Geek Discussion Guests, Pros, and Panelists
MisCon 37
Discuss anything and everything related to science fiction, fantasy, or horror. This includes Opening and Closing Ceremonies and 2 kinds of panels: 1. Panelist led discussions of topics, and 2. Group discussions of topics. Come have fun talking about cool stuff.
- Dystopia Rising
- Eekie and Snow Cosplay
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Montana natives Eekie and Snow are ready to help you create and conquer the costumes of your imagination. Eekie has been an active performer for 6 years and a costumer for 10 years: crying and sewing her way through many an event and creation. She specializes in cosplay that can be worn for performance purposes whether it be for dance, music, or LARP as well as thermoplastics and EVA foam armor. Snow has been an active costumer and prop builder for 4 years. She specializes in working with thermoplastics, craft/EVA foam, and electronics to bring an otherworldly flair to the design. They have been a team for the past 6 years and look forward to sharing their passion with you.
- House Dragon
- Kimberly Arends
- 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.
- Carol Berg
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Former software engineer Carol Berg (aka Cate Glass) never expected to become an award-winning author. But her seventeen epic fantasy novels have won national and international awards, including multiple Colorado Book Awards and the Mythopoeic Fantasy Award. She’s taught writing in the US and Canada and received reader mail from the slopes of Denali and beneath the Mediterranean. All amazing for one who majored in math and computer science to avoid writing papers. Her newest novels are Cate Glass’s fantasy adventure Chimera novels from Tor Books, most recently A Conjuring of Assassins. Carol/Cate lives in Colorado at the foot of the Rockies, and on the internet at www.carolberg.com.
- Pete Berg
- Jessica Brannum
- 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.
- 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.
- Dragon Dronet
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Dragon Dronet is a weapon specialist, armorer, actor, prop master, and Sith Lord who has worked in Hollywood for decades. He appears as Darth Malgus from the video game Star Wars the Old Republic.
Dragon has build props for tv shows and movies such as Spiderman No Way Home, Dr Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, Heroes, Lost, True Blood, Star Trek: The Next Generation, Total Recall, RoboCop 2, Batman Returns, Eraser, Alien: Resurrection, MacGyver, Alien Nation, Space Rangers, The X-Files, Babylon 5, and Earth 2, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Star Trek: Voyager, Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country, Star Trek: First Contact, (among many others).
- Nicole Edington
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Nicole is MisCon's Pro/Panelist Liaison, works on the schedule, and manages our Green Room.
- Bozeman Paranormal Elies Adams
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I am a paranormal investigator that has investigated about 10 years now. I’m also a cosplayer and run various other groups.
- 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.
- Manny Frishberg
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Manny Frishberg has been making up stories since he first stared out a window. He spent the first half of his life learning how to write them and the second half learning what to write about, He is now spending the third half of his life making up stories, just like when he was eight years old.
- David Gerrold
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David Gerrold is the author of over 50 books, hundreds of articles and columns, and over a dozen television episodes. He is a classic sci-fi writer that will go down in history as having created some of the most popular and redefining scripts, books, and short stories in the genre.
TV credits include episodes from Star Trek ("The Trouble With Tribbles" and "The Cloud Minders"), Star Trek Animated ("More Tribbles, More Troubles" and "Bem"), Babylon 5, Twilight Zone, Land Of The Lost, and Logan's Run.
He has won both Hugo and Nebula awards for his fiction.
- 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.
- James Hayes
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My name is James Hayes I have participated in many types of "Conventions" for many years. I am very diverse and have many interests. Growing up I heard the saying "Time is Money" and I had way more time than money so I taught myself to do many things. Here's a small list; Juggling, Drumming, Cosplay, Sausage making, Brewing, Riddles, Poetry, Filking, Jewelry making and the list goes on and on. (if you want to know ask , I'll bore you for hours)I am a Master Brewer and have moderated panels on Brewing Cosplay, and Riddles as well as Drumming and Juggling for about ten years now. Before that I was in the S.C.A. for twenty years and before that the I.J.A. ( International Juggling
- James Jones
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Head of a magical family, Lord Alden Blackhand is a performing magician, historian and master machinist. When not on stage or performing mystifying close-up magic, Alden is busy manufacturing and designing mechanical wonders. Metalworking, blacksmithing, gunsmithing and inventors’ prototyping are his fields of specialization, from hand-cut gears to unique structures of precision detailed steel. Decades of experience ranging from massive machines to delicate silversmithing allow Alden to design and build tools, weapons and costume accessories that make metal dreams become real. (Check out his clockwork wings!)
- MaryAlice Jones
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Magician, writer, costumer and general herder of cats, kids and mystic beings, Madame Azira brings a perspective born from years of experience in many fields.
Performing with Jones Family Magic, Azira explores the eerie and mysterious with a magical and sometimes dangerous flair. - Sir. James Jones
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Jones family and Timeless Magic co, provides magic shows, side-shows, and variety style entertainment to all of Montana and the surrounding area.
Together with our sister company, Sound Geeks DJ and Sound, Jones family magic and timeless magic team is dedicated to providing top quality shows and jaw dropping feats! We perform at private parties, corporate events, fundraisers, and just about anywhere our talents are appreciated.
www.facebook.com/SoundGeeksdj
Www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=604144553057203&tsid=0.9939258735022249&source=result - Tess Langston
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Tess Langston is the creator and owner of ShadowCast Studio where she self publishes her online graphic novels, creates graphic designs, traditional and digital art. She graduated from the University of Montana with a B.F.A in Media Arts Animation and was awarded the Outstanding Senior Award in her field. Since 2012 she has been publishing her work professionally including a short comic for Apostrophe magazine, 'Anime Asylum' on some-stories.com,'Coffee Ghost' shorts, and is currently working on her newest work 'Legend Catcher' at legendcatcher.com. On stage she has been known to do standup comedy for Cheeky Geeky Vaudeville and short skits with fellow performers.
- John Logan
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John Logan has an unabashed zeal for all things comic book. He has been an avid reader, collector, and scholar of the graphical narrative for the last 20 years. This has earned him a spot as a Miscon Panelist/Moderator a number of times. He is currently writing his first novel which is a sci/fi noir murder mystery. His other passions include the education of teenage children and the local history of his hometown, and current residence, Salmon, ID.
- Tobias McCurry
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Tobias McCurry is the founder of Spring Heeled Studios, a Seattle-based company specializing in prop making, entertainment, and event production. With a background in a range of genres, including Steampunk and Post-Apocalyptic, Tobias is known for his attention to detail and immersive approach to storytelling. He gained fame through his appearance on the TV show Steampunk'd, and continues to create memorable experiences for fans of all things geek.
- Byron McKoy
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Byron runs MisCon's Film Festival.
- Danith McPherson
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Danith McPherson is often distracted from her writing by snowshoeing, kayaking, and star gazing. In keeping with her Scottish heritage, she is a kilt maker, and proudly wears McPherson tartan, especially at science fiction and fantasy conventions.
Her novels include the YA fantasy Blade of Mad Vision, adult fantasy Monarch of Lightning, and mystery novel Averted Vision. Her stories have appeared in The Year’s Best Fantasy and Horror, Asimov’s Science Fiction Magazine, Amazing Stories, Revolution SF, & other places. Some of them are collected in Roar at the Universe. A second book of short stories, Through the Wall, will be out soon.
She's a member of the Science Fiction Writers
- Theresa Miller
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Theresa Miller spent most of her childhood in an imaginary world full of magic, fairies, secret gardens and fantastical feasts. Now she plants her own gardens, cooks her own feasts, searches the mountains for signs of fairies and writes about magic. She has attended Miscon since 2011 and participated in the writers workshop for eight years. She won an honorable mention in the Writers of the Future contest with her short story “Westward to the Wastelands,” and a silver honorable mention with a story she co-wrote with Eric Stever, “The Norka.”
- Bridger Nichols
- Richard Pirtle
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Just a nerd who loves reading, monopoly, turtles, and watching jeopardy.
- Robert J. Sawyer
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Robert J. Sawyer has won the best-novel Hugo Award (for Hominids), the best-novel Nebula Award (for The Terminal Experiment), and the John W. Campbell Memorial Award (for Mindscan), as well as the Robert A. Heinlein Award, the Hal Clement Award, the Skylark Award, and more Canadian Science Fiction and Fantasy Awards (“Auroras”) than anyone else in history. Rob is a member of The Order of Canada, the highest honor bestowed by the Canadian government, and he will be an Author Guest of Honor at this year’s Worldcon in Chengdu. The ABC TV series FlashForward is based on his novel of the same; his latest novel is Oppenheimer Alternative. Website: https:sfwriter.com.
- D.L Solum
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D.L. Solum is the author of the upcoming series: Persephone in Seattle.
I currently live in Seattle but will always be from Butte, Montana. A lifelong collector of odd friends and odder hobbies, including – armoured medieval combat, fishing, hunting and computer games.
I run the South Seattle Fiction Writers group and am intermediate-level competent with the Scrivener program.
This latest obsession with writing Epic-Urban Fantasy is made possible via the encouragement and tolerance of my life-partner, Kate.
- Lee Stahl
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As far as MisCon is concerned, Lee considers himself "Keith's shadow" since he helps in Operations throughout the convention. He also runs both the Scotch Tasting and the Mead Tasting.
- Peter Wacks
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Peter J Wacks has always been amazed and fascinated by both writing and the absurdity of the world in general. Peter writes a lot, and will continue to do so till the day he dies. Possibly beyond.
- Krista Wallace
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Krista is a writer, musician and actor. She writes novel length and short fiction, primarily in the fantasy genre, but some of work turns out to be science fiction, romance, or even crime. She writes in a closet in Port Coquitlam, BC. She has stories published in Pulp Literature magazine, electricspec.org, Heart's Kiss magazine, and the Aurora nominated anthology 49th Parallels.
- Jim Wright
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Jim Wright is a retired US Navy Chief Warrant Officer and freelance writer. He lives in Floridaa where he watches American politics in a perpetual state of amused disgust. He's been called the Tool of Satan, but he prefers the title: Satan's Designated Driver. He is the mind behind Stonekettle Station. You can follow him on Twitter @stonekettle, or you can join the boisterous bunch he hosts on Facebook at Facebook/Stonekettle. Remember to bring brownies and mind the white cat, he bites. Hard.
