If you want to view our programming schedule, it's only a click away!

Programming Has The Cure For Your Ills

That magical medicine, that force which binds the convention together is called "programming." Programming events at MarsCon 2004 will take place on the second floor, on the eleventh floor inside specialized programming rooms: Martian Music and Phobos Filk, and inside Krushenko's luxurious suite on the twelfth floor. As always, programming will be geared toward embracing and celebrating all facets of science fiction, fantasy, gaming and fandom. That includes costuming, hard sciences, the music of fandom, television, movies, radio, comic books, fan fic, poetry, novels, sf/fantasy art, and the usual fannish zaniness.

There will be a musical extravaganza, courtesy of Dr. Demento, the likes of which no MarsCon has ever seen. Thanks to our wonderful guest Baron David E Romm, we will be sharing in the celebration of Shockwave's 25th anniversary on the radio. The Great Luke Ski will wow us with another electrifying musical performance. Richard Biggs will regale us with stories from behind the scenes of Babylon 5. John M. Ford will contribute his wisdom and wit to discussions. Davina will enchant us with Middle Eastern dance and costuming tips. And that's just for starters!

Distinguished Authors:

Programming will feature our Guests of Honor as well as many individual fans, local fan clubs and distinguished science fiction & fantasy authors who have volunteered to help out, including:

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.
Eleanor Arnason: Eleanor Arnason is the author of such novels as Daughter of the Bear King, Ring of Swords, and To the Resurrection Station. Her short stories have appeared in New Improved Sun, A Room of One's Own, and New Women of Wonder, to name just a few. She is a recipient of the Mythopoeic Society's Mythopoeic Fantasy Award, the Minnesota Book Award, and the James Tiptree, Jr. Award.
Ruth Berman: Ruth Berman is a co-author of the science fiction novel Autumn World and author of Dear Poppa: The World War II Berman Family Letters, nominated for the Minnesota Book Award. Her speculative fiction poems and short stories have been featured in Dragon Fantastic, Tales of the Unanticipated, Amazing Stories, Isaac Asimov's Science Fiction Magazine, Analog Science Fiction/Science Fact, and Weird Tales.
Sylence Campbell: Sylence Campbell is a native of Northern New Jersey, a lover of cats, books, and different cultures. She is the founder of an interactive poetry group called "The Shadow Poets Society", where she conducts workshops online with aspiring poets, with hopes of giving them a safe place to express themselves with encouragement and assistance. She is inspired to write by emotion. Frustration, Pain, Anger, Lust, Passion. It builds up and rather than release all that energy in negative ways, she writes the emotion. The driving force behind her writing is what she calls her "Lightning". Inspired by her favorite quote, "A poet walks around in a thunderstorm, waiting to be struck by lightning." Her first book "The Sounds of Sylence," released by Crystal Dreams Publishing, is an eclectic collection of poetry, covering a wide range of emotions. Love, lust and tragedy abound in an intimate peek into the heart and soul of the poet, and proof that even though life isn't sunshine and morning dew... The moon and her Darkness are equally as beautiful.
Vauren Davidson
Paula L. Fleming: A graduate of Clarion 2000, Paula L. Fleming has been published in numerous venues, including Gothic.net, the Such a Pretty Face anthology, and Tales of the Unanticipated #20, #22, and #24. Her regular column on how to write science fiction and fantasy appears at www.Writing-World.com. She lives in Minneapolis with three large dogs, two cats, and one husband. They recently sold their car and get around entirely by bike and bus. Hobbies include gardening, yoga, figure skating fandom, and historical board games.
Mark Haeuser: Mark Haeuser is the author of eight published books in a varied array of genres. He began writing after returning home from a bookstore disillusioned with what was available to him as a reader. On a whim and the suggestion of a friend he sat down and wrote the first chapter of Battleground USA "The Beginning". To date he has published two of these action packed books based on the invasion of America and the heroic struggles of a group of rebels as they fight for freedom. He has also published books in the sword and sorcery, mainstream humor, horror and adventure-romance genres. The trademark of a Mark Haeuser story is the way he pulls you into the storyline and makes you feel like you are really there. His books are for sale on Amazon.com, BN.com, and all online booksellers. Also they can be ordered at your local bookstore. Books by Mark Haeuser include: Battleground USA "The Beginning", Battleground USA 2 "Las Vegas", The Second Coming Trilogy "The Protectors", Hunters of the Shadows, Western Justice, The Fourth Horseman, Memoirs of a Rogue, and No Lady and Her Tramp - co-authored with the "Diva of Romance" Kristie Leigh Maguire.
Walter H. Hunt: Walter H. Hunt is a science fiction author, with two books in publication: The Dark Wing and The Dark Path from Tor Books. These novels are set in a future when humankind has spread to the stars and encountered other alien races. Tor Books has signed up for the next two books in the series, titled The Dark Ascent and The Dark Crusade. The Dark Ascent will be published by Tor in August 2004. Walter is the youngest of three children; he grew up in Andover, Massachusetts, where he attended public school, graduating from Andover High School in 1977. He attended Bowdoin College in Brunswick, Maine, and was an exchange student in Munich in 1979-80; the year he met his wife Lisa, who was a graduate student in Switzerland at the time. They were married in 1982. Certainly the best decision Walter ever made. He is a baseball fan and a Freemason, and enjoys board games and roleplaying games; between those interests and family, he has a very busy life. Still, Walter enjoys writing most of all - there's nothing like doing something you love (and getting paid for it.) He qualifies as a recovering programmer (10 years) and also a recovering technical writer (8 years). For the last two years Walter has been writing full time, which has brought some success and even more satisfaction.
P.M.F. Johnson: P.M.F. Johnson and Sandra Rector have co-written many stories such as "And All I See Are Dark Eyes," "A Dwelling in the Evening Air," "Desert Angel," "Color Me Dead," and "Till Death Do Us Part." Their stories have been featured in various anthologies and fantasy story collections, such as Witch Fantastic, Amazing, Whatdunits, and Xanadu 2.
Peg Kerr (also see:http://pegkerr.livejournal.com/): Peg Kerr was born in a Chicago suburb, moved to Minnesota to attend St. Olaf College, and has stayed in Minnesota ever since. She attended the Clarion Writers Workshop in 1988 and has an M.A. in English Literature, specializing in speculative fiction. Her fiction has appeared in various science fiction and fantasy magazines and anthologies. She is the author of Emerald House Rising and The Wild Swans, a stand-alone fantasy based on the Hans Christian Andersen fairy tale.
Naomi Kritzer: Naomi Kritzer is a member of the Wyrdsmiths writers' group. Her first science fiction and fantasy novel, Fires of the Faithful was released by Bantam in October 2002, and her second, Turning the Storm came out January 2003. Ms. Kritzer's short stories have appeared in Realms of Fantasy, Strange Horizons, Tales of the Unanticipated, Scavenger's Newsletter, and Planet Relish. One of her stories, "The Golem" was reprinted in Year's Best Fantasy.
Harry LeBlanc: Harry LeBlanc writes truly unique science fiction, including his new novel THE TAINTED COTILLION. His short fiction includes "The Ecstasy Array" and "Euhponasia" in Tales of the Unanticipated, "Thicker Than Water" in Darkling Plain, and due for publication anytime now in Terra Incognita are "The Square Hills" and "Painmaker." Harry writes a disturbing future history with convincing characters and engaging plots in a very detailed world. His story "Fiddler" is posted in the archives section of www.strangehorizons.com; the site will have "Quink" available sometime in May.
James Lileks: James Lileks writes a weekly political column with a point of view missing from most editorial pages - he's a funny conservative. He is a columnist for the Minneapolis Star Tribune. Previously, he worked for the St. Paul Pioneer Press. He joined Newhouse News Service in 1990. He is the author of four books, the most recent of which is the novel "Mr. Obvious".
Keith Loines: Ronald "Keith" Loines, Jr. is an aspiring poet and editor. He currently has his first book, " Embracing the Broken Spiral" in the works with more to hopefully follow. Keith is also an editor for Crystal Dreams Publishing, as well as a full-time employee of a major Internet Service Provider and a single father to a wonderful 2 year old girl. Keith co-founded The Shadow Poets Society with long-time friend Sylence Campbell. The Shadow Poets are celebrating their first book, "Stirring the Sky".
Catherine Lundoff: A Minneapolis-based journalist and writer, she is a former member of the Arise! Bookstore collective, and a current member of the Jane Austen Society of North America, the Erotic Authors Association, and the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America. Catherine Lundoff's stories have been published in numerous magazines and anthologies, i.e., Such a Pretty Face, Cherished Blood, and The Twin Cities Magazine of Science Fiction and Fantasy.
Ed "Hawk" Markow: Ed "Hawk" Markow was born and raised in Los Angeles and moved to Iowa in 1992. He is a Vietnam veteran with a very wide range of experiences. Poetry has become his avenue for sharing his experiences and views with others. More importantly, it has become his way of looking into who he is and why. Ed is a telecommunications professional with 27 years of experience, the Director of Operations for a firm headquartered in Des Moines. Sylence Campbell nudged him to start writing poetry and has essentially become his muse as well as mentor. Ed writes as "Hawk" because the hawk is his animal spirit guide. In his life, every time he has needed guidance or was seeking an answer, it seems a hawk has appeared near him, thus, he was adopted and adopted the name as an honor to this magnificent creature.
Dale B. Mattheis: Dale B. Mattheis served in the Submarine Service, practiced medicine and psychiatry, raised kids, and established a wholesale baking company before sitting down to write in 1994. The Alarai Chronicles, a six volume series, resulted and the first volume, Exile to the Stars, was published in 2003. The reviews have been great and the cover art won a place in Spectrum 8. The author is currently preparing the paperback edition of Exile for publication, as well as volume II in the series, Voyage to Zomar (Songs of Deep Green). The author resides in Northfield, MN.
Kelly McCullough: Kelly McCullough's first story appeared in Weird Tales in 1999. He has since become something of a regular there, with a half dozen pieces either published or forthcoming. He has three fantasy novels currently under editorial consideration, is polishing a fourth, and plotting a fifth. A collection of short stories for middle school science students will be coming out in 2004, as well as individual stories in Absolute Magnitude and The DNA Helix, among others.
TW Miller: As a world traveler, TW Miller uses real people and places as backdrops to his books. Doing research of the places before he visits them, he is able to paint a beautiful picture of the people and places in his books. He credits actor Richard Hatch of Battlestar Galactica with inspiring him to overcome a severe writers' block in 1997. Drawing upon his interest in the biblical aspect of Revelations and the various works already in the mainstream dealing with end of the world theory, he completed his first published novel Final Chapter soon thereafter. Final Chapter has won the acclaim of fans and critics alike. Fans can't get enough, and critics list it as a story that is as memorable as being there. Final Chapter placed as finalist in the Dream Realm Awards 2001 and has been nominated for the 2001 Darrel Award. TW Miller's first screenplay, based on his original horror story Bloody Mary, is currently scheduled for filming by Mischief Movies. Mr. Miller has also been an avid Star Wars collector since 1977, and has amassed a collection worth over a million dollars. He is the owner of Crystal Dreams Publications, and he now enjoys bringing not only his own books to the public, but also the books of his authors.
Lyda Morehouse: MarsCon's 2002 Literary Guest of Honor, Lyda Morehouse has been a "professional" writer since 1997 when Angela Kessler bought "Irish Blood" for Dreams of Decadence for a whopping $9.27. Since then, Lyda has published several short stories, two of which made the honorable mention list of Gardner Dozois' Year's Best Science Fiction. In May of 2001, Roc published Lyda's first novel, Archangel Protocol, which won the Shamus for best paperback P.I. novel for 2001 and the Barnes & Noble Maiden Voyage award for best debut. Her follow-up book, Fallen Host, takes place in the same universe as Archangel Protocol. Fallen Host is listed in the # 2 slot for Lisa DuMond's Top Ten Books of 2002 list on the SF Site, scored the # 3 spot for the Preditors and Editors poll, and was recently nominated for a Romantic Times Reviewer's Choice Award. Her novel, Messiah Node was released in June 2003.
Kathryn Sullivan: Kathryn Sullivan is the author of The Crystal Throne (winner of the 2002 EPPIE for best Fantasy) and Agents & Adepts, both published by Amber Quill Press. Agents & Adepts is a finalist for the 2004 EPPIE Award for Best Anthology. Her children's book, Michael and the Elf, will be published by Writer's Exchange E-Publishing in 2004. Her short story, "The Monster and the Archaeologists" appeared in Big Finish's Professor Bernice Summerfield and the Dead Men Diaries, and another short story, "The Oracle of Cilens" will be published in Beyond the Mundane: Wondrous Magic and Flights of Mind by Mundania Press in 2004. When she's not writing, she's the Distance Learning Librarian at Winona State University and is owned by two confused birds.
Karen A. Swanberg: Karen Swanberg's first memory was of sitting with her two sisters, listening to Dad reading The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings trilogy, in their entirety, before she turned four. She hasn't been the same since. She's lived in Montana, Minnesota, Italy, Montana, Arizona, and Minnesota, in that order, while pursuing two geology degrees. In the process, she spent the night atop two active volcanoes, and learned a bit about rock climbing and spelunking. She currently lives in Minneapolis with three ferrets and two snow shovels, and gets paid to make computers behave.
Joan Marie Verba: Our Featured Guest for MarsCon 2001, Joan Marie Verba co-authored the science fiction novel Autumn World with Tess Meara, Deborah K. Jones, Margaret Howes, and Ruth Berman. Her other works include Voyager: Exploring the Outer Planets, North Dakota, and Boldly Writing: A Trekker Fan and Zine History.
Anna Waltz: Anna, or Anna-chan to some friends, is the author of "Swedish Lutheran Vampires of Brainerd," a chap-book. She recently published a story titled "Greener Grass" in the Land/Space Anthology. Aside from cranking out more short stories, she has been novelizing her novella, "Charity Toward None," and transforming her old Blim tales into the novel The Well of Orchids. She also edits an on-line fanzine for people in love with the villains of the Japanese cartoon series, "Sailor Moon."

Musical Artists

In addition to Dr. Demento's Festival of Dementia and Luke Ski's fantastic musical performances, the drum jam, karaoke, filking, and belly dancing, we are looking forward to even more music by by our many telented guests, including:

Eric Coleman: From his hopeless manhandling of a drum set in the mid 70's to nasally punk singer in the late 70's to pathetically trendy synth-pop maven in the 80's to a mostly failed attempt to ignore the entire 1990's, Eric has had the sort of musical career that would make most musicians hopelessly incontinent. In the last couple of years Eric has suffered from what he refers to as "Songwriter MPD". He is either putting to tape "hopelessly sad songs filled with self pity and middle aged angst" or he is "making cruel fun of people who, frankly, make a lot more money than I do". At least that is his glib take on it. In reality Eric is writing either character studies of nervous, lonely and frustrated folks that are very much like people you know (and who frequently are people he knows, expect lawsuits if he ever gets famous), or he is writing oddball social satire with a vicious sense of humor. His live sets are punctuated with stories about the songs and the people in them as well as abuse for anyone foolish enough to ask Eric to play a cover song.
Tony Goldmark: Tony Goldmark is the irrepressible 18 year-old scamp known to world wide audiences of the Dr. Demento Show as the author and performer of such infectious little ditties as "Kill the Backstreet Boys," "Penguin on the Telly" and "The Sorcerer's Stone." The Looney Bin is a 60-minute Internet radio show hosted by Tony Goldmark which can be heard every Thursday night on Dementia Radio.
The Irish Tacos: What happens when you mix the Spanish Inquisition with the Irish Republican Army? Well, if its the Irish Tacos, then we're all in for trouble! Please join the Irish Tacos as they give you a unique blend of Irish sounds and tequila. Or is that Mexican congas with Irish backtalk? Decide for yourself as you partake in their unique musical atmosphere.
P.S. former band members (but still friends) of the Irish Tacos will be on hand to help the audience with heckling.
The Nick Atoms: Years ago, Dr. Ted Nelson created two robots of extraordinary musical skill: Coburn and Wyngarde. Fueled by their creator's steady atomic percussion, the two musical automatons are guided by Dr. Ted Nelson as he embarks upon his most deadly experiment: The Nick Atoms! They are a music force beyond all comprehension! Together, they will be lost in space, ending up in the 25th century, hoping that Doctor Who can send them a Six Million Dollar Man to defeat Bigfoot and Wildboy to escape from New York and leave the Land of the Lost behind. This is no ordinary band. This is no ordinary show. Prepare to be atomized!
Possum Willy: Experience the mystery of this live metal, blues, thrash, punk, speed, funk, rock music band. Discover the intrigue of rock for the masses. The best band you never heard... next to all the other ones! Nobody can be told what it is. You must experience it for yourself.
Tri-Destiny: Tri-Destiny is an all-female vocal trio from Salt Lake City, Utah. They offer a combination of enchanting music and unforgettable emotions. Travel through time - from medieval knights in "A Rover" to the bittersweet "Love Lies" of the '90s and beyond - in their concerts of all-original, soft rock, romance music. Their music is divine, and we are so happy to get a second chance to hear it. Star Trek fans will especially appreciate their take on "Mr. Spock."
The Worm Quartet: Worm Quartet is a Rochester, NY-based band that forcibly staples punk and electronica together and throws them into a blender with hysterically twisted lyrics. They have been featured repeatedly on the Dr. Demento show, with many "Funny Top Five" appearances, and one of their songs (the anti-drummer anthem "Frank's Not In The Band Anymore") was the second most requested song of 2002! The sole member of Worm Quartet is a 6'4" 300-lb. bemulleted manic who insists on being called "Shoebox" and who poses by day as a mild-mannered software engineer. Worm Quartet is currently playing all over the damned place in support of their new CD, "Faster Than A Speeding Mullet."

Click here for show times.

Other Guests of Distinction:

Robert Dante is an internationally recognized bullwhip expert who has presented performances, workshops and demonstrations in San Francisco, Las Vegas, Miami, Fort Lauderdale, Los Angeles, Portland, Phoenix, Chicago, Columbus, New York City, Boston, Toronto, Montreal, Winnipeg, Vancouver, Dallas and Houston. Dante is a member of the Wild West Arts Club, and he writes a monthly column for Wild West Performers Magazine Online. He is founder and coordinator of L.A. Whip Enthusiasts, and he was the bullwhip coach at the Dream Circus in Hollywood before he moved to San Francisco. Dante has cracked the whip on numerous TV shows, including Blind Date, Playboy TV's Night Calls, KTLA's Morning News, The Eclectic Mind, Blitz, Envy TV, HBO's Real Sex, Sin City, and others. Dante also has spoken about whip cracking on many radio programs, from Texas to Australia. Dante set the first Guinness World Record for "World's Fastest Whip" at Dream Circus in September, 2003. Dante has appeared at circuses, at nightclubs, and on stages, and he has been featured in the Los Angeles Times, Rex Features Syndicate, Toronto Star, and many other publications.
Craig R. Lang: 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 (KC0ZH), and also dabbles in writing science fiction.

Fan Clubs

Numerous other devious plots to contribute to programming have been revealed to us by rebel spies. Among the groups currently plotting away are:

Celestial Affiliation of Time Lords
Delvian Seek
Imperial Klingon Forces [IKF]
IKV RakeHell
NERO Alliance
Twin Cities Robotics Club
Twin Cities Scapers
U.S.S. Nokomis
Whitestar Phoenix
Heck, even Harvey wants to come back and do programming!

Programming Basics

Anyone attending the convention may facilitate programming events, and we encourage you to get involved in this rewarding aspect of convention volunteering. To inspire you, here is a list of programming events found at past MarsCons:

Special Effects Makeup Art Demos
Opening and Closing Ceremonies - A fannish tradition!
Masquerade & Hall Costume Contests
Events Featuring Guests of Honor
Charity Auctions & Computer Smashes
Live Radio Shows
Art Auctions, Tours & Swaps
Panel or Roundtable Discussions
Performances, both Comedic & Dramatic
Informational Meetings by the Next Year's Con Organizers
News about the Latest Films, Books & Television Series
Great Musical Concerts, Dances, Belly Dancing, Drum Jams, & Filk-sings
  Poetry and Prose Open-Microphone Readings, Vogon or Otherwise
  Literary Readings by Author Guests
  Exhibits or Tributes to Posthumous Guests and Legends
  Anime, Cult Classic, and Fan Film Showings
  Science and Space Exploration Discussions and Demos
  Everything But the Kitchen Sink

We are always looking for NEW ideas... things we haven't even thought of before... for programming. If you are planning to host an event at MarsCon, if you have an idea for programming, or if you'd like to help with programming in some other way, please get in touch with us.

As always, MarsCon is immensely grateful for the incredible programming contributions we receive each year from artists, authors, guests, musicians, singers, actors, fan groups, clubs and individuals. Thank you for your support!

"You don't have to hang from the chandelier, but try something new. And let me know how it goes."
- Dr. Ruth Westheimer