Actor Guest of Honor
Actor Guest of Honor
Maggie Egan’s F/SF credits include Babylon 5 and Crusade (ISN Anchor Jane), Quantum Leap (Margaret Cole), Sliders (Reporter #1), Babylon Park (voice of Captain Painway), Alien Nation (Mrs. Comet), and The Mentalist (Polly Datch).
From her bio:
An award-winning actor and writer, Maggie Egan-Cummings has appeared in over 600 commercials, 560 for the Disney Channel alone, and 55 movies and TV shows. She has been a series regular, a recurring character, and top of show guest star. On 9-1-1 she played the murderous vegan wife of a stubborn carnivore. She played a salty Texas gal with a heart of gold in Evergreen on Amazon Prime. And she guest starred as the patient caregiver, Lynn, opposite Dr. Grey on Grey’’s Anatomy. She also played protagonist Nanny, the real estate flipper without heart in the recently released No No Girl.
As a writer, Maggie focuses on female-driving stories. Her writing collaborations have earned her Gold awards, Best Screenplay awards, and honorable mentions at many film festivals and screenwriting competitions.
Maggie is the proud mother of a strong and funny daughter, and enjoys traveling with her husband in their Airstream.
Visit her Facebook or Instagram pages.
Artist Guest of Honor
Ana Voltz is an independent science-fiction artist who specializes in spaceships and dinosaurs. (Yes, people have suggested putting the dinosaurs on the spaceships—but, hey, artists can be a stubborn lot.)
Ana has enjoyed science fiction for nearly her entire life. The very first episode of Star Trek she watched was a rerun of “The Doomsday Machine”—and it hooked her at age 8. Ana started watching Star Trek: The Next Generation every week afterwards. Around the same time, Jurassic Park was stomping (and roaring) into theaters. Those two passions took root and never stopped growing.
For Ana, spaceships, dinosaurs, and other science fiction themes represent visions of an enriching, humane, and optimistic world. In Ana’s paintings, starships allow people to explore across lightyears. Dinosaurs represent a more balanced approach to living with nature (and a reminder to cherish the nature that’s in our backyards)…
By bringing her artistic vision directly to fans, Ana hopes she’s making a tiny corner of the world a slightly brighter, possibly more optimistic space that’s inclusive and welcoming to everyone.
Visit Ana’s website at https://anavoltzart.com.
Author Guests of Honor
T. Aaron Cisco is an Amazon Bestselling author, a multi-award-winning TV producer, and even a former touring musician. Working primarily in the genres of contemporary Afrofuturism, science fiction, and fantasy, Cisco crafts narratives that are as captivating as they are groundbreaking. Cisco sees his work as a megaphone for the overlooked and marginalized—giving voice to characters, themes, and stories that challenge stereotypes and upend prejudices. When you dive into a T. Aaron Cisco tale, you’re not just reading a story; you’re engaging with an art form that treats identity and equality as its narrative backbone. From his debut work, Teleportality, to his latest enigmatic pieces like The Unbanished, The Unrested, and Before Asleep You Fall, you’re stepping into worlds where the merit of each character—be they male, female, white, or non-white—is not up for debate; it’s simply a given.
If you find Cisco’s storytelling unusually concise yet potent, there’s a reason: His origins in the frenetic world of television have sharpened his craft to a fine point. Back in his news and talk show days—and later as a writer of snappy marketing copy and compelling commercials—Cisco learned to captivate an audience in a handful of minutes. This experience has shaped his unique literary style, making each book a tightly woven tapestry of intricate but compact storytelling. Add to this a childhood love affair with the works of Edgar Allan Poe, a master of the novella, and you get a literary style that delivers each story like a well-aimed arrow; short, piercing, and on target.
From Minneapolis by way of Chicago, Cisco has achieved much, not just as an author but as a cultural influencer. His works have frequently adorned Amazon’s bestseller lists, with The Unbanished, Rod String Nail Cloth: An Afrofuturist Mixtape, and Black Nerd Blue Box: The Wibbly Wobbly Memoirs of a Lonely Whovian clinching the number one spot. But his influence extends far beyond the printed word. His work has been showcased across various media platforms, including NBC, ABC, KSTP, TPT, Insight News, Axis of Logic, and Twin Cities Geeks. A collection of accolades decorate his career—local Emmy awards, international speaking engagements, the MN Society of Professional Journalists Page One Award, a distinguished spot on Hennepin County Libraries’ Minnesota Black Authors list, and a title as one of the Ten Black Change-Makers Influencing the Twin Cities Arts Scene. More than anything, T. Aaron Cisco is an ardent advocate of the simple yet profound concept he calls “squee”—the utter joy and excitement that comes from sharing stories and life with others...
Michael Merriam is an award-winning author, performer, playwright, and screenwriter. He is the author of the steampunk and Weird Western series Sixguns & Sorcery, and his essays and stories have appeared in Uncanny Magazine, Cast of Wonders, and Andromeda Spaceways Inflight Magazine. His latest novel from Queen of Swords Press is Last Car to Annwn Station. He has published a dozen books and over 100 pieces of short fiction and poetry. His scripts have been produced for stage and radio, and he has appeared in the Minnesota Fringe Festival, Not-So-Silent Planet, StoryFest Minnesota, and over the air on KFAI and Minnesota Public Radio. Like most artists, he has worked a variety of odd jobs over the years, including short order cook, late night radio disc jockey, international freight specialist, Rock-a-billy bassist, and manager of a puppet troupe. He lives in Minneapolis, MN, with his wife, housemate, an elderly dog, and two exuberant cats. Visit his website at www.michaelmerriam.com.
Comedy Music Guest of Honor
Andy Merrill is a comedian, voice actor, writer, and multi-talented creative known for his significant contributions to the early years of Cartoon Network, Williams Street, and Adult Swim. Merrill’s breakthrough role was as the voice of the lovable and eccentric character “Brak” on the groundbreaking animated talk show Space Ghost: Coast to Coast. Premiering in 1994, this show was a pioneer in adult-oriented animation and played a crucial role in the establishment of Cartoon Network’s late-night programming block, Adult Swim.
Merrill continued his work with the character Brak in Cartoon Planet, a show which started out as a showcase of classic cartoons from the Turner library with interstitial segments featuring Space Ghost (George Lowe), Zorak (C. Martin Croker), and Brak. With the popularity of the interstitial comedy sketch segments and funny songs surpassing the classic cartoons being shown, the show switched to being composed entirely of their sketches and songs, some of which were improvised. On both Space Ghost: Coast to Coast and Cartoon Planet, Andy’s comedic timing and distinctive voice brought Brak to life in a way that resonated with audiences and contributed to the show’s success. Cartoon Network released three albums featuring music from both Cartoon Planet and the two-part variety show special Brak Presents The Brak Show Starring Brak, which are prized CDs of any comedy music fan. Dr. Demento has played many tracks from them on his radio / internet show since the mid 90s.
In 2000, Merrill went on to create and star in the Adult Swim series The Brak Show, a spin-off from Space Ghost: Coast to Coast that focused on Brak, his best friend Zorak, Brak’s Mom and Dad, and their daily sitcom adventures. The show continued the tradition of having excellent funny songs and musical episodes, and ran for 3 seasons. Merrill expanded his involvement with Adult Swim, lending his voice to various characters in popular shows like Aqua Teen Hunger Force where he played the recurring role of Oglethorpe the inept alien invader. As the years progress, his voice work continues to extend to notable shows like Adventure Time, where he brought his unique style to James the Ice Cream Bar.
Merrill showcased his musical versatility by covering the Suicidal Tendencies song “Institutionalized” in character as Brak on the 2018 album “Dr. Demento Covered in Punk”. Some people (or at least some people named Luke Ski anyway) say it is the best track on the amazing collection.
Andy makes regular appearances at conventions in the midwest, as well as performances in stand-up clubs where he brings his ukulele and cracks up the crowds with his hilarious jokes and catchy songs. We at the MarsCon Comedy Music Track have been wanting to have him as our guest for many years, and we are very honored to have him join us as our 2024 Comedy Music Guest Of Honor. All hail Brak.
Bryan Thao Worra
Bryan Thao Worra, Laotian American writer, currently serves as president of the science fiction poetry association. His accolades include a fellowship in literature from the national endowment of the arts and an Asian pacific American leadership award in the arts from the council of Asian Pacific Minnesotans. He is the first Lao American member of the professional Horror Writers Association.
Bryan Thao Worra may be unable to attend.
More info at : thaoworra.wordpress.com
C. M. Alongi
Christina M. Alongi is a sci-fi/fantasy author and runs the YouTube channel C. M. Alongi, and has published several short stories and novellas. She is available for book signings, interviews, and conferences, and will be at MarsCon in Bloomington, MN, 2023. She lives in Minneapolis, MN, and when she’s not hiding from the real world in a fantasy realm, she’s getting tangled in knitting projects and protecting her furniture from her roommate’s evil cats. Her first full-length novel, Citadel will be published on June 20th, 2023. You can check out her website www.cmalongi.com and follow her on TikTok (@c.m.alongi_author).
Debbie David
1999 Guest of Honor
Debbie David is known for her work on Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987), Catchfire (1990) and Star Trek: Voyager (1995). Debbie was our very first Media Guest Honor at MarsCon.
MaryJanice Davidson
2018 Guest of Honor
MaryJanice Davidson is an American author who writes mostly paranormal romance, but also young adult literature and nonfiction. She is the creator of the popular Undead series. She is both a New York Times and USA today best seller. She won a 2004 Romantic Times Reviewer’s Choice Award and was nominated for the same award in 2005. Pamela Clare of USA Today wrote, “It’s Davidson’s humor, combined with her innate storytelling ability and skill with dialogue, that has lifted her from small presses to the big best-seller lists.”
Eric M. Heideman
2020 Guest of Honor
Eric M. Heideman is a Minneapolis Roving Librarian. He founded Krushenko’s, a speculative fiction conversational space, in 1983, and continues to run it at several Minnesota/Wisconsin cons, including MarsCon. For many years he was the science fiction/fantasy reviewer for the Minneapolis Star Tribune. He founded the small press publication Tales of the Unanticipated (TOTU) for the Minnesota Science Fiction Society in 1986.
David Lenander
David Lenander is a long-time Mythopoeic Society member, and past Steward. He has served on most of the Mythopoeic Awards committees since their inception. For more than 45 years he has been the principal organizer of the monthly Rivendell Group discussions in Minnesota, and active in the Society apa discussions, especially Once Upon a Time, devoted to Children’s Fantasy.
Catherine Lundoff
2022 Guest of Honor
Catherine Lundoff is an award-winning queer writer, editor and publisher from Minneapolis where she lives with her wife, artist Jana Pullman, and the cats who own them. By day, she is a professional computer geek, and by night, she does…a lot of other things. She is the author of over 100 published short stories and essays which have appeared in such venues as Fireside Magazine, Nightmare Magazine, the SFWA Blog, Dream Foundry, Sherlock Holmes and the Occult Detectives, American Monsters Part 2, World of Darkness: Ghost Hunters, Haunting Shadows (Wraith the Oblivion 20th Anniversary Anthology) and The Cainite Conspiracies (Vampire the Masquerade 20th Anniversary Anthology) and is the winner of a 2021 writer’s grant from Ladies of Horror Fiction.
Her books include the Wolves of Wolf’s Point Series: Silver Moon and Blood Moon, Unfinished Business: Tales of the Dark Fantastic, Out of This World: Queer Speculative Fiction Stories and A Day at the Inn, A Night at the Palace and Other Stories. She is also the editor of the anthologies Scourge of the Seas of Time (and Space) and Haunted Hearths and Sapphic Shades: Lesbian Ghost Stories and co-editor (with JoSelle Vanderhooft) of Hellebore and Rue: Tales of Queer Women and Magic. In addition, she has written erotica and erotic romance as Emily L. Byrne, including the novel Medusa’s Touch and the short story collections Desire and Knife’s Edge.
She is also the publisher at Queen of Swords Press, a genre fiction publisher specializing in fiction from out of this world. Queen of Swords Press publishes work by Jennie Goloboy, Rem Wigmore, A.J. Fitzwater, Heather Rose Jones, Alex Acks and Catherine’s own books, as well as work by other authors, including author Michael Merriam. She also teaches writing and editing workshops at the Rambo Academy, Springboard for the Arts, Clarion West (online) and other venues. Sometimes, she also sleeps, reads, goes to cons and performs in online amateur theatrical productions.
Queen of Swords Press: https://queenofswordspress.com
Author website: https://catherinelundoff.net
Patrick W. Marsh
Patrick W. Marsh is an author, blogger, and consultant from Minneapolis, Minnesota. He has been both traditionally published and self-published. His work has been published in Calliope, the Quail Bell Quarterly, Dagda Publishing, Under Construction, and more. His apocalyptic series The Greenland Diaries continues to be his main focus, but anything where he gets to write about a monster he enjoys. Check out his website and blog at www.patrickwmarsh.com. Monsters, monsters, everywhere.
G. David Nordley
2013 Guest of Honor
G. David Nordley was born and raised in Minneapolis and Golden Valley, Minnesota. His main interest as a writer is the future of human exploration and settlement of space, and his stories typically focus on the dramatic aspects of individual lives within the broad sweep of a plausible human future. His novella Kremer’s Limit, written with C. Sanford Lowe, appeared in the July/August 2006 issue of Analog. A collection of linked Mars-related stories was published as an electronic book by Scorpius Digital in September 2001, with a print version appearing in 2003 (sold out). His novel To Climb a Flat Mountain (first appearing as a serial in Analog) was published (ebook and print-on-demand) by Variations on a Theme Publishing. He is a four-time winner of the AnLab, the Analog reader’s award for best story or article of the year, and has also been a Hugo and Nebula award nominee.
Website: http://www.gdnordley.com
Kathryn Sullivan
2020 Guest of Honor
Kathryn Sullivan has been writing science fiction and fantasy since she was 14 years old. Having read her father’s collection of sf and fantasy, she started writing her own. The world set up in The Crystal Throne has been developing since then. Some of the short stories escaped into fan zines, print zines and ezines, but those were collected into Agents &anp; Adepts. And now even more have been added to the expanded Agents, Adepts & Apprentices. She has an essay in the Hugo winning Chicks Dig Time Lords and reviews in Outside In and Outside In Boldly Goes: 117 New Perspectives on 117 Classic Star Trek Stories. “Search and Rescue” and “The Oracle of Cilens” are just a couple of her short stories. Any birdlike beings in her books only slightly resemble her cockatoo owner.
David Walbridge
Ghost and humor writer, specalizing in books for business speakers, David Walbridge writes funny. He can be found in: bigfunshow.com, procomedywriting.com, plus Facebook, Twitter and whatever’s next. His shows include The Big Fun Show! and Dr. R.E. Cycle. He is a former Feast Master for the Minnesota Renaissance Festival and former Lead Teacher at American Comedy Writing Convention. If you have a play writing emergency, he’s probably the guy to call.
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That’s Classified!
March 8-9-10, 2024
Hilton Minneapolis-St. Paul Airport
3800 American Blvd. E. / Bloomington, MN 55425
© 2023, FenSF