Dates: July 29-31, 2016
Venue: Sheraton Pittsburgh Airport Hotel in Coraopolis, PA
Program Participants Music Concerts Photo Gallery
2016 Guest of Honor, Saladin Ahmed
Pittsburgh is a city of rivers, bridges, industry, and ideas – all of which occasionally run into conflict with one another. Those conflicts, and how they get worked out, make this city what it is.
When it comes to literary fantasy, Saladin Ahmed, our 2016 Guest of Honor, is no stranger to any of the above. His 2012 debut novel, Throne of the Crescent Moon, rides nicely in the main current of epic fantasy. But its author knows where that current came from, with all its twists and backwaters, and he also knows the modern takes on the old tropes, as well as the pitfalls that can come from thinking the next turn of the river will be just like the last one.
He is a builder of bridges and a crosser of ravines. Crescent Moon is set in a fantastic Middle Eastern realm that puts Robert E. Howard’s Shem or Stygia to shame; it’s a realm full of life as well as danger. Saladin introduces plots, tropes and villains many of us know from childhood, but he takes the next step and informs them with his own inheritance as an Arab-American, a science fiction writer, essayist, and poet – a man who clearly cares about the possibility of love, the need for justice, and the power of a cracking good yarn.
Our conference is named for the fact that rivers run together, taking something ancient and making it new. And Saladin Ahmed does that in spades. This year, we are celebrating epic fantasy, sword and sorcery, social media and writing techniques for authors, and (with a nod to Saladin) two of his favorite topics: religion in science fiction and fantasy, and non-western settings in SF/F. That doesn’t mean that we will be skipping science fiction and horror by any means! But swashbuckling is on the agenda and that puts a premium on a sharp wit, a quick sword, a generous and noble spirit, and the willingness to leave the heavy armor behind for the sake of derring-do. Plus a little magic. Definitely a little magic.
With that in mind, Confluence would like to welcome Saladin Ahmed as our 2016 Guest of Honor!
~The Confluence Committee
Featured Filk Guests, Jeff & Maya Bohnhoff
by Michelle Dockrey
Alright. I’ll be honest. Jeff Bohnhoff scares me. Well, he used to. I mean, come on. He never smiles! He hardly ever speaks, and if you’ve been to their concerts, you know he almost never sings. And he’s a writer and performer of extreme competence, which, let’s face it, can be pretty intimidating. Except once you get to know him a little, you find that only one of these things is true.
Jeff is an amazingly talented songwriter, a professional producer and engineer of both his own music and that of many others, an absolutely smashing guitarist, and an all-around nice guy to boot. He’ll improv an accompaniment for you in a circle if you happen to have misplaced your guitarist, and whip up a smoking guitar solo for your concert on a few hours’ notice. And he’s funny! As such a brilliant parodist would be. And – though it’s a well-kept secret – once in a while, with a little persuasion, he’s a charmer of a singer, too.
And then there’s Maya. Who sings, plays, composes, writes novels, and ably shepherds three kids around SF/fantasy conventions, even where she’s a writer and music GoH. (Well, okay. Jeff helps a little.) I met Maya at one of my very first filk circles. Knowing no filk myself and playing no instrument, I asked the circle at large if anyone with a guitar knew “By My Side” from Godspell – a favorite among harmony sluts like me. By a lovely stroke of luck, Maya was there, pulled out her guitar, and proceeded to make my day. I’ve been an adoring fan ever since. Fortunately for the rest of us singers, Maya loves to harmonize, and in addition to singing lead on the Bohnhoff repertoire, she adds her harmonies to many of the album projects that Jeff records at his Mystic Fig Studio. She also ends her fantastic voice to many a fellow performer in circles and concerts, adding rich, wonderful harmonies that I don’t get nearly enough opportunities to take advantage of.
Jeff and Maya first met in 1979, when Jeff joined Maya’s rock band. Somewhere among gigs in upscale yuppie bars and smoky biker bars (oh, right, those were the same bar) they got married, and eventually began performing as a duo. Nowadays, Jeff & Maya perform both classic rock parodies and original works, collected on their original CDs Manhattan Sleeps, Mobius Street, and I Remember the Rain, and parody CDs Retro Rocket Science, Aliens Ate My Homework, and Grated Hits. They’ll make you swoon with songs of hauntingly beautiful imagery, and moments later that same haunting voice will sing lyrics that make you fall out of your chair. (It’s happened. I’ve got witnesses.)
I’ve come to know this delightful couple and their musical family through mutual friends, con appearances, and musical work together. Beyond being wonderful to listen to and fabulously entertaining to watch, the Bohnhoffs are just great people whom it’s an absolute joy to know.
Once in a while, Jeff still scares me a little.
But don’t tell him, okay?
Special Klingon guest, Lawrence M. Schoen
also known as Lawrence M. Schoen
by Jeff Mierzejewski
If fictional characters had enforceable rights to whatever makes them memorable, Lawrence M. Schoen, our 2016 Klingon special writer guest, would be in serious trouble. Because the most memorable things about his stories turn out to be a large part of what you’ll remember about Lawrence.
I first ran into Lawrence at a Washington, DC con called Capclave, some years back. He had a small
stuffed buffalo-dog of sorts riding on his shoulder, and by the time I left the con I was hooked on his
stories of The Amazing Conroy, stage hypnotist on the interstellar making-ends-meet circuit, and the
nuclear-waste-chewing buffalitos that made him a very wealthy man. Like Conroy, Lawrence seems
to make a habit of trying a bit of everything. Like Reggie the Buffalito*, he has a taste for dining out.
And he may not be able to read minds like the Arconi from whom Conroy… ahem… acquired his
meal ticket, but he’s parlayed an early interest in psycholinguistics into a Ph.D. in cognitive
psychology, his own (therapeutic) hypnotherapy practice, and the management and teaching of
Klingon as the founder and head of the Klingon Language Institute. Still, I didn’t expect the elephants. Perhaps I should have.
Because Lawrence is the most truly helpful raconteur of words and thoughts I’ve had the pleasure to
hang around with, at SF conventions or elsewhere. He runs parties for the “San Marino in 2019”
Worldcon bid out of his hotel room, and uses the proceeds to get other authors in print. He operates
Paper Golem press, ditto, and has also done (so the grapevine says) a great deal of behind-the-scenes
work on behalf of his fellow authors in the Science Fiction Writers of America. He is ubiquitous, social,
and helpful. He has big ears and a big heart.
So when I finally had a chance to read his novel BARSK: The Elephants’ Graveyard – which deals with
oppression, the nature of communication, understanding across species, life and death – it was clear as
anything that Lawrence had found the story he really wanted to tell, a story that incorporated a world
of viewpoints as wide as the range of authors he interviews for his blog, Eating Authors. (Despite its
name, no actual authors are eaten in the course of producing this blog. So far as we know.)
Make no mistake, there is Klingon in Lawrence M. Schoen; he can be in dreadful earnest even when
he accompanies it with a booming voice and a wide smile. Listen to the stories he tells, and make up
your own mind. Chat him up, preferably with a spare Diet Coke in hand. You will find it a
memorable experience.
Note well: Reggie is a fictional buffalo dog that belongs to The Amazing Conroy, a fictional character. The buffalito that occupies Lawrence’s shoulder is named Barry. Do not confuse the two. You Have Been Warned.
Lawrence M. Schoen holds a Ph.D. in cognitive psychology, been nominated for the Campbell, Hugo, and Nebula awards, is a world authority on the Klingon language, operates the small press Paper Golem, is a hypnotherapist specializing in authors’ issues, and writes science fiction and fantasy about life, death, and the continua between the two. His novel BARSK was just nominated for the 2016 Nebula awards!
Special Music Guest, Steve Goodie
Steve Goodie is, in all modesty and candor, the genius of our age. Comedian, writer, singer, director and producer, Steve was a founding member of Monty Python and has written scripts for Sid Caesar, Woody Allen, Mahatma Gandhi, Matt Groening, and Queen Elizabeth (for which he was knighted in 1972 at the unprecedented age of six). The Beatles credit much of their fame to his early studio work, during which he developed their recording sound with his apprentice, George Martin.
His film scores and theatre work need no introduction, and he became a household word with his ground-breaking recording of The Biggest Belch In The History Of Man. It is a tribute to his humility that, on the suggestion of his long-time fan and sometime paramour Liz Taylor, he entered the Federal Witness Protection Program and began a new career, “to level the playing field,” as he put it, “for the other idiots trying to make it in Show Business.”
Under this new identity, Steve (who hails from Nashville, TN) has recorded 26 albums of comedy material, including a dozen or more tunes about the Harry Potter universe. His tunes have been played on The Dr. Demento Show over 250 times, as well as on morning-show radio throughout the country. He is a longtime core member of The Funny Music Project (www.thefump.com).
Steve’s appearance at Confluence will be limited to Friday, July 29, only.”
Program book cover and t-shirt artwork by Nancy Janda and Jennifer Hykes
Entertainment: Improv routine by U.S.S. Improvise (whose members were Patricia Campbell, Ciarán Ó Conaire, Karen Forney, John Gonzales, Remy Porter, and Alex Rudzki, but not all of whom attended)
Triangulation: “Beneath the Surface” Editor: Jamie Lackey
What lurks beneath the surface? Is it oil formed from the corpse of an ancient horror? A lonely mermaid, or a selkie with a stolen skin? Or is it an android’s feeling, but mechanical heart? Within these pages, you’ll find angels and monsters, revenants and a fish with teeth, and aliens, both fearsome and friendly. Delve into the depths with us.
Visit Parsec Ink for more information.
Parsec short story contest: None
Sound technician: Mark Peters and Roberta Slocumb
Photo Gallery
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Program Participants
Saladin Ahmed, our Guest of Honor, is the author of the Locus Award-winning novel THRONE OF THE CRESCENT MOON, which was nominated for the Hugo, Nebula, and British Fantasy awards, and praised by George RR Martin as ‘a rollicking swashbuckler.’ His short fiction has been nominated for multiple awards and translated into numerous foreign languages. His essays have appeared in Salon, Buzzfeed, Gizmodo, and the New York Times. He lives near Detroit at the mercy of his twin kindergartners.
Lawrence M. Schoen, our writing special guest, holds a Ph.D. in cognitive psychology, been nominated for the Campbell, Hugo, and Nebula awards, is a world authority on the Klingon language, operates the small press Paper Golem, is a hypnotherapist specializing in authors’ issues, and writes science fiction and fantasy about life, death, and the continua between the two. His novel BARSK was nominated for the 2016 Nebula awards.
Award-winning author Danielle Ackley-McPhail has worked both sides of the publishing industry for longer than she cares to admit. Currently, she is a project editor and promotions manager for Dark Quest Books. She and her husband, Mike McPhail, have recently started their own press, eSpec Books. Her published works include five urban fantasy novels, Yesterday’s Dreams, Tomorrow’s Memories, Today’s Promise, The Halfling’s Court: and The Redcaps’ Queen: A Bad-Ass Faerie Tale, and a young adult Steampunk novel, Baba Ali and the Clockwork Djinn, written with Day Al-Mohamed. She is also the author of A Legacy of Stars, The Literary Handyman, and is the senior editor of the Bad-Ass Faeries anthologies, Dragon’s Lure, and In an Iron Cage. Her work is included in numerous other anthologies and collections. She lives in New Jersey with husband, Mike McPhail, mother-in-law Teresa, and two extremely spoiled cats. To learn more about her work, visit www.especbooks.com or www.sidhenadaire.com.
J.D. Barker is the international bestselling author of Forsaken (Hampton Creek Press, 2014) – a finalist for the Bram Stoker Award for Superior Achievement in a Debut Novel, the expertly crafted tale twists both past and present into a fast-paced, suspenseful ride which has earned him comparisons to Stephen King, Dean Koontz, and John Saul. His latest novel, The Fourth Monkey, is set for release in spring 2017. In addition, he has been asked to co-author a prequel to Dracula by the Stoker family. Barker splits his time between Englewood, FL, and Pittsburgh, PA, with his wife, Dayna.
Michelle Markey Butler is a Lecturer at the University of Maryland, where she teaches medieval literature, Tolkien, Harry Potter, and contemporary fantasy. Her research foci are ‘amateur’ literary criticism on the web and medieval drama. She will someday finish that book about the transition from direct address to soliloquy in medieval and early modern drama. She is the author of SF/F stories, a historical fantasy novel, Homegoing (Pink Narcissus Press, 2014), and a historical novel about Viking-age Ireland, The Last Abbot of Linn Duachaill (with Jess Barry, S&H Publishing, 2015). More information about her historical fantasy is at michellemarkeybutler.com; for her historical fiction, norseandirish.wordpress.com. Unwilling to waste hard-won material, she blogs about parenting at heirraising.wordpress.com. You can read which of her children won the Grossocity Olympics. Pro tip: Not near meal-time.
Defrocked-biochemist-turned-science-writer Ken Chiacchia’s first pro SF sale was “A Technical Fix,” Cicada, 2002. Subsequent short stories include “Tribute,” Oceans of the Mind; “And Yet It Moves,” Paradox; “The Rescue Contact,” Cicada; “Victim,” From the Trenches; and “The Humanoid Element,” Cicada. He ’s also contributed several stories to the Triangulation series. Ken’s poem “Casualty” garnered a 2007 Rhysling Poetry Award nomination.
Ken works a day job as the senior science writer at the Pittsburgh Supercomputing Center. His work as a nonfiction science journalist has won a number of awards, including the Carnegie Science Center Journalism Award and several Golden Quill Awards from the Press Club of Western Pennsylvania. The unskilled labor for his wife’s 26-acre farm in Harmony, Pa., Ken also is a sidekick of the dogs who find lost people and (literally) chases after brushfires with the Harmony Volunteer Fire Company.
Ade Conway
Dr. Eric Leif Davin is the author of Pioneers of Wonder: Conversations with the Founders of Science Fiction (Prometheus Books, 1999) and Partners in Wonder: Women and the Birth of Science Fiction, 1926-1960 ( Lexington Books, 2006). His short stories have appeared in such anthologies as Jerry Pournelle’s Far Frontiers (Baen Books), The Fantastic Civil War (Baen Books), and Mike Resnick’s Galaxy’s Edge. His story, “Icarus at Noon,” appeared in The Year’s Best Military SF and Space Opera (Baen Books), June, 2015. His story, “Twilight on Olympus,” appeared in The Year’s Best Military and Adventure Science Fiction (Baen Books), June, 2016. He is also a two-time winner in the Parsec short story contest, including First Place the first year of the contest. Damnation Books published his debut novel, The Desperate and the Dead, in 2014. The sequel, The Scarlet Queen, will appear in 2016.
John DeRiggi – As a Senior Character Artist at Schell Games, I love sculpting and painting characters of many types, from realistic to stylized. Over the last 10 years, past games include character art for clients such as Disney/Pixar, Microsoft, Legendary Pictures, Amplify Education, and more. My skill set includes organic and hard surface character sculpting for games and film, concept sculpting, the high to low res pipeline, material and texture creation, and an additional background in skinning, rigging, animation, and character design. I also helped to streamline the character art pipeline for Carnegie Mellon University’s Alice software, the popular educational tool directed by Randy Pausch, which is used around the world to teach computer science through storytelling. As an instructor over the years, I have also taught at CG Society, The Art Institute of Pittsburgh, Carnegie Mellon University, and ITT Technical Institute. Check out my work at www.johnderiggi.com!
Susan Dexter: Once–long ago–I scrounged old diaries to write my first novels. Once, I was a mid-list Del Rey author., Now, I am an Indie Author/Publisher. I have both backlist and previously unpublished works available on the Kindle and Nook platforms, and physical books for sale through Createspace and Wildside Press. Last year, I helped Farm & Dairy celebrate their 100 Year Anniversary by writing an article on what F & D meant to me in exactly 100 words. Want more? Visit my website CalandraEsdragon.com, and follow my blog there, Take Up the Quest.
Barbara Doran: I am the author of “Claws of the Golden Dragon”, a Fantasy pulp with SF overtones published by Airship 27. Although I write mainstream fantasy primarily, I discovered New Pulp when I visited a local Pulpfest in Columbus. Talking to Ron Fortier at Airship 27 about some of the books he published, and the comics he’d written (Green Hornet, among others), it occurred to me that I might have a decent pulp story in me. He expressed some interest and I decided to give it a go. Inspired by “The Green Hornet” TV series, I wrote Claws that fall and by mid spring, Ron had accepted it. I’ve been working on pulps for him ever since. (My Sinbad short will be appearing in Airship 27’s fifth volume of that series in the near future.) Aside from writing, I am a former artshow director, a former anime club president and a former programmer. I’m also the mother of two very lively sons and the wife of a long suffering engineer.
Timons Esaias is a satirist, poet and writer of short fiction, living in Pittsburgh. His works have appeared in sixteen languages. He has been a finalist for the British Science Fiction Award, and won the 2005 Asimov’s Readers Award for poetry. His work appeared this last year in Asimov’s and Analog. He teaches in Seton Hill’s Writing Popular Fiction MFA Program.
Sarah Goslee wants to know everything and then write about it. Science was an obvious career choice, being the best way to learn things that nobody else knows. Writing science fiction was only a short step behind: figuring out fictional things is nearly as satisfying as figuring out real ones. If vampirism were a viable career choice, Sarah would eagerly trade her soul for more time to learn things.
Chet Gottfried: A freelancer in book production for forty years, I live with my wife, Sue, and our three ex-feral cats, in State College, Pennsylvania. I’m an active member of SFWA, with stories in Jim Baen’s Universe, Aboriginal SF, and Isaac Asimov’s SF, along with a large variety of stories in small press and online publications. In 1984, Space & Time published my novel The Steel Eye to start its book line. Thirty years later, and ReAnimus Press has published my new fantasy novel, The Gilded Basilisk. In May 2014, ReAnimus also published my YA fantasy novel, Einar and the Cursed City, which won first place in the Editors & Preditors 2015 readers poll for YA books. June 2015 should see a sequel to Einar . . . My website lookoutnow.com features over a thousand pages that cover nature photography, cartoons, and games, as well as travelogues from trips to the UK Lake District, Iceland, and the U.S. Southwest. My public FB page is https://www.facebook.com/gildedbasilisk.
By day, J. L. Gribble is a professional medical editor. By night, she does freelance fiction editing in all genres, along with reading, playing video games, and occasionally even writing. Her debut novel, STEEL VICTORY, was her thesis novel for Seton Hill University’s Writing Popular Fiction graduate program in Greensburg, Pennsylvania. Previously, she was one of the co-editors for FAR WORLDS, a speculative fiction anthology. She lives in Ellicott City, Maryland, with her husband and three vocal Siamese cats. Find her online (www.jlgribble.com), on Facebook (www.facebook.com/jlgribblewriter), and on Twitter and Instagram (@hannaedits). She is currently working on more tales set in the world of Limani.
Elektra Hammond emulates her multi-sided idol Buckaroo Banzai by going in several directions at once. She’s been involved in publishing since the 1990s—now she writes, concocts anthologies, reviews movies for buzzymag.com & edits science fiction for various and sundry. When not freelancing or appearing at science fiction conventions, she travels the world judging cat shows. Her latest story “Salamander BItes,” can be found in Temporally Out of Order edited by Joshua Palmentier and Patricia Bray. Elektra lives in Delaware with her husband, Mike, and the well over a dozen cats of BlueBlaze cattery. She can be found on Facebook (Elektra Hammond), Twitter (elektraUM), LiveJournal (elektra_h), and building up her website at http://www.untilmidnight.com.
Julie Holderman has been telling stories since before she could print, dictating adventures to dutiful parental scribes. An Alpha participant at the beginning of the program and a staff member almost ten years later, she’s been learning about and teaching writing for over half her life. She studied writing and history as an undergraduate, and is currently seeking an MFA in Popular Fiction from Seton Hill. Coordinating author of The Spy’s Guide to Tortall, which will be published in late 2017.
Alan Irvine is a professional storyteller based in Pittsburgh. He performs at schools, libraries, museums, and festivals throughout the region.He particularly loves ghost stories – his Irish Ghost Stories at the Pittsburgh Irish Festival are standing room only every year. His Pittsburgh Walking Tours are highlighted in Lonely Planet’s USA guide book. He has several CDs of incredible stories (probably on him right this minute if you want to buy one!) His recording of the Irish epic “The Cattle Raid of Cooley” recently won the Storytelling World Gold award for Best Story for Adults. He wrote and directed The Compleat Guide to Murder and Mayhem by Will Shakespear and The Murder of Gonzago for Brawling Bard Theater. Both plays have been performed at the Pittsburgh Fringe Festival. Alan is currently working on a middle-grade fantasy novel. Oh yes, he also teaches Sociology at Robert Morris University.
Larry Ivkovich is a former IT professional and the author of several published science fiction, fantasy and horror short stories and novellas. He has been a finalist in the L. Ron Hubbard’s Writers of the Future contest and was the 2010 recipient of the CZP/Rannu Fund Award for fiction. His debut urban fantasy novel, The Sixth Precept, was published in 2011 by IFWG Publishing, and his fantasy novel, Blood of the Daxas, was published by Assent Publishing in 2014. He is a member of two local writing/critique groups—the Pittsburgh Worldrights and WorD, and lives in Coraopolis, PA with his wife, Martha, and cats, Trixie and Milo.
Alan Katerinsky has been a fan all his life, but started attending conventions in 1972. He is the son of First Fandom’s Rickey Slavin, and is full of old-timey anecdotes, among other things. Al has had several short stories and poems published, as well as a book chapter in A Handbook of Research in ICT Policy. With Herb Kauderer, he co-hosts the Internet podcast Orthopedic Horseshoes. Formerly a National Science Foundation Scholar at SUNY Buffalo, and later a Security Research Analyst at the FTC, Al currently teaches Computer Security and Information Assurance at Hilbert College.
Herb Kauderer is a retired Teamster who grew up to be an Associate Professor of English at Hilbert College in Hamburg, NY, and holds an MFA in Creative Writing from Goddard College. Along the way he wrote a super low-budget indie film that somehow opened opposite ‘Iron Man 3’ at the local arts cinema. He has sold about 25 short stories, 1000 poems, 9 poetry collections, and a lot of other stuff, much of it related to SF/F/H. He has not missed a Confluence in over twenty years.
William H. Keith, the Confluence 2014 Guest of Honor, has published over 100 novels, mostly military SF and geopolitical thrillers, and has appeared on the New York Times bestseller list several times–unusual for the mil-SF ghetto. During his career, he’s written thrillers with Stephen Coonts, a spy novel with a real DoD spy, and an SF comedy with B-5’s Peter Jurassik. He is perhaps best known for his extremely alien aliens, though recent works have focused more on the technological singularity, mega-engineering, and the remote future. He lives in the woods of western Pennsylvania with his editor wife and numerous non-human sophonts.
A bestselling Science Fiction/Fantasy author and speaker, Chris Kennedy is a former naval aviator with over 3,000 hours flying attack and reconnaissance aircraft, an elementary school principal and an instructional systems designer for the Navy. Chris is also a member of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America and the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators. Called “fantastic” and “a great speaker,” he has coached hundreds of beginning authors and budding novelists on how to self-publish their stories at a variety of conferences, conventions and writing guild presentations.
Brian Koscienski developed his love of writing from countless hours of reading comic books, losing himself in the different worlds and adventures within the colorful pages. He had minor successes early in his career by getting a few short stories published in independent ’zines, but found more success in partnering with Chris Pisano. As a writing team, they have had stories, articles, graphic novels, and poetry published, as well as two novels, The Shattered Visage Lies by Post Mortem Press and The Devil’s Grasp by Sunbury Press.
Geoffrey A. Landis is a writer and a scientist. He has won the Hugo and Nebula awards for best science fiction, and was recently named the recipient of the 2014 Robert A. Heinlein Award “bestowed for outstanding published works in science fiction and technical writings that inspire the human exploration of space.” He is also the author of the novel Mars Crossing and the story collection Impact Parameter (and Other Quantum Realities). Outside of science fiction, Dr. Landis is a scientist at the NASA John Glenn Research Center, where he works on advanced technology for future space missions. He is a member of the science team for the Mars Exploration Rovers, and a fellow of the NASA Institute of Advanced Concepts. More can be found on his website, http://www.geoffreylandis.com.
Mary Soon Lee was born and raised in London, but now lives in Pittsburgh where she is working on an epic fantasy in verse. The opening poem, “Interregnum,” won the 2014 Rhysling Award for best long poem, and the first book of the epic (“Crowned,” Dark Renaissance Books, 2015) has been nominated for the Elgin Award. Several of the poems may be read at http://www.thesignofthedragon.com.
Barton Paul Levenson has a degree in physics. Happily married to poet Elizabeth Penrose, he confuses everybody by being both a born-again Christian and a liberal Democrat. His work has appeared in Marion Zimmer Bradley’s Fantasy Magazine, ChiZine, Cricket, Cicada, the New York Review of Science Fiction, and many small press markets. His novel The Celibate Succubus is available from Barking Rain Press, and can also be purchased through amazon.com or BN.com. Barton was banned from entering the Confluence Short Story Contest again after winning first prize two years in a row.
Timothy Liebe is the husband of and Site Administrator for popular YA fantasy novelist Tamora Pierce, as well as her co-author on Marvel Comics’ White Tiger miniseries. As an actor, he appeared in original audio productions for NPR and the Pacifica Network; in audio dramatizations of Robert Heinlein’s the Star Beast, Shannon Hale’s Enna Burning, Geraldine McCaughrean’s myth retellings of Odysseus, Theseus, and Hercules, and in Tamora Pierce’s Circle of Magic series, The Will of the Empress, and “original audio novel” Melting Stones; as well as in cult classic movies Shock! Shock! Shock! and Attack of the Killer Tomatoes. As an independent video/filmmaker, he has helped directed and produce numerous independent projects. He is still helping to co-write The Tortall Companion Guide.
Brea Ludwigson, a recovering technical writer/editor and intermittent poet, is an unabashed fan of the Oxford comma and inveterate critic of the greengrocers’ apostrophe. Her main contribution to the science fiction world is keeping Bill Keith’s office and website running more-or-less smoothly.
Anne Marie Lutz is the author of two fantasy novels: Color Mage and its sequel, Sword of Jashan. She has also had short stories published in Locothology 2013, and the Columbus Creative Cooperative’s anthology, For the Road. She lives in central Ohio. You can find her online at annemariesblog.wordpress.com, or on Twitter (@color_mage).
Jim Mann is a long-time fan and con runner and a sometime editor for NESFA Press. Volumes he edited include collections of Cordwainer Smith, William Tenn, John W. Campbell, Anthony Boucher, and James Blish.
Gail Z. Martin writes for Orbit Books and Solaris Books. Her work includes The Ascendant Kingdoms Saga — Ice Forged, Reign of Ash and the brand-new War of Shadows; The Chronicles of The Necromancer series, The Fallen Kings Cycle series, plus urban fantasy series Deadly Curiosities, and the new steampunk series Iron and Blood: A Jake Desmet Adventure which is set in an alternative history Pittsburgh, plus two ebook series of monthly short stories.
Author and graphic artist Mike McPhail is member of the Military Writers Society of America; he is dedicated to helping his fellow service members (and those deserving civilians) in their efforts to become authors, as well as supporting related organization in their efforts to help those “who have given their all for us.” He is best known as the editor and illustrator of the award-winning Defending The Future series of military science fiction anthologies. www.defendingthefuture.com In 2015 he added the title of small-press publisher, as the co-owner of eSpec Books LLC (www.especbooks.com).
Award-winning author Christie Meierz writes space opera and science fiction romance set in an empathic civilization on the edge of a dystopic Earth empire. Her published works include her PRISM award-winning debut novel, The Marann, and her most recent book, Farryn’s War, which was released in September 2015. Christie now lives in Pittsburgh with her mathematician husband and an assortment of stuffies. When she’s not writing, she writes about writing on her blog, Meierz Musings, and Facebook, where she welcomes comments and friend requests. Find out more at christiemeierz.com.
Much to his embarrassment, Bernie Mojzes has outlived Lord Byron, Percy Shelley, Janice Joplin and the Red Baron, without even once having been shot down over Morlancourt Ridge. Having failed to achieve a glorious martyrdom, he has instead turned his hand to the penning of prose, in the pathetic hope that he shall here find the notoriety that has thus far proven elusive. In his copious free time, he co-edits and publishes Unlikely Story (www.unlikely-story.com).
Born in 1947, James Morrow has been writing fiction ever since, as a seven-year-old living in the Philly suburbs, he dictated “The Story of the Dog Family” to his mother, who dutifully typed it up and bound the pages with yarn. Upon reaching adulthood, he produced ten novels of speculative fiction, including the critically acclaimed Godhead Trilogy. He has won the World Fantasy Award twice (for Only Begotten Daughter and Towing Jehovah), the Nebula Award twice (for “The Deluge” and City of Truth), and the Sturgeon Memorial Award once (for Shambling Towards Hiroshima). In recent years Jim has written historical fiction informed by a fantastika sensibility, including The Last Witchfinder (about the birth of the Enlightenment), Galápagos Regained (about the coming of the Darwinian worldview), and a novel-in-progress dramatizing the A.D. 325 Council of Nicaea. A collection, Reality by Other Means: the Best Short Fiction of James Morrow, appeared last year from Wesleyan University Press.
Kathryn Morrow is a veteran bookseller and lifelong fan. Her adventures in SFF include being Phil (William Tenn) Klass’s advisee at Penn State, and twice the T.A. for his pioneering course on the Literature of Science Fiction. She served on the ParaCon Committee beginning in 1980 and worked on two Worldcons: ConStellation in 1983 and ConFederation in 1986. With her husband James Morrow, she wrote the lesson plans for The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings found on the Houghton Mifflin website. Kathy and Jim also co-edited The SFWA European Hall of Fame, published in 2007. More recently, she coordinated book sales for the 2011 and 2012 Nebula Weekends. She has written several reviews for NYRSF and hopes to return to criticism soon; meanwhile, she maintains an ongoing interest in researching the history of SFF.
Charles Oberndorf is the author of three science fiction novels and five shorter works. A recent story, “Another Life,” was chosen for Best SF #15, edited by David Hartwell and Kathryn Cramer. He is currently at work on two thematic sequels to that story as well as stories set in the Hundred Worlds milieu of “Oracle” and “Writers of the Future.” Charlie is also working on a biographical novel about Abe Osheroff, a carpenter who fought in the Spanish Civil War, built a community center in Mississippi during Freedom Summer and housing for a farm cooperative in a contra-infested region of Nicaragua in 1985. Charlie lives with his wife. He teaches English at University School in Cleveland, Ohio. He is the recipient of an Ohio Arts Council Grant and of a major fellowship from the Community Partnership for Arts and Culture. A video put out by CPAC featuring Charlie can be found here: http://www.vimeo.com/21115821.
Andi O’Connor is the award-winning author of the fantasy series The Dragonath Chronicles, The Vaelinel Trilogy, and The Legacy of Ilvania. Her novel, Silevethiel is the 2015 Best Indie Book Award winner for Science Fiction/Fantasy, the 2015 New Apple Official Selection for Young Adult, and was named to Kirkus Reviews‘ Best Books of 2013. Her short story “Redemption” is a 2014 Kindle Book Awards Semifinalist. Andi has been an exhibitor and guest panelist at cons throughout the country including the Rhode Island Comic Con, Philcon, WizardWorld, Conclave, and Chessiecon. She is a contributor for SparkLife by Barnes & Noble where she provides writing tips, advice, and insight on her career as an author. She is a member of the National Writers Association and the Boston chapter of the Women’s National Book Association. You can connect with Andi on her website at http://www.andioconnor.net or on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/oconnor.andi.
Tamora Pierce has published 28 novels and a short story collection in many languages, in addition to co-writing White Tiger: a Hero’s Compulsion for Marvel Comics together with her husband, Timothy Liebe, and an episode of Legends of Red Sonja together with Gail Simone, Nancy Collins, and others for Dynamite Comics. In 2013 she received the Margaret A. Edwards Award for Lifetime Achievement. She and Tim live in Syracuse, NY, with a population of rescued cats, indoors and out, and two very suspicious parakeets. These days she is working on The Gift of Power and The Exile’s Gift, the tale of a gawky wizard’s coming-of-age set in her Tortall universe. For more information, visit www.tamorapierce.com.
Christopher J. Pisano was discouraged from reading H. P. Lovecraft by his 10th grade English teacher. Being naturally disobedient, Chris has been a fan of Lovecraft and all Gothic written things ever since. As a writer, he had a few successes with poetry before teaming up with Brian Koscienski and forming Fortress Publishing Inc. The newest Fortress release, TV Gods, an anthology that pulls mythological entities into our favorite TV shows, was released in May 2014. The Devil’s Grasp, a fantasy novel by Christopher J Pisano and Brian Koscienski, is slated to be published in September by Sunbury Press.
Chris Rickert is the owner of Rickert & Beagle Books in Dormont where she loves to talk about Science-Fiction, Fantasy and Horror with her customers. She is also the maker of many fantastic and horrible hand-crafted dolls and jewelry.
A. M. Rycroft is a dark fantasy and horror author, blogger, and writing coach. She is a Pittsburgh native, an alum of the University of Pittsburgh, and Kennywood enthusiast. She published her first full-length dark fantasy/horror novel last year (Into the Darkness), and followed it up with a dark fantasy/vampyre novella (The Taming) in June. Her work has been compared to the works of David Eddings and Stephen King.
Darrell Schweitzer is the author of about 300 published stories, and three novels, The White Isle, The Shattered Goddess, and The Mask of the Sorcerer. Some of his collections include Transients, Refugees From An Imaginary Country, Nightscapes, The Emperor of the Ancient Word, and the recent Awaiting Strange Gods, his first collection of explicitly Lovecraftian fictions, from Fedogan & Bremer. His work has appeared in Twilight Zone Magazine, Amazing Stories, Galaxy, Interzone, and many anthologies, including the Black Wings series. He has been nominated for the World Fantasy Award 4 times (and won it once) and was also a Shirley Jackson Award finalist in 2009 for the novella Living with the Dead. He was co-editor of Weird Tales for 19 years, and has edited or co-edited anthologies, including Tales from the Spaceport Bar (with George Scithers), Full Moon City (with Martin H. Greenberg), Cthulhu’s Reign, The Secret History of Vampires, That Is Not Dead, and Tales from the Miskatonic University Library (with John Ashmead). He has published books on Lord Dunsany and H.P. Lovecraft, written much non-fiction for The New York Review of Science Fiction and elsewhere, and is also the author of a classic in its field, The Innsmouth Tabernacle Choir Hymnal.
Michelle D. Sonnier writes dark urban fantasy, some horror, and even a little steampunk when it catches her fancy. She is fond of using traditional folklore and fairytale in her work and giving it a new spin for a new age. She has a short story collection, Charmed City: 13 Tales of the Peculiar and Obscure in Baltimore, out and several new projects under way. She lives in Maryland with her husband, son, and a fluctuating number of cats.
Bud Sparhawk has published one mass market paperback novel: VIXEN (Cosmos, ISBN 978-08439-5945-1, 2008) and two print collections: SAM BOONE: FRONT TO BACK (Foxacre Press, 2001) and DANCING WITH DRAGONS (Wildside Press, 2008). He has three e-Novels available through Amazon and other channels. His novel DISTANT SEAS is available from Amazon and other booksellers as trade paperback and eBook. Bud has been a three-time novella finalist for the Nebula award. His work has appeared in two Year’s Best anthologies: YEAR’S BEST SF #11 (David Hartwell, editor) and The Years Best Science Fiction, Fourteenth Annual Collection (Garner Dozois, editor). Bud’s stories appear frequently in Analog Fact/Fiction, Asimov’s, as well as in four Defending the Future and other anthologies, publications and audio books. A complete complete bibliography can be found at: http://budsparhawk.com. He resides in Annapolis and writes a weekly blog on the pain of writing at budsparhawk.blogspot.com.
Andrew Swann is the pen name of Steven Swiniarski. He’s married and lives in the Greater Cleveland area where he has lived all of his adult life. He has a background in mechanical engineering and— besides writing— works as a Database Manager for one of the largest private child services agencies in the Cleveland area. He has published over 20 novels since 1993. Currently he is working on the Dragon* series for DAW books; Dragon•Princess (May 2014), Dragon•Thief (April 2015) and Dragon•Wizard (due May 2016).
Thomas Sweterlitsch is the author of the novel Tomorrow and Tomorrow, and the forthcoming novel Libra, both from Putnam Books. He lives in Pittsburgh with his wife and daughter.
John Alfred Taylor: 84 year-old Professor Emeritus. Latest publications: “The Steeple People” in Bloodlite III and “Chromotophores” in Asimov’s, four horror shorts in Demonic Visions. Quietly proud of how icky the latest one there is. New short story just accepted by Asimov’s and novelette/novella accepted by Analog.
Mary Turzillo: My Nebula-winner, “Mars Is no Place for Children,” and my Analog novel An Old-Fashioned Martian Girl are recommended reading on the International Space Station. I have been a finalist on the British SFA, Pushcart, Stoker, Dwarf Stars and Rhysling ballots. My forthcoming book, Sweet Poison, a collaboration with Marge Simon, just came out from Dark Renaissance. My poetry collection Lovers & Killers won the 2013 Elgin Award for Best Collection. I’m working on a novel called A Mars Cat and his Boy. I live in Berea, Ohio, with my scientist-writer husband, Geoffrey A. Landis.
Denise Verrico is a New Jersey native who grew up in Western Pennsylvania. She’s the author of the Immortyl Revolution urban fantasy series published by Crazy Duck Press. Denise is a roller coaster fanatic and currently resides in Ohio with her husband, son, and flock of spoiled parrots.
Albert Wendland writes science fiction and teaches at Seton Hill University in the Master of Fine Arts in Writing Popular Fiction, which promotes genre fiction exclusively (SF, fantasy, horror, mystery, romance, YA). His SF novel, The Man Who Loved Alien Landscapes, was published by Dog Star Books, and he’s currently working on a prequel. He’s published a study of science fiction, several articles on SF, and a chapter in the writing anthology Many Genres, One Craft. He’s interested in astronomy, geology, film, graphic novels, landscape photography, and “the sublime.”
Christopher Weuve is one of the founding members of BuNine (David Weber’s Honorverse technical support team), and currently serves as BuNine’s President and Designated Extrovert. A professional naval analyst and wargame designer, Chris spent six years at the Center for Naval Analyses (where he first noted that the Combat Information Center of an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer would make an excellent starship bridge), and then five years on the research faculty of the US Naval War College, specializing in the use of wargaming as a research tool. Outside the day job, he was the “military expert” for the Discovery Channel’s “Curiosity (Alien Invasion)” show, and is (to the best of his knowledge) the only person ever interviewed (twice!) by the journal Foreign Policy about science fiction warships.
Jeff Young is a bookseller first and a writer second – although he wouldn’t mind a reversal of fortune.
He received a Writers of the Future award for “Written in Light,” which appears in the 26th L.Ron Hubbard’s Writers of the Future Anthology. He’s been published in: Realms, Neuronet, Trail of Indiscretion, Cemetery Moon, The Realm Beyond, eSteampunk, and Carbon14. Jeff has contributed to the anthologies By Any Means, Best Laid Plans, In an Iron Cage: The Magic of Steampunk, Fantastic Futures 13, Clockwork Chaos, and the upcoming anthology The Society for the Preservation of C.J. Henderson. He is the editor for the Drunken Comic Book Monkey line for Fortress Publishing as well as the anthology TV Gods. He has led the Watch the Skies SF&F Discussion Group of Camp Hill and Harrisburg for fourteen years.
Additional Music Concerts by:
Jeff and Maya Bohnhoff, Fred Capp & Robin Baylor; Mattie Brahen; Errand of Mercy; The Faithful Sidekicks (Eric and Jen Distad); Jane Garthson; Gabrielle Gold; Kari Maaren; Michael McFarland; and Phil Mills. Notes: First concert by Jane Garthson. First out-of-area concert by Errand of Mercy.
Music Schedule:
FRIDAY, JULY 29
| 4:00 – 4:50 p.m. | Filk Mad Libs: Randy Hoffman |
| 5:00 – 5:50 p.m. | The Annual Pegasus Nominations Discussion: Randy Hoffman |
| 6:00 – 6:50 p.m. | Concert: Michael McFarland |
| 7:00 – 7:50 p.m. | Concert: Gabrielle Gold (backed by Jeff Bohnhoff) |
| 8:00 – 8:50 p.m. | Concert: Fred Capp and Robin Baylor |
| 9:00 – 9:25 p.m. | Meet our guests! |
| 9:30 – 11:00 p.m. | Special Guest Concert: Steve Goodie |
| 11:00 p.m. – ? a.m. | Open filking |
SATURDAY, JULY 30
| 12:00 – 12:50 p.m. | Concert: Jane Garthson |
| 1:00 – 1:50 p.m. | Concert: Errand of Mercy |
| 2:00 – 2:50 p.m. | Concert: Mattie Brahen |
| 3:00 – 4:00 pm | Break for Guest of Honor presentation |
| 4:00 – 4:50 p.m. | Concert: Phil Mills |
| 9:00 – ~10:30 p.m. | Featured Concert: Jeff and Maya Bohnhoff |
| ~10:30 pm – ? a.m. | Open filking |
SUNDAY, JULY 31
| 12:00 – 12:50 p.m. | Concert: The Faithful Sidekicks |
| 1:00 – 1:50 p.m. | Concert: Kari Maaren |
| 2:00 – 5:00 p.m. | Dead Dog open filking |
| ~6:00 – ~10:00 p.m. | Undead Dog filking at an undisclosed location in the hotel |
Signing for select concerts by Judi Miller.