Region Chorale, and Symphony Chorale, as well as lead roles in operetta, comedy, and musicals, she has always had a passion for entertaining. Darcy is a longtime avid D&D gamer, crafter, seamstress, and amateur fanfic and fantasy writer.

Dave Davis

Dave Davis has a Bachelor of Science in industrial engineering and over 30 years’ experience in the aerospace field, ranging from commercial projects to the space shuttle. Currently, he works as a project manager on a commercial aircraft program. A member of the National Association of Rocketry and a tornado/storm chaser, he 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.

David Demers

David is a life-long fantasy fan and gamer with a love of live performance. His high-energy personality and deep love of all things geek bring laughter and involvement to any show he emcees.

Deborah Strub

Deborah is a textile artist from the Pacific Northwest. She holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the University of Central Florida. She has been a member of the Society for Creative Anachronism (SCA) for over 30 years, where she is a Laurel for her research and work in historical Japanese clothing. She occasionally makes medieval western European clothing for her husband. She also creates science fiction costumes. Deborah has won many awards in the SCA and science fiction venues and her work has been published in The Costume Maker’s Art.

Del Brown

Del Brown is the co-lead singer for Mirrorgloss. As a self-proclaimed “Black alternative girl” and “nerd,” she has had an interest in non-stereotypical subculture and ideology since her preteens. A resident of Tacoma, Washington, Del believes in embracing her weirdness and hoisting her freak flag up high. Del looks to graphic novels, music, and art as influences and inspiration. For more information, check out www.mirrorglossmusic.com and www.instagram.com/deliciousbrown

Diana M. Pho

Diana M. Pho is an independent scholar, playwright, and three-time, Hugo Award-nominated book editor. She has over a decade of experience in traditional, big five publishing, including Tor Books, Tor.com Publishing, and the Science Fiction Book Club. Diana currently works as story producer at Serial Box developing unique and cutting-edge science fiction, fantasy, and horror stories.

Dr. Dana Andrews

Dr. Dana Andrews has worked in aerospace for over 45 years. He worked for 33 years for Boeing, 10 years for Andrews Space, Inc., and the last three years has taught at the University of Washington. He has designed commercial airplanes, military aircraft, missiles, spacecraft, and the current space station modules. His areas of expertise are space systems design, orbital mechanics, safety, and advanced propulsion. Recently he has been working on the use of space resources and near-term interstellar missions.

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.

Elisabeth Van Every

Elisabeth Van Every is a writer and editor based in the Seattle area. After time in games and technical publishing, she now focuses on nonprofit orgs and informal education. Her subject areas include therapy animals, community-based wildlife conservation, and semiotics in popular entertainment. you might recognize her from Classic Doctor Who pledge drives on KBTC or absurdly high-concept hall costumes. you can find her far too often on Twitter..

Eliza Gauger

Eliza Gauger created Problem Glyphs, a project begun in 2013 in which she responds to problems submitted by an anonymous audience with intricately researched sigils. Born in Bellingham, dropped out of two colleges, and kicked out of a third, Gauger has worked as a games journalist, runway and nude figure model, illustrator, storyboard artist for a canceled Heavy Metal sequel, tabletop role-playing game artist and writer, stable hand, and science fiction author. You may recognize her from the cover of the Book of Erotic Fantasy.

Elizabeth “Liz” Vann-Clark

A fan since her dad introduced her to science fiction in childhood, Liz Vann-Clark took her love of all things fannish to the next level in early 2000. For the past 20 years, she has worked Pacific Northwest conventions as an educational liaison, head of programming, masquerade judge, secretary, vice-chair, and chair. She loves the welcoming environment that fandom strives to be. Go find her and talk fannish!

Elliott Kay

Like many Seattleites, Elliott is a transplant from Los Angeles. He took a swing at self-publishing 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.

Elsa Sjunneson

Elsa Sjunneson is the first blind person to win a Hugo Award, as the nonfiction editor of Disabled People Destroy Science Fiction for best semiprozine in 2019. She is a deafblind hurricane in a vintage dress. Her nonfiction editorial work has created significant shifts in the speculative fiction genre, and her nonfiction writing has been praised as “activism and eloquence in lockstep.” She was a finalist for best fan writer for the 2019 Hugo Awards. Her essays have been featured on CNN opinion, at Uncanny Magazine, in the Boston Globe, and as a monthly column on Tor. com. For more, check out snarkbat.com.

Elwin Cotman

Elwin Cotman is from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He is the author of three collections of speculative short fiction, The Jack Daniels Sessions EP, Hard Times Blues, and recently Dance on Saturday, published in summer 2020 by Small Beer Press. His work has appeared in Buzzfeed, Weird Fiction Review, Black Gate, The Southwestern Review, and Cabinet des Fees, among others. Elwin holds a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Pittsburgh, and a Master of Fine Arts from Mills College.

Emery Stoned

Emery is a nonbinary drag thing who isn’t sure what’s going on all the time. They do, however, invite you along for the ride—you never know where it’ll go!

Eric Distad

Eric has been obsessed with music for as long as he can remember. He is a founding member of February Album Writing Month, has written over 300 songs— some of which he still remembers—and has done everything from musical theater to punk rock. He is one half of the acoustic geek-rock filk duo The Faithful Sidekicks. Since 2014, The Faithful Sidekicks have been writing and performing comedic songs about the nerdy things they love at sci-fi cons and venues around the United States, Canada, and even Germany!

Eric L Vargas

Eric L Vargas is a freelance comic artist and illustrator with five years’ experience in the industry. Based out of Washington state, he’s currently doing pencils for a soon-to-be-released volume of the graphic novel No’madd, written by Andrew Kafoury.

Erik Mona

Erik Mona is the chief creative officer at Paizo, Inc., publishers of the Pathfinder and Starfinder role- playing games. Erik has served as editor-in-chief of Dragon, Dungeon, and Polyhedron magazines, and co- founded Living Greyhawk and the Pathfinder Society, two of the world's largest tabletop organized play campaigns. He has written and edited numerous books for D&D, Pathfinder, and other RPGs. An avid collector of pulps, paperbacks, and occultism, Mona posts daily on his Instagram @erikmona..

Evan J. Peterson

Evan J. Peterson is the creator of Drag Star! (Choice of Games) and The PrEP Diaries: A Safe(r) Sex Memoir (Lethe Press). An author, critic, game writer, and Clarion West alum, his fiction appears in Weird Tales, Unspeakable Horror 2, and Tales to Terrify, and his nonfiction in Nightmare Magazine, Queers Destroy Horror, Boing Boing, and Atlas Obscura. Evanjpeterson.com can tell you more.

G.S./Gabrielle Prendergast

G.S./Gabrielle Prendergast’s most recent novel, Zero Repeat Forever (2017), was first drafted in 2011 during Nanowrimo. Zero Repeat Forever won the BC Book Prize for Children and Teen Fiction and was named one of Tor’s top 10 teen SFF of 2017. Gabrielle’s next YA SFF, Cold Falling White, was published late 2019. Her debut picture book, If Pluto Was a Pea, was published in 2019. A full-time writer, Gabrielle is a Vancouver resident and a graduate of the UBC creative writing program.

Gareth the Bard

Gareth Davis plays guitar, bodhrán, and recorder, and is the lead vocalist for Celt Check. Gareth has been performing for over 40 years in various choirs at Highland Games, Ren Faire, Folklife Festival, and in various theater groups. He formed Celt Check with two of his friends while performing at the Midsummer Ren Faire in 2009. Celt Check's current incarnation has been playing together since 2013. Gareth has been playing D&D since 1974 and is active in the SCA.

Geoff Nunn

As adjunct curator for space history at The Museum of Flight, Geoff Nunn leads the museum’s efforts to tell the story of the first 50 years of human spaceflight and beyond. Geoff is responsible for the primary research and exhibit writing for all the museum’s space-related exhibits. He also represents The Museum of Flight as part of NASA’s Museum Alliance, the Commercial Spaceflight Federation, the Washington State Space Coalition, and the U.S.-Japan Space Forum. Geoff has presented on the museum’s efforts to tell the story of space at conferences nationwide and regularly writes about space-related topics.

Glenn Dallas

Glenn Dallas keeps fairly busy working on puzzles for Penny Press and writing about them for PuzzleNation. He is the author of several short stories and the co-author of Sugar Skulls alongside the immensely talented Lisa Mantchev. He even finds time to design escape rooms and write murder mystery dinners every now and then. His next book isn’t done yet, but he promises he’s working on it.

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.

Greg Bear

Greg Bear is the author of over 40 novels, including Blood Music, Eon, Darwin’s Radio, Hull Zero Three, and the War Dogs trilogy. Greg is the winner of five Nebulas, two Hugos, and two Endeavor Awards, and, most recently, the Galaxy Award as China’s most popular foreign language author.

GregRobin Smith

GregRobin explores publication/performance in many forms. He created an Elizabethan-style comedy (To Each Their Own), an eclectic music CD (Whisper Music to my Weary Spirit), and several video shorts on Shakespearean themes. In addition, he wrote, produced, and performed a Ben Franklin rap (in Swahili). He is a musician with the Celt rock/folk group Celt Check and is a professional educator and speaker. He runs The Washington Shakespearean Festival. Websites: Ben-Franklin.org and WaShakespeare.org.

Ian Lemke

Ian Lemke is the developer for The Expanse RPG from Green Ronin Publishing, and also the designer/ developer for the Talisman Adventures Fantasy RPG for Pegasus Spiele. He has been writing and developing tabletop RPGs and video games since 1993 for companies including White Wolf, FASA, Modiphius, Zenimax online, and Icarus Studios. you can find more information about Ian and his projects through his blog at https://grandpookasgrimoire.wordpress.com/ or his Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/ianlemke.

Ieva Ohaks

Ieva Ohaks is the costume stock and rental coordinator at the Seattle opera, where she manages and maintains approximately 14 tons of costume inventory. A professional theatrical costumer, Ieva has been in her current role since 1999. Her background includes construction and alteration of costume accessories, costume design, design support roles, and special expertise in costume maintenance, storage, and packing.

J. Grace McKelvy

Jack Skillingstead

Jack Skillingstead has sold more than 40 stories to markets including Asimov’s, Clarkesworld, The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, and Lightspeed, as well as various year’s best volumes and original anthologies. In 2004, he was a finalist for the Sturgeon Award. His first novel, Harbinger, was published in 2009. His second novel, Life on the Preservation (2013), was a finalist for the Philip K. Dick Award. Jack’s third novel is the science fiction thriller The Chaos Function, published in 2019 by John Joseph Adams Books/Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.

Jacq Babb

Jake McKinzie

Jake McKinzie, a high school science teacher since 1999, currently teaches astronomy and chemistry. His favorite authors are Moorcock, Feist, Niven, Bova, and Howard. His first RPGs played were Car Wars and red box D&D, circa 1980. Currently, he’s playing various Savage Worlds settings and D&D 5th Edition. He is married to Shyla and has a daughter named Caitlyn.

James D. Macon

James D. Macon is a physician who lives and works in Washington state. Although he spends most of his time caring for others, he also has a strong desire to share his stories. His books in The Phosfire Journeys series include Purveyors and Acquirers, Practitioner of the Arts, Opener of Doors, and the newly published Guardian of the Trade.

Jasmine Silvera

Jasmine Silvera is the pen name of Pacific Northwest- based writer and editor Rashida J. Smith. She attended the Clarion West Writers Workshop in 2005 and edited the webzine Giganotosaurus from 2013 to 2018. She is the author of the three-book urban fantasy romance series The Grace Bloods and the prequel series Tooth & Spell.

Jason Brick

Jason Brick has written professionally for 10 years, during which time he contributed over 5,000 articles in print and online and wrote, ghostwrote, edited, or contributed to over 70 books. His yA series The Bushido Chronicles won critical acclaim from librarians and coaches across the country. He lives in oregon.

Jaym Gates

Jaym Gates got her start in editing by making a joke on Twitter six years ago. Her anthology titles include Broken Time Blues, War Stories, Genius Loci, Strange California, Legends of Strategy: How Star Wars Explains Future Strategy, Eclipse Phase: After the Fall, and Vampire: Endless Ages. She works in tech and is the editorial manager for Nisaba Press (the fiction imprint of Green Ronin Publishing), and works freelance in the tabletop RPG, publishing, and board game arenas.

Jen Distad

Jen Distad is one half of the geek comedy band The Faithful Sidekicks, along with her husband Eric. In the band, she plays bass, sings, and makes snarky one-liners. Jen is an avid boardgamer, with a special affinity for cooperative games. She and her husband have just moved to the Pacific Northwest, and they are excited to be embarking on this new adventure.

Jennifer Brozek

Jennifer Brozek is a wordslinger and optimist, an author and an editor, and a collector of antique occult literature. She believes the best thing about being a full-time freelance publishing industry professional is the fact that she gets to choose which 60 hours of the week she works. Visit her at jenniferbrozek.com or Twitter: @JenniferBrozek

Jenn Caswell

Jennifer (Jenn) Caswell is an improv comedian trained by Jet City Improv who has appeared on Jet City Improv’s The Dust Up show. Jenn is also a member of an all-transgender improv troupe known as Not Another Improv Troup. Jenn has staffed several conventions, including Acen, youmacon, JAFAX, and Sakura- Con. A transplant to the Seattle area, Jenn moved to Seattle in 2017 from Kalamazoo, Michigan.

Joel Machiela

Joel Machiela is a guitarist/singer for Megathruster, Werewolf District, and Ace Chemicals.

Jonathan Brazee

Jonathan is a retired Marine infantry colonel, now a full-time hybrid writer with over 75 titles published. He is a two-time Nebula finalist, a Dragon Award finalist, and a USA Today bestselling writer. He currently lives in Colorado Springs with his wife Kiwi and twin two-year-old daughters.

Jonathan Tweet

Jonathan Tweet was the lead designer on D&D 3rd Edition, teaches game design for the UW’s continuing education program, and wrote Grandmother Fish, the first book to teach evolution to preschoolers (Macmillan 2016). As a professional game designer, he’s been a publisher, freelancer, corporate designer, reviewer, and manager. His latest game is Over the Edge, an RPG of weird urban danger. He’s devoted his career to roleplaying games because they encourage people to be creative.

Jonesy

Jonesy is part of the cast and crew at the Untold Stories Project streaming channel, where he plays and GMs various settings including Mutants & Masterminds, Werewolf: The Apocalypse, Star Wars, and many more. He also works as a freelancer for the Blue Rose RPG game line from Green Ronin, and recently joined the Green Ronin VTT Team.

Jonny Nero Action Hero

Jonny is a community manager for Microsoft and part-time chiptune artist hailing from Tacoma. A self- proclaimed nerd with a specialty in video games, Jonny has been embedded into general nerd culture for his entire life. A jack of all trades when it comes to music, movies, podcasting, comics, gaming, and science fiction, Jonny is a lover of the culture and community that grows around his borderline obsessions.

Jordan Miles

Jordan is a Seattle-based actor/director. He is the troupe director for the Murder Mystery Company and acts in many of their shows in and around Washington state. Jordan can also be found on Twitter getting salty with local politicians. Jordan has always loved improv and making bad jokes so people can feel better about themselves.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.

Joy Alyssa Day

Joy is a professional artist with work in collections internationally. With her partner, BJ Johnson, Joy has expanded into sculptural works, creating large installations with glassblowing, carving, and painting. She also works small pieces, the most famous being their solar system ornament set and the TARDIS fridge kit. Joy got her start with costuming, winning many master class awards, but now focuses on artworks and running a small kitty rescue shelter for abandoned and abused kitties.

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.

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 and anthologies including Galaxy’s Edge, Factor Four Magazine, Weirdbook, Welcome to Dystopia, and More Alternative Truths. Find out more at writerway.com/fiction.

Kat Knudson

Kat, an avid novice historian, has spent the last six years involved in the Society for Creative Anachronism where she focuses primarily on Ancient Greece. As someone who loathes embroidery, block printing and stenciling seemed a logical next step for garb embellishments. From there it became “share the knowledge!” Kat has done in-person block printing workshops, and is honored to be presenting a workshop in our digital world.

Kat Marier

Kat Marier has been costuming steadily since the late 90s, when she brought a medieval gown and chemise to the last Westercon in Spokane. With a philosophy of “learn something new every day,” she loves to try, practice, and share new techniques. She especially loves to see new talent emerge. Current interests include media cosplay, steampunk, no-sew costume techniques, and working with authentic historical patterns. Kat has expanded her horizons by working as costume director for middle-school theater productions over the past several years.

Kate Ristau

Kate Ristau is an author and folklorist. Her essays have appeared in The New York Times and The Washington Post. She is the author of the middle grade series Clockbreakers and the young adult series Shadow Girl. Find her online at http://kateristau.com/.

Kathy Bond

Kathy is a Doctor Who fan, bibliophile, parent, activist, and convention runner. While her primary convention is Norwescon (from staff to chair), Kathy has recently become involved with Worldcon. She is the co-chair of the Seattle 2025 Worldcon Bid. outside of fandom, Kathy is a recovering academic who is a hit at cocktail parties with obscure trivia about European judicial systems. She can also be found dancing at clubs and raucously singing along with karaoke at dive bars.

keerawa

keerawa is a writer, an aspie, a pod-ficcer, a fan, a level 120 druid, a level 15 sylvan sorcerer with a honey badger pet, and an advocate of transformative culture. They believe that fans are not “consumers” of media. Fans are critics, commentators, and creators who make fandom up as they go, because storytelling is too important to leave in the hands of the professionals.

Keith Johnson

Keith Johnson has been presenting movie previews at Norwescon with his partner Alan Halfhill for 15 years. They are delighted to bring the latest in movie previews, news, and rumors out of Hollywood to Norwescon, as they have also done at two Worldcons and a comic con. Keith has been involved with conventions since 1984 in multiple capacities: sound for 30 years, tech, dances for 22 years, special events lead for eight years, secretary for six years, and chairman. Keith eventually used his experience to co- create CirqueCon, the unofficial convention for fans of Cirque du Soleil. In real life, he works in admin in Seattle.

Kier Salmon

Kier Salmon writes. Even publishes occasionally. A resident of Tacoma, Kier also works as a copy editor and first reader/consultant for SM Stirling, Patricia Finney, Maggie Secara, Pete Sartucci, Alex Berg, Avery Milieu, and Sean Gallagher.

Kisa Whipkey

Kisa Whipkey is the acquisitions and editorial director for boutique publisher REUTS Publications. She developed a passion for storytelling at a young age and has pursued that love through animation, writing, video game design, and martial arts demo teams until finally finding her home in editing. She believes in good storytelling, regardless of medium, and applauds anything featuring a snarky lead, a complicated narrative structure, and brilliant/ uncommon analogies.

Kittens Slay Dragons

Kittens Slay Dragons is synth pop duo featuring Sarah Donner on beeps and Michael McLean on boops. While their music will get you on the dance floor, you'll also appreciate their lyrics on mental health, self care, and cats. Twitter @meowslaydragons, Instagram @kittensslaydragons

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.

Kris Carsrud

Kris Carsrud is a University of Iowa alum who has a massive, longstanding passion for fanfiction. Her poetry has been published in Ink Lit magazine, and she has both edited and written several chapbooks, which hold varying degrees of absurdism. She lives in Seattle with her zero pets (for now) and her many, many good friends.

Kurt Cagle

Kurt Cagle is a contributor to Forbes and is the managing editor for CognitiveWorld.com, as well as the regular podcast #theCagleReport. He is a published author of words technical and mythopoeic, designer of information systems and semantic perambulations, future historian, keeper of cats (or at least cat), spouse of writer of stories of mice, sirenophile, steampunker, professional blogger, humanist, proud Scottish Neanderthal, architect, coffee shop addict, ontologist, and author of Voyage of the Canto, Lady Jane Doe, and Storm Crow. He is the publisher of Seatails.

Lady Heather

Lady Heather is a classically trained vocalist and enjoys performing for festival and convention audiences. She is often found amusing audiences with her opera comedy or assisting Dr. owl with magic tricks and science experiments.

Laura Anne Gilman

Since her first novel in 2004, Laura Anne Gilman has established a reputation for herself with darker-edged fantasy, both urban and epic. Her work has been praised for her “deft plotting and first-class characters” by Publishers Weekly, hailed as “a true American myth being found” by NPR, and won an Endeavor Award, as well as been shortlisted for a Nebula Award, another Endeavor Award, and the Washington State Book Awards. More information and updates can be found at www.lauraannegilman.net.

LBSTR DelaHoya

LBSTR DelaHoya came up in a musical household playing various acoustic instruments. Later in life, with the addition of technology, he would adapt those musical theories the to the music of today. LBSTR can do it all, from writing arrangements to engineering, and is most influenced by Bill Evans and DJ Premier.

Leigh Harlen

Leigh Harlen is a queer, non-binary writer who lives and works in Seattle. Their non-writing hobbies include petting strangers’ dogs and enthusing about how awesome bats are. They are the author of the novella Queens of Noise and their illustrated horror collection, Blood Like Garnets. Their novella A Feast for Flies will be released in 2021.

Lilith Dawn

Lilith Dawn is an author, performance artist, humorist, and all-around swell gal. Under the name Lilith von Fraumench, she contributed to the SubGenius books Revelation X and The Bobliographon. Now she has turned her eye toward writing hard SF. Performing as Lilith Van Dyke, she emcees burlesque shows at Norwescon and other shows in the Seattle area. She is a trans activist, an experienced kinkster, a headbanger, and an all-around geek. She currently lives in Bothell under protest.

Lisa Mantchev

Lisa Mantchev writes picture books for kids, spec fic for teens, and smut for grown-ups. Her first picture book, Strictly No Elephants, was an NCTE Charlotte Huck Award honorable mention and a Washington State Book Award finalist, translated in 15 languages, endorsed by Amnesty International, and has sold 200,000 copies. Her Théâtre Illuminata trilogy includes the Andre Norton and Mythopoeic Awards-nominated Eyes Like Stars, and her steampunk novel Ticker was a Kindle #1 Bestseller.

Lynne Hardy

Lynne Hardy discovered role-playing games at university—thanks to American football! over the last few decades, she has worked for Nightfall Games, Pelgrane Press, Cubicle Seven, Modiphius, and Green Ronin, amongst numerous others, either as a writer, editor, or both. She developed her own steampunk role-playing game, Cogs, Cakes & Swordsticks. She now works full-time for the Chaosium as associate editor for the Call of Cthulhu RPG and line editor for the upcoming Rivers of London RPG.

Malcolm Sheppard

Malcolm Sheppard is a developer for the Adventure Gaming Engine, ork!, and other projects for Green Ronin. Past work includes fiction, rules, and other content for Blue Rose, Shadowrun, Eclipse Phase, D&D5e, and White Wolf's World of Darkness, Chronicles of Darkness, and Exalted. His fiction has appeared in anthologies connected to game properties, including most recently The Lost Citadel, soon to be adapted into the Tales of the Lost Citadel RPG sourcebook. Beyond work, he's a dad, sometime political crank, and historical swordplay enthusiast.

Mariana

Mariana is a professional belly dancer from Seattle, Washington. When not dancing at the typical belly dance shows in restaurants or weddings, Mariana spends time watching SciFi and fantasy. She enjoys belly dance because it provides her the creative freedom to explore many characters, such as performing as Data’s cat, Spot. However, for this con she’ll be showcasing three sides to Deanna Troi with props, dance technique and a little bit of humor.

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 all of this, he’s running Underland Press, an independent genre publisher.

Marta Murvosh

Marta works as a teen librarian and writer living in the Pacific Northwest. She grew up watching Star Trek reruns and lunar landings, and 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 http://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.

Mercury Divine

Mercury Divine is Seattle's Dandiest Dandy, and the King of 1000 Faces. Equal parts nonsense, narrative, and nudity, this king brings you full technicolor absurdity—onstage, on screen, and on the street! For maximum enjoyment find them on Instagram, at @ mercurydivine.

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 has acquired a silicone tail made by Merbella Studios. Mermaid Merlissa volunteers at various fantasy-themed events and serves as inspiration for other merfolk to achieve their dreams, regardless of body type and society’s pressure to look a certain way.

MerMaid Yl'luria

As a professional darkly sparkly mermaid, Yl’luria has been honored to flip her flukes in the water and on land at various events throughout the Pacific Northwest and beyond for the past seven years. A passionate ocean ambassador, she adores engaging audiences of all ages, types and abilities, and, as a plus-size, visually impaired entertainer, believes strongly that EVERy-body deserves to live their dreams! She also sings, makes art, belly dances, loves all things fantasy, folklore, and horror, and loves creating content for youTube and TikTok!

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 co-author of The Shield Maiden, Tyr’s Hammer, Diaries of a Dwarven Rifleman, and Rage of Angels. He is a student of historic European martial arts and has worked as a choreographer and consultant.

Michelle

Michelle is an artist, designer, and performer. She is enjoyed for her enigmatic mix of approachability, classic glamor and geeky humor. you’ll find her getting down and dirty with the details of costume making, dissecting a dance move segment by segment, and listing off random history facts. Which isn’t surprising for a former member of marching band/color guard, U.S. Navy vet, and fiber arts major turned Feldenkrais practitioner. Find her at www.michellebellydance.com and @michellebellydance on Instagram.

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. She lives on the shores of Puget Sound with her three children.

MirrorGloss

Najah Monique Todd, Del Brown and LBSTR DelaHoya make up the dance-pop trio Mirrorgloss, formed in 2012 in Tacoma, Washington. Najah Monique and Del establish a unique sound from the pairing of Najamoniq's soulful vocals interweaved with the edgier sounds of Del, with the addition of LBSTR providing the beats live on stage. LBSTR first saw the duo in 2019 at the Spanish Ballroom and a year later joined Najah and Del on stage for their grand appearance on the music show Band in Seattle, broadcast on King 5. The threesome creates a dynamic sound that is truly all their own. www. mirrorglossmusic.com

Miss Violet DeVille

Miss Violet DeVille is a trans woman and a class act from a history that never was. The Timeless Trollop has loved mixing performance art and nudity for over a decade. She is based in Seattle, acting, stripping, and improvising to delighted audiences all around the Puget Sound. She produces nerdy, quirky, and decidedly different shows, travelling throughout the United States and Canada performing at conventions and festivals including the Dallas Burlesque Festival, Fierce! The International Queer Performing Arts Festival, the Bagel Burlesque Expo, and Steampunk World’s Fair. When not producing and performing, she dabbles in absinthe cocktails, creates daguerreotypes and other photographies, and spends time in her workshop making something sexy and new! you can find her on the web at Miss Violet DeVille, look at things she makes and sells at Trollop Labs, or follow her production company at Purple Devil Productions.

M.R. Carey

Mike Carey writes comics, novels, and screenplays. His latest work is The Rampart Trilogy, the last book of which, The Fall of Koli, has just been published by orbit Books in the U.K. and United States. In comics, he is best known for Lucifer and The Unwritten, both from DC Comics, but has also written extensively on Marvel's X-Men line. He wrote the BAFTA-nominated screenplay for the movie adaptation of his novel The Girl With All the Gifts. He lives in London with his wife and three children.

Najamoniq Todd

Najah Monique Todd is the co-lead for the electro- pop band Mirrorgloss and owner of Mirror Ready Glam. Hailing from Tacoma Washington by way of oakland California, she is a longtime fan of Doctor Who and all things fantasy and sci fi. Instagram: @ Ninjamoniq.

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.

Nat Freaner

Nat Freaner is a Mexico City native who has been performing since her early teens, knowing her heart would always belong on the stage. Trained in Mexico, she broke onto the scene in the mean streets of New york, and now brings her talents to the gritty stages of Philadelphia. Like many local heroes of Philly, Nat can take a hit and keep on beating. Through her vocals she’ll heal, soothe, and tame the beasts of the human soul. www.nataliafreanermusic.com

Nazaneen

Coming to you from Seattle by way of Miami, Iran, and Germany, Nazaneen is a teacher, performer, and lifelong student of SWANA dances (that’s south-west Asia and North Africa), including raqs sharqi, Persian dances, and pan-Arabic folk dances. In addition to all things related to SWANA dance, she's a lover of food, combat sports, and cats. She unfortunately occasionally has to be distracted from these pursuits to teach chemistry to college students.

Nick Fraser

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

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 forthcoming novel Rain Music will be published in 2021. He has sold stories to the anthologies Unfettered III, Gunfight at Europa Station A, Seasons Between Us, Like Water for Quarks, and a number of SF magazines. He runs the Rainforest Writers Village retreat every spring at Lake Quinault, Washington.

Peter N. Glaskowsky

A leading innovator in computer architecture, Peter Glaskowsky helped found, fund, and build x86 microprocessor startup Montalvo Systems. He is currently a computer architect at Esperanto Technologies, a machine-learning hardware company in Silicon Valley. Peter is a co-inventor on 27 U.S. patents. He has authored two books on computer graphics, co-authored two books on space elevators, and been active in the science fiction fandom for over 40 years.

Peter Orullian

Peter Orullian has worked at Xbox for 15 years and has an ongoing epic fantasy series with Tor books. He has toured internationally with various bands and has been a featured vocalist at major rock and metal festivals. Peter recently completed a rock opera in the vein of Trans-Siberian orchestra. His band can be found at www.symphonynorth.com. He is currently collaborating with Brandon Sanderson on an urban fantasy series.

PJ Manney

PJ Manney is the author of the bestselling and Philip K. Dick Award nominated (R)EVOLUTION, (ID)ENTITY, and (CON)SCIENCE. She is a former chairperson of Humanity+, author of non-fiction articles on empathy, human enhancement, and technology, and a frequent futurist speaker and guest. She wrote for Hercules--The Legendary Journeys, Xena: Warrior Princess, as well as numerous SF/F pilot scripts for networks. She began her career as a movie executive..

Raichyl Sinversa

Raichyl Sinversa is a unique blend of versatility and attitude. The essence of darkness and pain, mixed with the hypnotism of tranquility. She is audibly pleasing enough to catch your attention and full of energy. She allures her listeners with ease and perfection, and creates a musical luster—like an angel with a metronome.

Randy Henderson

Randy Henderson is the author of the dark and quirky Finn Fancy urban fantasy trilogy from Tor, and a member of the Dungeon Scrawlers DnD liveplay show. He is also a Writers of the Future grand prize winner, Clarion West graduate, and relapsed sarcasm addict who lives in Western Washington with writer and audiobook narrator Folly Blaine. Don’t hesitate to message him, he’s happy to chat and be of help where he can. Web: www.randy-henderson.com. Facebook: /randyhenderson. Twitter: @randyauthor.

Rebecca A. Demarest

Rebecca A. Demarest is an award-winning 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.

Rhiannon Held

Rhiannon Held writes urban fantasy, space opera, and weird Western (as R.Z. Held). She is best known for her Silver series of werewolf novels. She lives in Seattle, where she works as an archaeologist for an environmental compliance firm. At work, she mostly uses her degree for copy-editing technical reports; in writing, she uses it for cultural world-building; in public, she’ll probably use it to check the mold seams on the wine bottle at dinner.

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. Richard continues to promote costuming as an art form, curating costume exhibits at art galleries, encouraging dress up at civic and mundane events, and using costuming to make political statements. Recent design credits include Silent Sky, A Christmas Carol, and The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time.

Rob Stewart

Rob is a husband, father, gamer, and reader. When not working on Norwescon or his day job, he likes to play games with his sons and, when possible, nap.

Roberta Fuhr

Roberta opened Experience Tea Studio to help people discover tea, but helping people know the botany and science of tea is only a small part of what she does. Roberta loves to help people discover the magical dimensions of tea, to encourage personal tea times, connection to cultures of tea, and learn how tea influenced history, the truth about caffeine in tea... well, you get the picture. Roberta is a certified tea specialist through Specialty Tea Institute. Tea can be a force to change lives... it has a powerful ability to open doors of communication. Tea is not just a drink, it’s an experience.

Russell Ervin

Russell is an information technology entrepreneur, retired Navy captain, adventurer, and aspiring writer. A nuclear submarine officer by training, Russell spent 18 years as a commanding officer. He was the deputy of submarine rescue during the 2005 rescue of Russian sailors trapped off Petropavlovsk. He has a degree in electrical engineering, speaks at macroeconomic conferences, and is an avid attendee of Clarion West Writers Workshops. Russell is home- grown; Norwescon has been his home con since 2005.

Sang Kromah

Born in Philadelphia to Liberian parents, Sang Kromah was raised in Sykesville. She was a storyteller before she could write, transforming African folklore into evolved stories. She received her undergrad and graduate degrees at New york Institute of Technology. She became a communications specialist and content writer, working on projects like the Half the Sky documentary and others with UN Women. Kromah is the creator of Project GirlSpire, a digital storytelling platform for women and girls.

Sar Surmick

Sar is the director of the Consent Academy, author of The Consent Primer, and works as a marriage and family therapist specializing in identity and couples therapy. With offices in Redmond and Seattle, Sar works with a wide variety of clients focusing on non-monogamy, sex and gender, trans, and BDSM/ kink. Sar also works as a sex-positive educator and organizer with the Pan Eros Foundation. In their downtime, Sar is an author, gamer, GM, world builder, and seeker of interesting people.

Sarah Donner

Sarah Donner is an alt pop singer/songwriter who has embraced her inner cat lady. Her songs teeter between playful, nerdcore, and ballads, tied together with bright melodies and driving, energetic instrumentals. Sarah is a graduate of Westminster Choir College. After some musical theater, she picked up a guitar, abandoned her classical roots, and started rocking out (with fantastic breath support). Sarah’s music has been featured on Conan o'Brien's blog, NPR, Buzzfeed, i09, Showtime, and CBS. She collaborates with The oatmeal to bring the internet gems like“The Motherf**cking Pterodactyl Song”and “Tesla vs. Edison.” When not touring, Sarah Donner fosters kittens, teaches privately, and paints portraits. Sarahdonner.com, Twitter @sarahdonner, Instagram @sarahdonnerparty, Facebook @sarahdonner.

Sarina Dorie

Sarina Dorie has sold over 150 short stories to markets like Analog, Daily Science Fiction, The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, and Orson Scott Card’s Intergalactic Medicine Show. Her stories and published novels have won humor contests and Romance Writer of America awards. She has about 40 books on Amazon, including her bestselling series, Womby’s School for Wayward Witches.

Savannah Demers

Savannah is a 20-year veteran in the performing arts space. She owes much of her creative drive to the captivating worlds and characters of her favorite sci fi and fantasy novels, movies, and comics. From Star Wars to sword and sorcery, she loves folding it all into her edgy modern dance style.

Scott James Magner

Scott James Magner is an author, game designer, editor, and developer. His work has appeared in games such as Dungeons and 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.

Shawn Marier

Shawn has been active in the running of conventions for over 30 years, including chairing five previous Norwescons. For the last 30 years he has been a software engineer for Fortune 500 companies. His recent passion has been organizing film festivals. He has run three festivals, including the upcoming speculative film festival at Westercon 73.

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. Sheye lives in Denver, Colorado with her husband, two children, every Heroscape piece ever made, over 15,000 Magic cards, The Box of Many Munchkins, hundreds of video games, and more computers than humans.

Shweta Adhyam

Shweta belongs to Madras, Seattle, and speculative fiction. She learns kung fu, has graduate degrees in physics and astronomy, and has worked as an actuary and data analyst. Shweta 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.

Sienna Saint-Cyr

Sienna Saint-Cyr’s erotic, romantic, and dark fiction has appeared in series like Love Slave and Sexual Expression, anthologies like Haunt, Silence is Golden, and Best Women’s Erotica of the Year. Their nonfiction appears in Kintsugi: Powerful Stories of Healing Trauma. They own SinCyr Publishing, a press with a focus on consent culture and healthy relationships.

Sonja Thomas

Sonja Thomas, a recovering certified public accountant, writes for children of all ages. Her debut middle grade novel Sir Fig Newton and the Science of Persistence is scheduled for publication in spring 2022 from Aladdin/Simon & Schuster. Raised in Central Florida (the wonderful world of Disney, humidity, and hurricanes) and transplanted to Washington, D.C., for 11 years (go Nats!), she’s now keeping it weird in the Pacific Northwest. Connect with her at www.bysonjathomas.com or on Twitter and Instagram at @bysonjathomas.

Stella Harris

Stella Harris is a certified intimacy educator and coach, who uses a variety of tools to guide and empower her clients. She teaches everything from pleasure anatomy to communication skills, kink, and BDSM. Stella is the author of two books, Tongue Tied: Untangling Communication in Sex, Kink, and Relationships and The Ultimate Guide to Threesomes. Learn more at www.stellaharris.net or follow @stellaharriserotica on Instagram.

Stephen Radney-MacFarland

Stephen began working on tabletop roleplaying games in 2000 at Wizards of the Coast. over the years he has administered the Living Greyhawk campaign, aided in the development of the D&D 3.5 Edition, and was a developer for D&D 4th Edition and Star Wars Roleplaying Game Saga Edition. He joined Paizo in 2010 as a designer for the role-paying games Pathfinder, Starfinder, and Pathfinder Second Edition. Today, Stephen is working on his on a fantasy game called Delve Roleplaying Game.

Steve Kenson

Steve Kenson (he/him) is a staff designer for Green Ronin Publishing and owner of Ad Infinitum Adventures. Steve has written for role-playing games since 1995, including such games as Shadowrun, Earthdawn, Exalted, and Blue Rose RPG. He designed the award-winning Mutants & Masterminds superhero role-playing Game, the True20 game engine, and Icons Superpowered Roleplaying, and was the lead designer on out of the Abyssand The Sword Coast Adventurer’s Guide for Dungeons & Dragons, and The Expanse RPG for the AGE system. Steve maintains a website at stevekenson.com.

Steven S. Long

Steven S. Long is a writer and game designer who works primarily in the tabletop role-playing game field. over the past 30 or so years he has written or co- written approximately 200 books. He is best known for his work with Champions and the HERo System, but has worked for many other RPG companies. In recent years Steven has focused more on writing fiction, and had numerous short stories published. His master plan for world domination has reached Stage 68-Epsilon.

SunnyJim Morgan

SunnyJim is a bespoke shoemaker and local artist working primarily in textiles. She was once described as the love child of Martha Stewart and MacGyver. Her owners, a trio of incorrigible housecats, diligently supervise all of her work.

Suyi Davies Okungbowa

Suyi Davies Okungbowa is a Nigerian author of science fiction and fantasy. He is the author of the forthcoming epic fantasy novel Son of the Storm (orbit, May 2021), first in The Nameless Republic trilogy, and the Nommo Award-winning David Mogo, Godhunter (Abaddon, 2019). He has published shorter works in various periodicals and anthologies. He lives between Lagos, Nigeria and Tucson, Arizona, tweets at @IAmSuyiDavies and is @suyidavies on Instagram. Learn more at suyidavies.com.

Tammie L. Dupuis

Tammie L. Dupuis has been involved in researching, recreating, and teaching historic costuming for over 25 years. She specializes in research in clothing and clothing accessories from the late 16th century, and is a member of the Society for Creative Anachronism. She is the owner and creative drive behind www. renaissancetailor.com. Tammie and her family live in Silverdale, Washington, where she works with various theaters, reenactment groups, and individuals throughout the U.S. and Europe.

Tex Thompson

Arianne “Tex” Thompson was once described as “an explosion of 52 enthusiastic kittens latching onto everything at once.” In addition to writing the Children of the Drought epic fantasy Western series, and co-founding Writers in the Field, Tex brings her particular brand of “red-penthusiasm” to conferences, conventions, and workshops all over the country as an egregiously enthusiastic, endlessly energetic one-woman stampede. Find her online at www. TheTexFiles.com!

Tod McCoy

Tod McCoy is a Seattle-based writer whose work has appeared in Asimov’s, Starward Tales II, The People’s Apocalypse, and Bronies: For the Love of Ponies. A Clarion West graduate and current board member, he is the publisher behind Hydra House Books, which publishes Pacific Northwest fantasy and science fiction.

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 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.

Tracy Furutani

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

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.

Veronica Templar

As a friend once wrote about her, our special events director, Veronica Templar, was born and raised in the 1880s, before accidentally falling through a time hole. Her hobbies include repurposing aluminum foil, organizing ALL the things, and owning fabulous shoes. She divides her time between the past, present, and future, and has 27 cats between the various timelines. When Veronica is not out fighting crime, she goes out and fights even more crime, because that’s what heroes do.

Victoria Shaffer

Victoria’s mother read her The Hobbit and took her to see Star Wars: A New Hope in the theater when she was five. There’s been no turning back. In between her reading, moviegoing, costuming, writing, and attending conventions, she still manages to get in some sleep, but don’t ask her how.

Xander Odell

Xander lives in Washington state with his/their husband and sons. Xander’s 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. Xander’s short story collection, Godfall & Other Stories, was released by Hydra House Books in 2018.

Memorials 2019 - 2021

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.”

Alfred Worden

February 7, 1932 – March 18, 2020

Colonel Alfred Merrill Worden, U.S. Air Force, was an American test pilot, engineer, NASA astronaut, and command module pilot for the Apollo 15 lunar mission in 1971. Worden circled the moon alone while his two crewmates test-drove the first lunar rover. Worden has been listed in the Guinness Book of World Records as the “most isolated human being” during his time alone in Endeavour orbiting the Moon. on the way back to Earth, Worden performed the first deep-space extravehicular activity, or spacewalk, nearly 200,000 miles from Earth. Worden said of the mission, “Now I know why I'm here. Not for a closer look at the Moon, but to look back at our home, the Earth.”

Worden felt NASA needed to do more to engage children and answered several children’s questions. Before and after his mission, he appeared on Mister Rogers' Neighborhood. He made many public appearances promoting a renewed space program and education in the sciences.

Amy Carpenter

December 1959 – November 17, 2020

Amy Carpenter (AmyCat, Alys Meghan Cattwyn) was a bookseller from Oregon whose Book Universe was a feature of numerous science fiction conventions, including LosCon, orycon, Norwescon, Foolscap, Westercon, and SCA events. She was known for featuring the works of emerging writers and for taking books from indie publishers and small publishers on consignment. As a member of the SCA, she was renowned for her work in sewing.

Andi Malala Shechter

March 9, 1953 – July 15, 2019

Andi Malala Shechter was involved in running conventions, particularly mystery conventions such as Bouchercon, although she started by volunteering at some of the earliest New york Trek cons. She chaired the Left Coast Crime conventions in Seattle in 1997 and 2007 and was a guest of honor there in 2001. She worked on many Boskones, and was a deputy division head at Noreascon 3. She was also a reviewer of SF and mystery for several magazines and on-line sites, and blogged about disability issues. She moved to Boston from the Bay Area in the 1980s and then to Seattle in 1990 with her longtime partner Stu Shiffman, writer and Hugo-winning artist. She and Stu married in 2014. Stu passed away not long after.

Aron Eisenberg

January 6, 1969 – September 21, 2019

Aron Eisenberg played Nog on Star Trek, Deep Space Nine. other credits include Star Trek: Voyager, Star Trek: Renegades, Blade of Honor, and Pterodactyl Woman from Beverly Hills.

Ben Bova

November 8, 1932 – November 29, 2020

Ben Bova was an American writer, author of more than 120 works of science fact and fiction, six-time winner of the Hugo Award, an editor of Analog Science Fiction and Fact, and editorial director of omni. He was president of both the National Space Society and the Science Fiction Writers of America. Some of his more well-known original series include the Watchmen, Orion, and Grand Tour.

Bova came to the science fiction writing field via science in the 1950s. He worked for Project Vanguard, a program managed by the United States Naval Research Laboratory, which intended to launch the first artificial satellite into Earth orbit. Later he moved on to Everett Research Laboratory, which made parts of the Apollo capsule.

In 2000, he attended the 58th World Science Fiction Convention as the author guest of honor. He was awarded the Robert A. Heinlein Award in 2008 for his work in science fiction. He was the guest of honor at Norwescon 27.

Betty Ballantine

September 25, 1919 - February 12, 2019

Betty Ballantine was the guest of honor at Norwescon 16.

She and her husband, Ian Ballantine, were the groundbreaking publishing team that helped invent the modern paperback and vastly expand the market for science fiction and other generes. Paperbacks in the 1930s were limited mostly to poorly made "pulp" novels. The Ballantines took advantage of new technology in production and distribution, and of a clause in copyright law, discovered by Ian, that waived fees on books from Britain.

They helped establish the paperback market for science fiction, Westerns, and other genres, releasing original works and reprints of works by authors including J.R.R. Tolkien, Arthur C. Clarke, and H.P. Lovecraft. They made their books available in nontraditional outlets like drugstores, railroad stations, etc.

In the 1950s and 60s science fiction and fantasy were looked down upon. Betty cultivated and encouraged writers and artists of cover art, thus doing the entire field a double service moving science fiction and fantasy out of the pulp category.

Ian and Betty Ballantine were voted into the Science Fiction Hall of Fame in 2008.

If you get a chance, read her bio by Anne McCaffrey in the Norwescon 16 program book, which is on our website, in the History section.

Bob Newman

January 24, 1932 – -December 13, 2020

Bob Newman was best known for playing Gertrude, sidekick/girlfriend/City Dump telephone operator to J.P. Patches on the long-running television program on KIRo TV, Seattle, Washington. Other characters he portrayed on the show included Ketchikan the Animal Man, one-eyed gentle yet odd creature Ggoorrrsstt the Friendly Frpl, clumsy handyman Leroy Frump, the mysterious Zenobia, the Swami of Pastrami, Sturdley the Bookworm, and, each December, a somewhat bumbling Santa Claus.

Bob joined the program in 1960 and created a role for himself when, working in a technical job off camera, he called out to J.P. in a falsetto voice while J.P. was pretending to speak with an unseen and unheard telephone operator named Gertrude. Soon, Newman was dressing up like a life-sized Raggedy Anne – complete with house dresses borrowed from his mother, a mop wig and heavy make-up – to appear on-camera as Gertrude. In 2008, a life-sized bronze statue of Gertrude and J.P. was dedicated in Seattle’s Fremont neighborhood.

Robert Peter Suryan

August 4, 1950 – January 16, 2021

Who’s Robert Peter? Everyone knew him as Bob. Or Uncle Bob, Unka Bob, Night Bob but mostly just good old Bob. I think only his mother ever called him Robert Peter and that is strictly a guess. If I had to bet on it, I’d wager that even she called him Bob. That’s just who he was... Bob. Even when he chaired Norwescon, he was quite unassuming and approachable. He left his ego for more important things, like his wife, Judy. Bob and Judy met at Vikingcon on the campus of Western Washington University, and two hearts became one. Marriage followed and they began their adventure together in earnest.

Angela came first, then Peter, and Alex. The most important thing in Bob’s life was his family. Everything else amounted to extra-curricular activities. Employment was just a means to meet the needs of the household. Cars were selected for their ability to transport the kids, their dog Heathcliff, and Judy to whatever family outing was next. To say that Bob involved himself in his children’s interests and activities would be an understatement. When Alex became interested in Astronomy, the pride and delight Bob took in nurturing that pursuit was immense.

A proud graduate of West Seattle High School and the University of Washington, Bob had a mind that was sharper than a d’k tahg. Bob owned a nearly complete library of Greek and Roman literary classics in addition to all his astronomy works. If you asked him what he likes to read, he would reply “Really long and boring books.”

Bob’s involvement in fandom came from loving science (especially astronomy) and loving Judy. From chairing Norwescon to schlepping things around, Bob could always be counted on as Judy’s number one supporter and fan. He was awarded a Lifetime Membership to Norwescon.

For many years, Puget Sound fandom swirled in and around the Suryan household. ConCom meetings, book reviews/ critiques, Westwind production, and there were socials. Judy excelled as the hostess. Bob let his spouse bask in the limelight while he enjoyed playing the bon vivant and engaging in good conversation. No one could out pun Bob. Bob would retire while the party still hadn’t reached its zenith. When Bob felt things had gone on long enough, he would venture forth from the bedroom wearing socks, t-shirt, and his tighty-whities, extolling the troops to “Get out of my House.” Thus would end another fun-filled NWSFS social.

Let us raise a dram of Bushmills and give a final toast to our friend Bob Suryan. A gentleman, a scholar, and a truly wonderful human being.

Of all the money that e'er I spent
I've spent it in good company
And all the harm that e’er I did
Alas it was to none but me
And all I've done for want of wit
To memory now I can't recall
So lift to me a parting glass
Good-bye and joy be with you all

Brian J. Blume

January 12, 1950 – March 27, 2020

Brian J. Blume was a game designer and writer, principally known as a former business partner of Gary Gygax (1938 – 2008), at Tactical Studies Rules (TSR), Inc., producers of the fantasy role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons. An avid gamer, Blume coauthored D&D supplement Eldritch Wizardry with Gygax, worked on The Rogues Gallery, co-authored the Warriors of Mars miniatures wargame adaptation and the Boot Hill RPG with Gygax, and wrote the Panzer Warfare miniatures wargame. He was instrumental in the development of the company and in helping to expand the details of the Dungeons and Dragons world. Blume later worked as a cartographer, making maps for numerous White Wolf supplements.

Chadwick Boseman

November 29, 1976 – August 28, 2020

Chadwick Aaron Boseman was an American actor and playwright. He achieved international fame for playing superhero Black Panther in the Marvel Cinematic Universe from 2016–2019. Captain America: Civil War was his first film in a five- picture deal with Marvel Entertainment. He battled stage three colon cancer for four years until his untimely death.

ChucK Yeager

February 13, 1923 – December 7 2020

Chuck yeager was a U.S. Air Force officer, flying ace, and record-setting test pilot who in 1947 became the first pilot in history confirmed to have exceeded the speed of sound in level flight. yeager's career began in World War II when he was assigned to the Army Air Forces in 1941. He achieved most of his aerial victories as a P-51 Mustang fighter pilot on the Western Front, where he was credited with shooting down 12 enemy aircraft. on october 12, 1944, he attained “ace in a day” status, shooting down five enemy aircraft in one mission. After WWII, yeager became a test pilot and flew more than 360 types of aircraft, including experimental rocket-powered aircraft for the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics.

Two of his quotes: “You don't concentrate on risks. You concentrate on results. No risk is too great to prevent the necessary job from getting done.” And, “You do what you can for as long as you can, and when you finally can't, you do the next best thing. You back up but you don't give up.”

Christopher Tolkien

November 21, 1924 - January 16, 2020

Christopher Tolkien, the son of The Lord of the Rings author J.R.R. Tolkien, grew up listening to his father’s tales of Bilbo Baggins, which later became the children’s fantasy novel, The Hobbit. Christopher drew many of the original maps detailing the world of Middle-earth for his father’s series when it was first published between 1954 and 1955. He also edited 22 volumes of his father’s posthumously published work, including The Silmarillion, following his father’s death in 1973.

Dame Diana Rigg

July 20, 1938 – September 10, 2020

Dame Diana Rigg was a Tony, Emmy, and BAFTA- Award winning English actress of stage and screen. Some of her notable roles were as Emma Peel in the TV series The Avengers (1965–1968); Countess Teresa “Tracy” di Vicenzo, wife of James Bond, in on Her Majesty's Secret Service (1969); olenna Tyrell in Game of Thrones (2013–2017) and the Doctor Who episode “The Crimson Horror” (2013) with her daughter, Rachael Stirling. She named Theater of Blood (1973) as the best film she appeared in.

A savage review for her performance in Abelard and Heloise led her to collect devastating theatrical reviews throughout history. The result was her book, No Turn Unstoned, published in 1982.

David Giler

July 23, 1943 – December 19, 2020

David Giler was an American filmmaker active in the film industry since the early 1960s.

He was an executive producer for Bordello of Blood, Tales from the Crypt, Tales from the Cryptkeeper, and Aliens. He wrote episodes of The Girl from U.N.C.L.E., The Man from U.N.C.L.E., and Kraft Suspense Theatre. He was producer for Alien: Covenant, Prometheus, Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem, Alien vs. Predator, Alien Resurrection, and Alien.

David L. Lander

June 22, 1947 – December 4, 2020)

David was an American actor, comedian, musician, and baseball scout, best known for his portrayal of Squiggy in Laverne & Shirley. He also served as a goodwill ambassador for the National Multiple Sclerosis Society.

He was the voice of Smart Ass in Who Framed Roger Rabbit, Thumper in A Bug’s Life, Ch’p in Green Lantern: First Flight, Milo de Venus in Galaxy High, Weazel in TaleSpin, Nitro in Batman: The Animated Series, Filth#4 in The Tick, and Donnie the Shark in SpongeBob SquarePants. David appeared in episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generation, Freddy’s Nightmares, Twin Peaks, and Tattooed Teenage Alien Fighters from Beverly Hills. He contributed voice acting to the video games Lego Island and Zork: Grand Inquistor.

In addition to acting, Lander, a Pittsburgh Pirates fan, had a small stake in the Portland Beavers. In 1997 he began work as a baseball talent scout, first for the Anaheim Angels, and later for the Seattle Mariners.

David Prowse

July 1, 1935 – November 28, 2020

David Prowse was an English bodybuilder, weightlifter, and character actor in British film and television. He physically portrayed Darth Vader in the original Star Wars trilogy and a manservant in Stanley Kubrick's 1971 film A Clockwork orange. Prior to his role as Darth Vader, Prowse had established himself in the United Kingdom as the Green Cross Man in the Green Cross Code road safety public information aimed at children.

Prowse played a circus strongman in Vampire Circus (1972), a minotaur in the Doctor Who serial “The Time Monster” (1972), and an android named Coppin in The Tomorrow People (1973). He appeared in Space: 1999 and the Terry Gilliam film Jabberwocky (1977). He played Frankenstein’s monster in Casino Royale (1967), The Horror of Frankenstein (1970), and Frankenstein and the Monster from Hell (1974). Prowse was made an honorary member and honorary leader of the 501st Legion, a fan group dedicated to Star Wars costuming, in 2002.

Denny O'Neil

May 3, 1939 – June 11, 2020

Denny O'Neil was an American comic book writer and editor from the 1960s-1990s, principally for Marvel Comics and DC Comics. He was group editor for the Batman family of titles until his retirement. His best-known works include Green Lantern/ Green Arrow and Batman with Neal Adams. It was during this run that O'Neil co-created the villains Ra's al Ghul and Talia al Ghul. o'Neil spent several years in the 1990s teaching a writing for the comics course at Manhattan's School of Visual Arts.

Dorothy “D.C.” Fontana

March 25, 1939 – December 12, 2019

Dorothy “D.C.” Fontana was a script writer, story editor, and producer. Fontana was best known for her work on Star Trek. She wrote or co-wrote 10 episodes of The original Series, including “Journey to Babel,” which introduced Spock’s father Sarek and mother Amanda. She was essential to creating the backstory and culture of Spock’s Vulcan heritage. She also co-wrote the Star Trek: The Next Generation pilot “Encounter at Farpoint” with Gene Rodenberry, wrote episodes for Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, and was the head writer for Star Trek: The Animated Series.

Outside of Star Trek, her credits include The ABC Afternoon Playbreak, The Questor Tapes, Buck Rogers in the 25th Century, He-Man and the Masters of the Universe, The Six Million Dollar Man, Babylon 5, and Logan's Run. Fontana was a senior lecturer at the American Film Institute, teaching screenwriters, producers, and directors. She also wrote several novels, including The Questor Tapes and Vulcan’s Glory.

Though her pen name initially masked the fact that she was a woman, D. C. Fontana became known as one of the trailblazers for women writers in television, especially in science fiction.

Gene Wolfe

May 7, 1931 - April 14, 2019

Gene Wolfe was an American science fiction and fantasy writer noted for his dense, allusive prose. Wolfe is best known for his Book of the New Sun series. He was an industrial engineer for many years before retiring to write full time. Wolfe won the World Fantasy Award for life achievement in 1996. He was inducted by the Science Fiction Hall of Fame in 2007. The Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America named him its 29th SFWA Grand Master in 2012. The Damon Knight Memorial Grand Master Award was presented to Wolfe at the Nebula Awards in 2013.

Grant Imahara

October 23, 1970 – July 13, 2020

Grant Imahara was an American electrical engineer, roboticist, television host, and actor, best known for his work on the television series MythBusters. Imahara began his career at Lucasfilm, where he worked in the THX division as an engineer and in the Industrial Light & Magic division in visual effects. His work has been featured in films from franchises such as Star Wars, Jurassic Park, The Matrix, and Terminator.

Grant designed and competed with his robot Deadblow on BattleBots, and later returned as a judge.

He was the go-to guy for building and engineering all manner of electronic devices, from rocket sleds to robots for MythBusters. In 2010, he designed the animatronic robot skeleton Geoff Peterson to serve as a sidekick on The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson. Imahara also dabbled in acting, which included a recurring role as Hikaru Sulu in the fan created web series Star Trek Continues (2013). He also appeared in Eureka, Sharknado 3: oh Hell No!, and Star Trek: Renegades.

Sir Ian Holm CuthBert, CBE

September 12, 1931 – June 19, 2020

Ian Holm was an award-winning English actor, who began his stage career as a standout member of the Royal Shakespeare Company. He later transitioned into a successful and prolific screen career, earning critical acclaim. Some of his standout genre films are Alien, Time Bandits, Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan, The Fifth Element, The Lord of the Rings, Ratatouille, and Brazil.

J. A. Pitts

February 13, 1965 – october 3, 2019

J. A. Pitts was a local author living in Bellevue. He is best known for the Sarah Beauhall urban fantasy series which included the Gaylactic Spectrum Award winner Honeyed Words. He also published short fiction, including a collaboration with Ken Scholes, starting around 2006, sometimes as John A. Pitts. Some of his short work was collected in Bravado’s House of Blues.

Jackie Cassada

1949 – December 29, 2020

Jackie Cassada was a writer and designer for World of Darkness and Dungeons & Dragons, also creating several fantasy books and short stories as well as game books. She also was a professional musician who played in three bands. She frequently collaborated with Nicky Rea on writing projects. Together Cassada and Rea worked on several games and releases from the mid-1990s onward, including many of the titles in the World of Darkness universe, such as Changeling: The Dreaming, Mage: The Ascension, and Werewolf: The Apocalypse.

Jeremy Andrew Bulloch

February 16, 1945 – December 17, 2020

Jeremy Bulloch was an English actor with a career spanning six decades. He gained recognition for originating the physical portrayal of Boba Fett in the Star Wars franchise, appearing as the character in The Empire Strikes Back (1980) and Return of the Jedi (1983). He returned to the franchise in a different role for 2005's Revenge of the Sith. He appeared in numerous British television series, including Doctor Who and Robin of Sherwood.

John Colicos

December 10, 1928 – March 6, 2000

John Colicos was a Canadian actor who performed on stage and television in the United States and Canada. In America he established himself as a science-fiction villain icon, portraying the first Klingon seen in the Star Trek franchise, Commander Kor, in “Errand of Mercy” (1967). He portrayed Count Baltar in the original Battlestar Galactica. over 25 years after his initial appearance in the Star Trek, Colicos reprised his role as the 140-year-old Kor in three episodes of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. Colicos played the voice of the X-Men villain Apocalypse/ En Sabah Nur in the animated X-Men television series (1993– 1995), and twice played rogue alien Quinn in the first season of War of the Worlds (1988-1989).

Keith Birdsong

July 14, 1959 - June 4, 2019

Keith Birdsong was a self-taught artist of Native American ancestry, known best for illustrating covers of Star Trek novels, usually depicting the various actors of the Star Trek television series and movies in a realistic manner. He did illustration work for Star Trek, the cyberpunk role-playing game Shadowrun, and children’s books. In addition to book covers, Birdsong's work has appeared in films and on collectors’ plates. Notable clients: United States Post office, Paramount Studios. NASA, Lucasfilm, De Laurentiis Studios, and Penguin.

Larry DiTillio

February 15, 1948 – March 16, 2019

Larry DiTillio began writing for television and movies in the 1970s. Larry DiTillio became a staff writer for the original He- Man and the Masters of the Universe series, writing most of the episodes and directing one. Larry wrote the film He-Man and She-Ra: Secret of the Sword, and created the original series bible for the spinoff show, She-Ra: Princess of Power. He was executive story editor of the science-fiction series Babylon 5 and wrote or co-wrote most of the episodes in the animated series Beast Wars.

During the screenwriter’s strike he wrote The Isle of Darksmoke (1984), the last multiplayer Tunnels & Trolls adventure. And with Lynn Willis, he wrote Masks of Nyarlathotep (1984), a world- spanning campaign for Call of Cthulhu.

Malcolm Dixon

September 1953 -April 9, 2020

Malcolm was an English actor best known as “Strutter” in the 1981 movie Time Bandits. He played many roles which took advantage of his 4-foot-1-inch height. Malcolm played an oompa Loompa in the 1971 Willy Wonka And The Chocolate Factory, a dwarf in Flash Gordon, a goblin in Labyrinth, Sleepy in a TV movie of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, and Leektar the Ewok in Return of the Jedi. He appeared in Willow and The Dark Crystal.

Martin Pasko

August 4, 1954 – May 10, 2020

Martin Pasko was a writer and editor in various media, including comic books and both live-action and animated television. Pasko worked for many comics publishers but is best known for his superhero stories for DC Comics over three decades. He wrote Superman in various media, including television animation, webisodes, comic books, and a syndicated newspaper strip for Tribune Media Services. He co-created the 1975 revamp of Doctor Fate. Some TV shows he wrote for were: The Tick, Batman, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Mister T, and Thundarr the Barbarian.

Max von Sydow

April 10, 1929 – March 8, 2020

Max von Sydow was an award-winning Swedish-French actor who had a 70-year career in European and American cinema, television, and theatre, appearing in more than 150 films, and several television series in multiple languages. Some of his films are: Flash Gordon, Minority Report, Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Dune, Never Say Never Again, Conan the Barbarian, The Exorcist, The Seventh Seal, and Robin Hood. His television credits include Game of Thrones, The young Indiana Jones Chronicles, Dark Kingdom: The Dragon King, and The Simpsons.

Michael J. Pollard

May 30, 1939 - November 20, 2019

Michael J. Pollard was an American character actor. Whereas most folks will remember him for playing C.W. Moss in the 1967 film Bonnie and Clyde, which earned him an Academy Award for best supporting actor, most of us in fandom will remember him as Jahn in the episode “Miri” in Star Trek, and as Stucky in Rob Zombie’s horror film House of 1000 Corpses.

Mike Resnick

March 5, 1942 - January 9, 2020

Mike Resnick was an award-winning science fiction author. He and his works were nominated for a Hugo Award 37 times, winning the award five times. His Hugo Award winners include his first nomination “Kirinyaga” (1988), “The Manamouki” (1990), “Seven Views of olduval Gorge” (1994), “The 43 Antarean Dynasties” (1997), and “Travels with My Cats” (2004). His most recent fiction nomination was for“The Homecoming”(2011). He was a finalist for 11 Nebula Awards, and won for “Seven Views of olduvai Gorge.” In all, he produced over 70 novels, more than 25 collections, hundreds of stories and articles, and edited over 40 anthologies. In 1995 he received a Skylark Award. Much of Resnick’s work was set in his sprawling future history Birthright Universe.

Mira Furlan

September 7, 1955 – January 20, 2021

Mira Furlan was a Croatian actress and singer. Internationally, she was best known for her roles as the Minbari Ambassador Delenn in the science fiction television series Babylon 5 (1993– 1998), and as Danielle Rousseau in Lost (2004–2010).

Morgan @oodward

September 16, 1925 – February 22, 2019

Morgan Woodward was an award-winning actor whose career spanned 40 years. He appeared in many movies and TV shows such as The X-Files, The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr., two episodes of Star Trek (“The omega Glory” and “Dagger of the Mind”), and three episodes of Logan’s Run. In Battle Beyond the Stars, he played the reptilian alien Cayman.

Mort Drucker

March 22, 1929 – April 9, 2020

Mort Drucker was an award-winning American caricaturist and comics artist best known for his five decades of contributions to Mad magazine, where he specialized in satires on feature films and television series. Big stars would say that you didn't feel you had made it in Hollywood until Mort Drucker had drawn you in Mad. In addition, he created album art, magazine covers, comedic coloring books, book illustrations, and movie posters, including one for American Graffiti, for which Drucker also drew the high school yearbook pictures in the film trailer.

Peter Mayhew

May 19, 1944 – April 30, 2019

Peter Mayhew played the Wookiee Chewbacca in all three of the original Star Wars films and partially reprised the role in 2015's Star Wars: The Force Awakens. Mayhew was working as a hospital orderly when he tried out for the part of Chewbacca. After wrapping the first Star Wars, he went back to work as an orderly and did not leave the job for good until the release of Return of the Jedi, becoming a favorite on the fan convention circuit.

René Auberjonois

June 1, 1940 – December 8, 2019

René Auberjonois was a prolific actor known to science fiction fan for his role in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine as the shape shifter Changeling odo. He also directed eight episodes of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. other credits include The Hindenburg, the 1976 remake of King Kong, The Little Mermaid, Batman Forever, Inspector Gadget, The Bionic Woman, Stargate SG-1, Warehouse 13, and The Legend of Tarzan.

Richard Herd

September 26, 1932 – May 26, 2020

Richard Herd was an American actor who appeared in the miniseries V and its 1984 sequel V: The Final Battle as John, the Visitors' supreme commander. other major roles included recurring parts in seaQuest DSV and Star Trek: Voyager, and guest appearances in The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr., Quantum Leap, and Star Trek: The Next Generation.

Rowena A. Morrill

September 14, 1944 – February 11, 2021

Rowena A. Morrill was the artist guest of honor at Norwescon 4. She was an award-winning American artist known for her science- fiction and fantasy illustration, and is credited as one of the first female artists to influence paperback cover illustration. Rowena quickly became one of fantasy and science fiction’s most popular artists, creating book covers for such authors as Anne McCaffrey, Philip K. Dick, Isaac Asimov, Samuel R. Delany, Theodore Sturgeon, Piers Anthony, and Madeleine L’Engle. Her paintings have appeared on hundreds of calendars, portfolios, and in magazines such as Playboy, Heavy Metal, omni, Art Scene International, and Print magazine. She received the World Fantasy life achievement award in 2020.

Robert Walker Jr.

April 15, 1940 – December 5, 2019

Robert Walker, Jr. was best known in fannish circles as Charlie in the Star Trek episode “Charlie X.” He appeared in both movies and television. His credits include: The Spectre of Edgar Allan Poe, Beware! The Blob, The Time Tunnel, The Invaders, The Six Million Dollar Man, and Death in Space.

Russ Rudesill

May 13, 1959 – July 1, 2019

Russ Rudesill was a Norwescon volunteer extraordinaire in video, logistics, and just about anything tech and was a listed member of the convention committee from Norwescon 17 through 28. Some called him the Techie’s Tech. He was a very creative, industrious builder of things at Norwescon. He loved getting the job done.

Rutger Hauer

January 23, 1944 – July 19, 2019

Rutger Hauer was an actor who played a wide range of character types. He was particularly known for portrayal of villains, battling Harrison Ford as a charismatic replicant in the science fiction classic Blade Runner, and the sadistic hitchhiker in The Hitcher. other movies include Dracula 3D and Ladyhawke. In his later years, the actor moved seamlessly between movies and television, including a role in the HBo vampire drama True Blood.

Sir Sean Connery

August 25, 1930 – october 31, 2020

Sean Connery was award-winning Scottish actor and producer. He was the first actor to portray fictional British secret agent James Bond on film, starring in seven Bond films between 1962 and 1983, starting with Dr. No. Some of his other movies include Zardoz (1974), The Wind and the Lion (1975), Robin and Marian (1976), Meteor (1979), outland (1981), Time Bandits (1981), Highlander (1986), Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989), Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves (1991), First Knight (1995), Dragonheart (1996) and The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen (2003).

Shelley D. Berry

June 14, 1957 – October 28, 2019

Shelley Berry was an active member of both the Puget Sound Star Trekkers and Norwescon. Shelley was most active in the early years of Norwescon and was a listed member of the convention committee for Norwescons 2, 3, 4, and 10. She attended Science Fiction conventions all over the country as well as Montreal and London. Upon hearing the song “Rasputin” at Moscon, she said we needed to play it at the Stardance (the old name for our Friday Night Dance), and we have been playing it ever since.

Steve Lightle

November 19, 1959 – January 8, 2021

Steve Lightle was an American comics artist who worked primarily as a penciller. Lightle drew various titles for both DC Comics and Marvel Comics, including Legion of Super-Heroes, Classic X-Men, and Doom Patrol. over the course of his nearly four decades, Lightle produced many iconic images, including a amazing wraparound cover for Spider-Man Saga #2. He also had an on-line comic series, Justin Zane. Lightle was a mentor to younger artists who believed in paying it forward by befriending and helping new talent. He was a popular guest at comic book conventions and liked talking with young aspiring artists.

Steve Stiles

July 16, 1943 – January 12, 2020

Steve Stiles was fan artist best known for his work on the post- apocalyptic dinosaur series Xenozoic Tales. He was nominated for the Hugo Award for best fan artist several times and won in 2016. He mostly freelanced for underground fan magazines such as the Kitchen Sink Press and Last Gasp, but his work was also published by DC Comics and Marvel. Mr. Stiles’ comic artwork ranged from the kid-friendly Mighty Morphin Power Rangers and Royal Roy to more adult titles such as Death Rattle, Bizarre Sex, and Anarchy Comics. His many books covers include Harry Warner, Jr.’s A Wealth of Fable and the 2002 edition of his All our yesterdays.

Susan “Sue” J. Bartroff

May 1, 1939 – November 24, 2020

It has been many years since Sue has been an active member of Norwescon but her impact on our convention is still with us. Sue became a member of Norwescon around Norwescon 8, bringing her two sons, who were already science fiction fans at a young age. As a mom she noticed that there was a need for a more organized way to watch over the youngest members, and saw they needed something more to do.

Sue was someone who didn’t just talk about doing something but believed in stepping up. Next year she joined the ConCom and laid out a plan that was the start of KidCon. Though Norwescon had to discontinue KidCon many years later, the parents and kids who took part have become lifetime participants of the convention and ConCom, who now bring their own children to the convention, our “Next Generation.”

Sue trained a wonderful staff who took over the reins of the department, allowing her to help in other ways. Sue served as program director, bringing more family-centered programming, and business manager, bringing more professional standards to the team. During the week, Sue was a fiscal specialist at the UW Department of Zoology and she was our favorite lay nun. Sue was deeply devoted to her faith and kindly and patiently suffered every nun pun that we could come up with, including my personal favorite “Nun on the Run.” For her work with Norwescon, she was awarded a lifetime membership. Thank you, Sue, for all you gave to Norwescon.

Syd Mead

July 18, 1933 - December 30, 2019

Syd Mead was a visual effects artist, futurist and industrial designer. He is best known for his concept art for sci-fi movies Blade Runner, Blade Runner 2049, Aliens, Tron, Star Trek: The Motion Picture, Johnny Mnemonic, Mission Impossible 3, Elysium, and Tomorrowland. In the 1990s Mead also supplied designs for Japanese anime series yamato 2520 and Turn A Gundam.

Tommy “Tiny” lister, Jr.

June 24th, 1958 – December 10, 2020

Tommy Lister Jr. was an American character actor and occasional professional wrestler. He played in both comedies and dramas, usually cast as the heavy. Ever since his birth, he had a deformed and detached retina in his right eye, causing permanent blindness. While at college, Lister recorded a 52 ft shot put throw, which helped to earn him a scholarship to California State University at Los Angeles. After college, Lister competed for the Converse Track Club, raising his shot-put mark to 64 ft 3 in. After trying out for the United States Football League, he opted to pursue acting.

Lister had numerous guest appearances on TV series, including playing Klaang, the first Klingon ever to contact humans, in the pilot episode of Star Trek: Enterprise. Lister's film roles included parts in The Dark Knight, Austin Powers in Goldmember, The Fifth Element, Zootopia, Rondo, and a lot of B-movies.

Vonda N. Mcintyre

August 28, 1948 - April 1, 2019

Vonda McIntyre was an American science fiction author who lived in the Seattle area. Her tales often featured female protagonists—among them a healer in a post-apocalyptic Earth who cures the ill with snake venom.

She wrote several Star Trek and Star Wars novels, including Enterprise: The First Adventure and The Entropy Effect. She wrote the novelizations for Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, Star Trek III: The Search for Spock, and Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home. In her novel, The Entropy Effect, she gave the Star Trek character Mr. Sulu the first name Hikaru, which later became canon within the Star Trek universe.

McIntyre won her first Nebula Award in 1973 for the novelette “Of Mist, and Grass, and Sand.” That story was incorporated into her 1978 novel Dreamsnake, which won a Hugo Award, as well as another Nebula. The Moon and the Sun earned McIntyre her third Nebula in 1998. An adaptation of The Moon and the Sun has been filmed and is pending release.

While taking part in a science fiction convention panel, McIntyre became exasperated at a fellow panelist's extreme negativity toward existing science fiction TV shows. She asked the panel and audience if they had managed to see Starfarers, which she claimed was an amazing SF miniseries that had almost no viewers due to bad scheduling on the part of the network. No such show existed, but after reflecting on the plot she described, McIntyre felt it would make a good novel, and went on to write Starfarers.

She founded the Clarion West Writers Workshop in Seattle, Washington, with the support of Clarion founder Robin Scott Wilson.

Artists

2021

Sana Takeda
Samuel Araya
Alan F. Beck
Belsac Leather Art
Lauren Blake Art
Laura Diane Cameron Art
Russell D. Campbell
Rob Carlos
Hannah Charlton
Sarah Clemens
Joy Day
Brenna Deutchman
Braden Duncan
Krister Eide
Lynne Fahnestalk
Heather M. Gamble
John Granacki, Master of Space and Time
Douglas Herring
Lizzy D. Hill
Theresa Mather
Shellay Maughan
R.R. Meisler
SunnyJim Morgan
Stanley Morrison Art
Nisnow
Brittany Otto
Dolan Pondsmith
Ragnarok Studio
Scarletrabbit
Steen Schuler
España Sheriff
Jeff Sturgeon
T.M. Originals
Tarot of Brass & Steam
Melissa Thomas
Priscilla Thomas Visual
Torres Fantasy Art
Raymond VanTilburg
Eric L Vargas
Zariqueen

Dealers

2021

Act Crafty
The Aeon Immortal
Angelwear Creations
Authors 4 Authors Publishing
Bashful Yammering Art and Design
Books & Chains
Jennifer Brozek Productions
Clockwork Dragon Books
D&D ChainMaille Creations
Dragondyne Publishing
Elleveve
Galactic Outsider
Geek Lolita
Elizabeth Guizzetti – Author
Tabitha Grow
Lizzy D’s Art
Monkey House Studio
Nemesis Gear
The OddPetz Emporium
Optimystical Studios
Offworld Designs
Pegasus Publishing
Purple Top Hat
Quinn & Bloom
Gretchen S.B.
Seldom Idle
SewCherie
Sinister Metalworks
Springtime Creations
TANSTAAFL Press
Varida P&R
Witch Way Books
The Woodland Wandolier

Norwescon Staff

2020 - 2021