Guests, Pros, and Panelists
MisCon 39
- MisCon Electronic Gaming
- Jeff Arends
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Jeff teaches math, IT, and cybersecurity at the Missoula College. He does enjoy some gaming, but can't seem to find time for it any more.
- Kimberly Arends
- Lynn Bailey
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Lynn, or Lil Snik Snak graduated with a major in Costume Design and Technology. She often jokes that costuming is her only life skill but also has hobbies in poetry, history, fashion, and performing. Snak proudly invites everyone to follow and join Zootown Tea and Missoula Cosplayers to get in on the Missoula costuming scene! For more details or to ask questions about cosplay feel free to ask her in person at Miscon!
- John Barba
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John Barba is a local Missoula artist & cosplayer who got into MisCon and fandom at MisCon 27 because his kid runs MisCon and he couldn't escape it any longer.
In both his art and cosplay, he works mostly with sheet metal, leather, fiberglass, and paint. Most of his artwork is the old art of chasing and repousse.
He has created a number of memorable costumes, including Indiana Jones, Iron Man, Magneto, a Cylon, Stan Lee, Robocop, Rorschach, Jango Fett, and the Rocketeer. In creating these costumes, he uses a variety of things, including pepakura, 3D printing, metalworking, leatherworking, & builds small electronics for light and sound.
- Justin Barba
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Justin Barba came to his first MisCon as a freshman in high school in 1991 (it was MisCon 6!). It was held at what is now the Wren Missoula, just a block from the Holiday Inn. Little did he know that years later he would end up agreeing to help work the hospitality room for MisCon 21. Then he took on managing the writer's workshop, then MisCon Operations, Vice Chair, then Chair. Now he spends all his time planning MisCon, trying to be a good person/husband/father.
- Mary Beth Barba
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Mary Beth is a member of Dark Moon Fusion, a local Missoula Bellydance Troupe. She used to work in MisCon's Art Show, and for the past few MisCons has been helping out at the Info Desk in the Atrium.
- Erin Baucom
- Jason Benner
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General Manager of "Muse Comics and Games." I GM several game demos and manage our store's table in the merch room.
- Jason Benner
- Chris Blazer
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Chris has long helped make MisCon happen, especially working in costuming.
- Andrea BoguschPerkins
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Andrea runs the MisCon Art Show.
- Brandon Bryant
- Becky Cass
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Becky is MisCon's Vice Chair (and has been for years). You'll probably see her running around the convention putting out fires.
- C.J. Cherryh
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CJ Cherryh is a renowned American science fiction and fantasy author. With over 70 novels and numerous short stories to her name, she is best known for her intricate world-building and complex characters in series like "Morgaine," "Foreigner," "Chanur," and "Fortress." A former educator in Latin and the classics, Cherryh's writing often explores political, social, and cultural dynamics within her fictional universes. A recipient of three Hugo Awards, she was also honored with the title of Damon Knight Memorial Grand Master by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America (SFWA) in 2016.
- Clay Cooper
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An Army brat, Clay Cooper earned his Eagle Scout at 16 and graduated high school in Frankfurt, Germany.
He did a 4 year stint in the US Air Force as a mechanic on F-117 Stealth Bombers, then joined the US Army. He retired as an Infantry Platoon Sergeant First Class. He served on various combat deployments and peacekeeping missions on 4 continents.
He studied energy technology at the University of Montana. His interests include urban gardening, re-purposing things, and firearms. He gives panels at conventions as a modern armed combat advisor, specializing in helping writers and GMs make their stories more realistic.
- Casey Renee Cosplay
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Casey Renee is an award-winning cosplay artist known for her exceptional skills in sewing and working with soft materials. Her journey into the world of cosplay began in June 2013. Starting with a modest $80 sewing machine and a pile of fabric, Casey taught herself the art of costume making through YouTube tutorials and sheer determination.
Over the years, she has developed a unique style that often combines historical costuming with beloved Disney characters, creating magical and intricate designs. Her dedication to her craft has earned her numerous accolades, including the Grand Prize at TwitchCon 2018 for her stunning Sakizou
- Katie Cross
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Katie Cross grew up in the mountains of Idaho, where she still loves to play when she gets the chance.
Her mission is connect women with their best selves, to seek the divine in each one of us, and to prove that we can love ourselves—and accomplish all—despite opposition.
If she's not writing, you can find her traveling, adventuring with her kiddos, trail running with her husband and vizla dogs, or curled up with a good book and a cup of chai.
- Nicole Edington
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Nicole wears many hats in the convention. During the con you'll find her managing the Green Room, but she also is on the Film Festival, Programming, Game Day, and Room Party teams.
- Amber Edwards
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Geeky gamer girl who is 99.9% certain that she is a Disney princess.
- Henry Edwards
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- Kyle Elliott
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Kyle Elliott, a Seattle native, has been building gaming communities for the last decade online as well as off. His latest accolades include Volunteer of the Year for Paizo Publishing, and the first Campaign Service Coin Award. Professionally he has worked in the gaming industry as both an in house QA tester for AAA video game titles, and as a marketing and Kickstarter guide for the tabletop gaming industry. Chances are, you have pledged to at least one of the Kickstarters he has worked for.
Kyle served in Israel as a combat medic and designs, operates, imports, and wholesales fireworks from China, which has allowed him the chance to travel extensively throughout Asia.
- Stewart Fleming
- Diana Pharaoh Francis
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Diana Pharaoh Francis writes books of a fantastical, adventurous, and often romantic nature. Her award-nominated novels include The Path series, the Crosspointe Chronicles, the Diamond City Magic books, the Mission: Magic series, Putting the Fun in Funeral, and the Witchkin Murders. Her novels have been translated into German and French. She holds a Ph.D. in Victorian literature and literary theory, and an MA in fiction writing. She’s been teaching for more than 20 years. She’s a member of SFWA and NINC. She’s owned by two corgis and a blue healer, and likes rocks, geocaching, knotting up yarn, and has a thing for 1800s England, especially the Victorians.
- Gail Glass
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Gail is a retired recreational therapist who has done con costuming for 20 years as well as workshops on healing dance.
- James Glass
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Jim won the Golden pen award of wotf in 1991, has published ten novels and over sixty stories in magazines and anthologies. He is a retired physics professor and dean. His most recent novel, SYNTHS, came out in November of 2018.
- Rafael Hohmann
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Born in a castle dungeon in South America and moving to the United States at the age of six, Rafael Hohmann spent his young years reading, exploring abandoned mines, and drawing strategy maps to survive the oncoming zombie apocalypse. Writer of the best-selling dark fantasy trilogy The SunRider Saga, numerous short stories, and anthologies, he strives to write worlds filled with mysterious history, horrifying monsters, and delicious cuisine. Obsessed with fiction more so than reality, he writes epic fantasy and digitally paints monsters and soldiers. You can often find him gorging on sushi and playing video games late into the night.
- Esther Jones
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Esther is the owner of Impulsive Walrus Books, and the co-author of the Gift of Grace series and many other short stories with her husband, Frog. Esther has always loved creating fantastical stories, characters, and paintings. She loves cooking good food, watching k-dramas, and puttering around killing plants in her garden, if she's not already too busy killing her characters
- Frog Jones
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Frog Jones is the acquisitions editor of Impulsive Walrus books and the co-author of the Gift of Grace series, recently a featured project on the front page of Kickstarter. He has appeared in several anthologies and edited two, both published by Impulsive Walrus Books. He and his wife have been named a "Hidden Gem" by fantasybookreview.uk, and they're looking to become a little less hidden.
- Reid Jones
- Todd Lockwood
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Todd Lockwood is an illustrator and author, whose work has appeared on NY Times best-selling novels, magazines, video games, collectible card games, and fantasy role-playing games. It has been honored with multiple appearances in Spectrum and the Communication Arts Illustration Annual, and with numerous industry awards. Always known for the narrative power of his paintings, Todd's debut novel, "The Summer Dragon" was released by DAW Books to rave reviews, named by B&N and Amazon both on their shortlist of "Best Sci-Fi/Fantasy Novels of the Year." View his art at http://www.toddlockwood.com or get chummy at https://www.facebook.com/artoftoddlockwood
- Karl Mitchell
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Doing what I can to keep things going after dark.
- Jason Rocheleau
- Meagan Scruggs
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Hair and makeup artist: I can make you pretty or scary....or both!
- Steven K Smith
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Steven K. Smith, also known online as SKS Props, is an award-winning artist, fabricator, and owner of SKS Prop and Costume Supply. While he makes and sells professional-grade cosplay props and replica costumes, his goal is to teach people the techniques and fundamentals they need to create their own props and costumes.
Steve has uploaded over 200 instructional cosplay and prop videos to his Youtube channel, SKS Props, and is active in various Facebook cosplay communities.
- Jeff Sturgeon
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Jeff Sturgeon is a northwest artist known for his beautiful, award-winning metal paintings. His career spans over thirty years, coming up through the ranks as a young fan artist in the 80s to being hired in the first wave of computer game artists in the late 80s/early 90s. A long career in the 90s as an artist, animator, concept artist, lead artist, game designer, and art director followed most notably for Electronic Arts. He continued to paint and display his work at science fiction conventions around the country and created new cover and interior work for clients such as Harper Collins Publishing and NASA JPL.
- Zootown Tea
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Zootown Tea is a Missoula cosplay group dedicated to bringing our community together. We put on tea parties in the summer and photoshoots year round. We are so excited to hang out with your wonderful people!
- Dean Wells
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Dean Wells is an author, educator, and workshop leader. His published work has appeared in Queer Sci Fi, Beneath Ceaseless Skies, 10Flash Quarterly, and other fine venues of speculative fiction, including the anthologies Ink, Ceaseless Steam, and The Best of BCS. He has also written for the performing arts in various media, and is an active member of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Association. Dean and his wife live in the Pacific Northwest with a cat, rabbits, mountain beavers, and a socially indifferent family of raccoons.
- David Yake
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David Yake is a lifelong Northwest Resident. Majoring in Zoology after a lifelong study of wildlife, habitat and their connections, he is currently an employee of the Washington Department of Ecology, Seasonal employee of the National Park Service and pursuing his Master's in Wildlife Sciences. Alongside these passions is a love for Worldbuilding, Game Design, Paleontology, Theater and Live Action Role Play making for a true Jack of All Trades lifestyle.
