Guests of Honor

Come to MarsCon 2008 to see and hear
Actor of many (alien) faces Bill Blair
Artist Guest of Honor Jeff Easley
Author Guest of Honor Naomi Kritzer
Fan Guest of Honor C. Robert Cargill
Music Guest of Honor Hot Waffles

Our Woulda Been Shoulda Been Actor Guest of Honor was Erick Avari

Authors

Eleanor A. Arnason
Our 2007 Author Guest of Honor, Eleanor A. Arnason is an American author of science fiction novels and short stories. Her work often depicts cultural change and conflict, usually from the viewpoint of characters who cannot or will not live by their own societies’ rules. This anthropological focus has led many to compare her fiction to that of Ursula K. Le Guin. She lives in Minnesota. Eleanor is the author of five published novels, and a number of poems and short stories, and perhaps other things about which I’ve not been informed. She has received both the James Tiptree, Jr. award for “gender-bending SF,” and the Mythopoeic Society’s Mythopoeic Fantasy Award for the novel, A Woman of the Iron People, the Spectrum Award (for “Dapple”) and the HOMer Award (for “Stellar Harvest”). Also the Minnesota Book Award for Ring of Swords. Her earlier novels are: The Sword Smith, To the Resurrection Station, and Daughter of the Bear King. Her short stories include “The Warlord of Saturn’s Moons” (which has been reprinted several times), “The Lovers” (a preliminary nominee for awards in 1996), “Ace 167,” “The Hound of Merin,” and many others which have appeared in Orbit, New Improved Sun, Tales of the Unanticipated, Xanadu, A Room of One’s Own, New Women of Wonder, The Norton Book of SF, and other places.

S.N. Arly
St. Paul science fiction and fantasy writer, S.N. Arly has had short stories featured at FearsMag.com and in a limited edition DragonCon 2000 chapbook. She has received an honorable mention from the L.Ron Hubbard’s Writers of the Future contest. She is a member of two local critique groups, Guts and Rocks, and Pengames.

Ruth Berman
Ruth Berman has published fiction and poetry in many magazines and anthologies, including science fiction, fantasy, general, and literary publications. She is one of the co-authors of Autumn World by Joan M. Verba et al., and has written articles on sf/fantasy for many journals. Books she edited: Dear Poppa (MN Historical Society), The Kerlan Awards in Children’s Literature (Pogo Press), Sissajig and Other Surprises (short fantasy by Oz author Ruth Plumly Thompson). She is a longtime Twin Cities fan.

Cynthia Booth
Cynthia Booth is a published poet and playwright presently living in Hibbing, Minnesota.

Roy C. Booth
Roy C. Booth hails from Bemidji and Hibbing, Minnesota, and is a published author, comedian, poet, journalist, essayist, screenwriter/doctor, but is mostly known as an internationally award winning playwright with 40 plays published to date with over 560 productions of his work worldwide. His most recent projects include the dramatization of Brian Keene’s bestselling paranormal suspense novel, Terminal, a series of radio plays for BBC Radio 4, and various ongoing genre-based television/film deals.

Paula L. Fleming
A graduate of the Clarion workshop, Paula L. Fleming lives in Minneapolis with numerous fish, two large dogs, one cat, and one husband. She supports her family as a freelance copy editor. Her fiction and nonfiction have appeared in many venues, she maintains an online market list for SF writers, and she’s an active volunteer with Diversicon. Find her occasional blog at http://paulafleming.home.comcast.net..

Doug Hulick
Although he prefers the longer form, Douglas Hulick has published short stories in Marion Zimmer Bradley’s Fantasy Magazine and Shadis Magazine. He recently finished a fantasy adventure novel, Dust and Steel, which is making the rounds, and is hard at work on an urban fantasy book. When not staring at an empty screen (otherwise known as “writing”), Douglas is a full-time stay-at-home father who teaches historicial sword combat, likes to cook, and dislikes dusting. He has been a member of the Wyrdsmiths writer’s group for over a decade.

Walter H. Hunt
Our 2006 Author Guest of Honor, Walter H. Hunt has been writing for most of his life, both professionally as a technical writer in the software industry and as an author of fiction. In 2001, his first novel, The Dark Wing, was published by Tor Books; the second book in the series, The Dark Path, was published in 2003. The third book in the series, The Dark Ascent, was published in 2004, followed by the fourth book, The Dark Crusade, in 2005. He is also a contributor to the anthology Hal’s Worlds, dedicated to the late Hal Clement, with his first published short story “Extended Warranty”, drawn from the Dark Wing universe. He has a background in history, with a Bachelor of Arts degree from Bowdoin College in Brunswick, Maine, and he speaks two other languages (German and Spanish). A member of the Freemasons, Walter H. Hunt has served as Master of two different Lodges in Massachusetts, and has just completed a successful Master’s year in 2005-06. He and his wife and daughter are involved in a colonial reenactment group and attend Renaissance fairs whenever possible.

P M F Johnson
P M F Johnson has published dozens of poems, including genre poetry in Asimov’s and Tales of the Unanticipated, mainstream poetry in Threepenny Review and Nimrod, and haiku in Modern Haiku, Acorn and a couple international “Best Of” anthologies. Along with his wife, Sandra Rector, he has published stories in Amazing Magazine and several pro anthologies.

David Lenander
David Lenander of St Paul has served as moderator of the fantasy-book discussion Rivendell Group since shortly after its founding in late 1973 or early 1974. He Chaired Mythcon XXIV, as well as two Bree Moot small fantasy conventions; worked on the Minnesota Science Fiction Society Lecture Series in the ‘80s; has contributed extensively to Programming at several Minnesota and Wisconsin conventions; and maintains Websites for several local fantasy writers. His poetry and critical essays pertaining to fantasy fiction have appeared in markets including Mythprint and Tales of the Unanticipated.

Catherine Lundoff
Catherine Lundoff’s stories have appeared or are forthcoming in over 60 publications including So Fey: Queer Faery Stories, Time Well Bent: GLBT Alternate History, Periphery: Erotic Lesbian Futures, Farrago’s Wainscot, Khimairal Ink and Simulacrum. She is the author of two collections of lesbian erotica: Crave: Tales of Lust, Love and Longing (Lethe Press, 2007) and Night’s Kiss (Torquere Press, 2005) and editor of the forthcoming fantasy and horror anthology, Haunted Hearths and Sapphic Shades: Lesbian Ghost Stories (Lethe Press, 2008). She is also a contributor to Women in Science Fiction and Fantasy: An Encyclopedia (Greenwood Press, 2007). Her website can be found at http://www.visi.com/clundoff..

Rebecca Marjesdatter
Rebecca Marjesdatter is a past winner of the Rhysling Award for Speculative Poetry. Her work has appeared in Tales of the Unanticipated (TOTU), The Magazine of Speculative Poetry, the anthology Women of Other Worlds, and a future issue of Asimov’s. She is the current Poetry Editor of TOTU. She is a student in the MFA program for Creative Writing at Hamline University and lives in Minneapolis with two cats.

Kelly McCullough
Kelly McCullough’s first novel in the WebMage series, WebMage, was released by Ace in 2006 to considerable critical praise. A second, Cybermancy, followed in 2007 with MythOS, and Codespell, slated for ‘08, and ‘09 respectively. His short fiction has appeared in numerous venues including Weird Tales, Writers of the Future, and Tales of the Unanticipated. His illustrated collection, The Chronicles of the Wandering Star, is part of a National Science Foundation-funded middle school science curriculum, Interactions in Physical Science.

Sandra Rector
Sandra Rector has sold short stories to Dublin Quarterly Review, Black Petals and Pedestal Magazine. Along with her husband P M F Johnson, she has also sold stories to numerous anthologies and magazines such as Amazing Stories, Whatdunnits and Xanadu 2. Their story “A Dwelling in the Evening Air,” was nominated for a Theodore Sturgeon award. Her poetry has been published in Poetic Voices, Poetry Motel and Modern Haiku. She has sold numerous articles and essays to such publications as The Washington Post, Cooking Light and East/West. Previously she was an associate editor of Tales of the Anticipated. Currently she writes “Tuesday Tips,” a self help blog at Sand1.wordpress.com.

Jason D. Wittman
Jason D. Wittman lives and works in Minnesota.. In addition to having fiction published in SCIFI.COM, the hardcover anthology The Best of Baen’s Universe 2006, and Tales of the Unanticipated, he also has two games, Tile Chess, and Spooks, both published by Steve Jackson Games. Check out his website at www.sff.net/people/jasondwittman

Bryan Thao Worra
Bryan Thao Worra is a Laotian-American poet, writer, and journalist. Bryan was born Thao Somnouk Silosoth in Vientiane, Laos on January 1, 1973 during the Laotian Secret War (1954-1975). He came to the United States in July, 1973 as the adopted child of an American pilot working in Laos for Royal Air Lao. One of the most widely published Laotian writers, his work has appeared in the Bamboo Among the Oaks anthology, as well as Whistling Shade, Urban Pioneer, Unarmed, the Asian Pacific Journal and the Journal of the Asian American Renaissance, among many others.

Dementia Track Musicians

Rob Balder
Rob Balder is the creator of the clip-art comic strip Partially Clips, and the webcomic Erfworld, founder of the Funny Music Project (FuMP), Pegasus Award Winner (2007) for the title track of Rich Fantasy Lives, and a cheddar on cleavage aficionado. Time Magazine recently named Erfworld one of the Top Ten Graphic Novels of 2007. Rob writes and sings filk/comedy/parody songs, and has recorded two CDs. Rob’s songs have often been heard on the syndicated Doctor Demento Show. http://robbalder.com/

Eric Coleman
Eric has had the sort of career that would make most musicians hopelessly incontinent. His song “Bang My Bald Spot” was played on The Dr Demento Show a couple of times. He has songs featured on Highway 61 Folks Festival—4th Annual Songwriters Collection, and Laughter Is A Powerful Weapon Vol 2, where he is in the company of folks like Weird Al Yankovic. From the desolate wastelands of Iowa, Eric Coleman is here to folk you like a hurricane. http://eric-coleman.com/

Carrie Dahlby
The Carol Cleveland of the FuMP, Carrie returns with some beautiful arias about sleep deprivation and the continued existence of people who act like bungholes in our society. Carrie has performed for MarsCon before in the role of Buffy in 2006’s Buffy the Musical, and she is prominently featured in Luke Ski’s stage show in multiple roles, including the Princess Leia in Grease Wars. http://carriedahlby.com/

Host for the brand new MarsCon Dementia Fan Showcase at Karaoke Joe’s Café:
DJ Particle
DJ Particle is, since 1994, the stage, club, and radio alias of Emi Briet, a radio show host, sometime disc jockey and recent novelty music artist. Between May 1995 and August 1997, and since October 2005, she has been the host of Revenge of the Particle, which originally aired on WOMR-FM in Provincetown, MA and currently airs on Dementia Radio. Her Mad Music Dementia Top 20 Podcast is available Fridays on The Mad Music Archive. http://www.djparticle.com/

The Gothsicles
darkNES and DJ EYG have re-corporealized at MarsCon yet again to show you that Friday nights are made of Nintendustrial comedy goth rock at mind shearing volume. Darker than darkwave. Colder than coldwave. So cold, it’s frozen on a stick. http://thegothsicles.com/

Music Guest of Honor
Hot Waffles

Beth Kinderman
She’s just a humble slave in academia by day who morphs into a geek-folk singer-songwriter by night. (If you are wondering what geek-folk is, it’s pretty much just folk music performed by a person who is incapable of containing their dorkiness even when trying to be a rock star.) All Of My Heroes Are Villains will be available for purchase in March 2008. Beth is doing it Blues Brothers style and getting the band back together for her show this year! http://belovedporcupine.caligrean.com/

This year at MarsCon, be prepared for a different kind of storm…
Paul & Storm
Paul and Storm is an Arlington, Virginia-based comedic musical duo consisting of Paul Sabourin and Greg “Storm” DiCostanzo. They had formerly been half of the a cappella group Da Vinci’s Notebook. Paul plays keyboard and penny whistle and Storm is on the guitar. They are favorites of Dr. Demento. After being frequent guests on the Bob and Tom Show, they were invited to do a regular feature: a topical song of the week. Many of these have been collected on their album, News to Us.

In the Spring of 2007, they toured with Jonathan Coulton, with co-billing and usually opening the shows. Coulton co-wrote “Your Love Is,” which was recorded on their News to Us album. Their fans are affectionately known as Paul and Storm Troopers. You don’t even realize how lucky we are to have them! http://paulandstorm.com/

Possible Oscar
Possible Oscar is a Minneapolis, MN based comedy music act that specializes in original and parody songs. Their topics range from video games to nerd love, with stops at comic books and notable Hollywood movie sound effects. They also enjoy wearing T-shirts with their band name on them. Bud Sharpe and Marshall Stanton are ‘at the con’ once again, ready to bring the rocking geek thunder to Bloomington! http://possibleoscar.com/

Power Salad
A dementia veteran of the ages, Chris Mezzolesta returns to record another live album, like the one he did last year. Roric LaLeech does lyrics and ideas. He is indeed a real person (aka Craig Marks). Chris Mezzolesta takes care of voices and instruments, engineering and production. They are the creators of such hits as My Cat Is Afraid of the Vacuum Cleaner. Their new album, Cinnamony Sea Anemone was released in February 2008. http://powersalad.com/

Art Paul Schlosser
Elvis. Bono. Prince. Madonna. Most music legends go by just one name. Art Paul is so legendary, he needed two. He usually performs his own songs on an acoustic guitar and kazoo, electronic keyboard or ukulele. Come see the pride of Madison Wisconsin’s State Street and get your mind blown. http://www.myspace.com/artpaulschlosser

The Great Luke Ski
Our 2004 & 2005 Music Guest of Honor, otherwise known as Luke Sienkowski, he writes, records and performs comedy music on a variety of pop culture subjects. Luke has enjoyed repeated success on The Dr Demento Show. The Uber Geek, the Emissary Of Rap Dementia, Dr. Demento’s Most Requested Artist of the 21st Century, pawning the universe, receiving your worship, dating your Mom. Check out his new fan-video, Holding Out For Hiro, on his MySpace page. http://thegreatlukeski.com/

Sudden Death
By combining hip hop and comedy, Sudden Death has become one of the most popular acts on the Dr. Demento Show. Front man Tom Rockwell performs regularly all over the US. The undisputed king of rap dementia. Yeah, I said it. On last year’s Dr. Demento Funny 25 Countdown of 2007, Sudden Death had songs at #4, #2, and #1, and he was featured on #5. Any questions? http://suddendeath.org/

Worm Quartet!
Neither bad weather nor stupid airlines are going to keep the mighty ShoEboX (aka Rev. Timothy Crist) from tearing the Twin Cities a new wormhole with his synth punk comedy rock. Worm Quartet is characterized by wild logorrhea, taking words that might never have been in the same sentence before and forming odd images that flash past the listener’s ears but remain imprinted on their engrams. His sophomoric sense of humor is occasionally tempered by outrage. http://wormquartet.com/

Other Notable Presenters

Badria
Badria was first introduced to Middle Eastern Dance while working on her Theatre and Dance degree in Duluth. After moving back to Minneapolis, she started taking classes at the Cassandra School in 1994, and has been hooked on the music and movement ever since. While the majority of her studies have been with Cassandra Shore and Margo Abdo O’Dell, she has also trained in workshops with teachers such as Dalia Carella, Morocco, Ansuya, and Denise Enan. An organizer of the Egyptian Dance Group for the Festival of Nations, she is also currently the co-director of Zaharat.

Tom Draeger and Brandon Springer, Synapse Studios
Synapse Studios, founded by Tom Draeger and Brandon Springer, is a Minneapolis-based independent production company, specializing in fantasy, horror and now comedy. Synapse Studios as a whole is dedicated to “Bridging Imagination With Reality”. Though still starting out, their dedication and desire to create something unique and amazing with the tools available to them is unmatched. Their current project, the online comedy series Nerdz, tells of the misadventures of four technicians at the computer repair shop dubbed Nerdz. With only a few episodes out, Nerdz has quickly developed a devout and loving following of fans.

The Girard family
Beth, Becky and Jessie, present live animal programs for several organizations including the Wildlife Science Center (Forest Lake, MN) and Eco Education (St. Paul, MN). They will be on hand to answer those overwhelming questions you may have regarding the vertebrate classes. Invertebrates and animals from each of the five major vertebrate classes will be presented.

Eric Heideman
Eric M. Heideman is a public librarian living in Minneapolis. For many years he served as SF reviewer for the Minneapolis Star Tribune. He edits the long-running fiction antholo-zine Tales of the Unanticipated, and hosts Krushenko’s, a salon for people who like talking about speculative fiction, at MarsCon, Minicon, OdysseyCon, WisCon, CONvergence, Diversicon, and Arcana. On June 7 he will help launch a one-day Western convention, Con-Sarnit.

Ben Huset
Spends much of his efforts giving hands on multimedia presentations to K-12 school groups, home schools, science fiction conventions, including Marscon, Convergence and MiniCon and civic groups on various space topics. Helped staff and then trained and managed staff for space education displays in planetariums, malls, theater lobbies and conventions.

Past Director of MN Spaceweek. Helped coordinate display materials, manage display sites and trained and scheduled staffing. Helped staff NASA International Space Station display at MN State fair assisting visitors with hands on computer simulation displays. Created panel displays for Space Shuttle flights and ISS missions for local planetarium lobby and other venues, STS- 26 to current, often with realtime audio and computer world map displays.

Currently living with a wife, two teen-age kids and 6 cats and lots of computers.

Sensei Al Kilgore & Budokan
The word Sensei means “one who has gone before” In this world of proclaimed Masters, Sensei Kilgore serves as a mere guide along a path, one that he has been actively on for the past 27 years at the time of this writing. In his dojo, the focus of the training is on applied kenjutsu. With his base style of Shinkage Ryu, Sensei Kilgore brings the student along a vibrant, living path of spirited training and introspective understanding of what it means to be a swordsman in this age. His students embody the spirit and the path. The dedication to training and the patient guidance he offers makes him one of the best in his field.

The Twin Cities Budokan offers one of the most intensive kenjutsu training programs available anywhere. The dojo itself is a dedicated space that is not shared with another school or program. This is because the curriculum is comprehensive enough to warrant it. The interior of the dojo was designed to give the feeling of a garden and help immerse the student upon entry. The classes offer a refuge from a trying day and provide an outlet to much of the day to day frustration that so many of us carry with us in these times. The dojo is not just a beautiful place, it is a crucible that is home to personal struggles and triumphs. The very word “Dojo” means “Place of the Way” in Japanese.

The Twin Cities Budokan is a unique dojo that offers a unique training experience. There are no mirrors, but it is a place about the self. There are no flags or belts, but it is a place of justified pride. If you are interested in training in the art of kenjutsu, or would just like to see one of our training sessions, please, stop by and visit us, you are always welcome. http://www.twincitiesbudokan.com/

Craig R. Lang, MUFON
Our 2002 Featured Guest, Craig Lang is the coordinator of field investigation for Minnesota MUFON, the local chapter of the Mutual UFO Network. He investigates sighting and close encounter reports in the Twin Cities and surrounding areas. Craig is a Certified Hypnotherapist, with the National Guild of Hypnotists. His “day job” is as a computer engineer, working with an electronics firm in the Twin Cities. Mr. Lang has been interested in astronomy, ET life and UFOs since childhood. He is an amateur radio operator (KCØZH), and also dabbles in writing science fiction.

Jodi & Ky Michaelson, Rocketwoman & Rocketman
For the past ten years, Jodi Michaelson has been involved in the world of rocket powered vehicles. In 1995 she launched her home made rocket into the record books with an altitude of over 31,185 feet. In 2004 Jodi and Ky were members of the C.S.X.T., the first amateurs in the world to officially launch a rocket into space, with an altitude of 72 miles and a speed of 3,420 mph. Jodi has also set records on her rocket powered sled and rocket powered bike. She soon will be taking on a new challenge and that is to be the first woman to fly a Rocketbelt. Her husband since 1951, Ky Michaelson, ‘The Rocketman’, is currently building a belt for himself and is taking his experience from that project and others to re-design the whole rocketbelt concept, and to build a belt that will not only will be easier to fly, but will have a flight time of over a minute. This will revolutionize the whole concept of one person rocket flight, and will obsolete the current rocketbelt design. Ky has worked on over 200 films, television programs and commercials, as well as the majority of stunt specials that have been seen on TV over the past 30 years.

David E Romm
David E Romm, aka Baron Dave aka DavE, produces a radio show/podcast called Shockwave Radio Theater, now in its 29th year, specializing in science fiction humor. He has been going to science fiction conventions for so long he thinks it’s unnatural when people aren’t wearing nametags. He was Fan Guest of Honor at the 2004 MarsCon and they haven’t been able to keep him out off programming since. He takes pictures, gives backrubs, expounds on esoteric subjects and makes puns, often in combination. www.romm.org is one of the oldest web sites in the world and is still shiny.

R.P. Whalen (Rock & Roll Ray)
Known to some as The “Legendary” Rock and Roll Ray, R.P. Whalen has been on the entertainment scene since 1999 debuting as the lead actor/co-screenwriter in the feature film Go To Hell. Since then, R.P. has pursued filmmaking with his short subject This Is Bigfoot (2001), his 2nd short subject Weekend With Lloyd (2003), and his first feature effort Mondo Collecto (2006). Along the way, he has also been involved in live and televised horror hosting, cable access shows, and has appeared in a number of films. His new project, to be shot in the spring, will be a short subject based on the writings of H.P. Lovecraft entitled, The Bug In The Box. For more information, please visit: www.rockandrollray.com

Bob Wolfe
Bob Wolfe is a professional photographer and custom photographic printer. His interest in the martial arts was sparked in 1960 when he went into the Marine Corps and began training in Judo. He has been training in GOJU-Ryu Karate, a traditional Japanese style, for 30 years and holds the rank of Yon-Dan-4th Degree Black Belt. He has trained under Master N. Gosi Yamaguchi of San Francisco CA, the eldest son of Master Gogan Yamaguchi (The Cat) and Sensei John Linhoff of the Minneaolis GOJU-KAI Karate School. In 1990 Bob began training in IAI-DO, the art of drawing the Japanese Sword, studying primarily the style of Muso Shinden Ryu under the tutelage of Dr. Bill Rivers who studied under Facushima Sensei. Mr. Wolfe trains and teaches with the Minneapolis GOJU-KAI Karate School held at Pershing Park in South Minneapolis. For information regarding the Minneapolis GOJU-KAI Karate School contact Sensi John Linhoff at 952-927-7333. Bob will demonstrate sword techniques from IAI-DO and empty hand techniques from GO-JU RYU

Zaharat
Zaharat Middle Eastern Dance is a Minneapolis based belly dance group with an eclectic mix of styles ranging from traditional folkloric through urban sophistication to modern fusion. Co-directors Badria and Medea are joined this year by special guest dancers Jala and Rasheeda.

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MarsCon 2008 / Feb 29th—Mar 2nd / Holiday Inn Select / Bloomington,MN
If you're looking for the Marscon in Hampton Roads, Virginia click here.

Questions about MarsCon: info09b@marscon.org
© 2007—2008, Fans Educational Network for Science Fiction.
This page was last revised February 26, 2008 at 17:13