Program Participant Biographies, Continued

Alphabetical List of Participants * * To Previous Page of Biographies * * To Next Page of Biographies

		Melinda Snodgrass Melinda Snodgrass was born in Los Angeles California, but raised in New Mexico. She studied voice and opera at the Conservatory of Vienna, and after a return to New Mexico she received her undergraduate degree in History, graduating Magna cum Laude. After graduation she went on to attend the University of New Mexico School of Law, graduating in 1977. After three years as an attorney working for the government at Sandia Labs, and then in a private corporate law firm she realized that while she loved the law, she hated lawyers. At the suggestion of a dear friend, Victor Milan, a science fiction novelist, she tried writing. The career change worked. After eight years as a novelist which included the publication of her Circuit trilogy, and co-creating, editing, and writing for the Wild Card series, she was given the opportunity to try Hollywood by her friend George R.R. Martin. She began her career as a story editor on STAR TREK:TNG, and wrote the Writer’s Guild Award nominated script The Measure of a Man. She worked for REASONABLE DOUBTS, and PROFILER, wrote six pilots, and had one produced and aired: STAR COMMAND. She has written numerous freelance scripts for THE ANTAGONISTS, STRANGE LUCK, and ODYSSEY 5. She has written several feature films for Disney pictures, most notably STAR BLAZERS which was an adaptation of Battleship Yamato. In 1999 she returned to New Mexico. Melinda continued to work in television and movies, but she also returned to her book career. She is a Grand Prix level dressage rider, with a new horse -- her wonderful Lusitano stallion, Vento da Broga. Her new novel Edge of Reason is available from Tor Books, and book two The Edge of Ruin will be released in June of 2009. Her latest Wild Card story can be found in INSIDE STRAIGHT, also available from Tor. She is currently writing a new Wild Card story for SUICIDE KINGS, and a screenplay with her writing partner, Ian Tregillis, based on the first novel of his Milkweed Triptych, Bitter Seeds. "When fascism comes to America, it will be wrapped in the flag, carrying a cross." -- Sinclair Lewis Return to Index

Richard F Dutcher Richard F. Dutcher has been educated and trained to be an historian, a scientist, and a soldier; however, until now no one has ever paid him for any of it. Instead he has sold dictionaries, men’s clothing and men’s and women’s shoes; managed research at Berkeley, Princeton, and Wharton; given away money for research; worked for the Green movement and party; written environmental impact reports; joined too many start-ups that didn’t; and found he loves teaching knuckleheads (who knew?) in the Oakland schools. He still lives in the SF bay area, where he is currently working for people trying to force innocent yeast to produce oil. He has written in that peculiar genre of Hard Fantasy known as the business plan. He has read science fiction since the age of four (comics count!), and attended his first convention exactly 40 years ago (the Oakland Worldcon). He believes that the ‘60s were a Really Good Thing, that DS9 is superior to Babylon 5 (but ‘The Wire’ is the best show ever on TV), that modern science fiction (especially by women) is more interesting than the classic s-f he read while growing up, and that Buffy has Meaning. Return to Index

		Rob Gates Rob is an avid reader, a freelance reviewer, and an occasional writer. He loves the genre in all its myraid forms, with a special fondness for the written word and the storytelling aspects of media works. He serves as a member of the Broad Universe Advisory Board, as an officer of Lambda Sci-Fi, and has been a panelist at numerous conventions including a number of previous Worldcons. Rob's particular focus in his reading, reviewing, and writing is in works with gay, lesbian, bisexual, transexual, transgender, intersex or gender-fluid content. He serves as the Director of the Gaylactic Spectrum Awards - which recognize works for such content and which are celebrating their 10th year in 2008. He has also been involved in the planning of a number of Gaylaxicons, running Programming for a number of years and Co-Chairing once. His reviews have appeared in Strange Horizons, the Lambda Book Report, the Washington Blade, the New York Blade, and have been chosen for best-of compilations and for use in an academic journal. His short fiction has appeared in Bubbas of the Apocalypse and More Stories That Won't Make Your Parents Hurl from Yard Dog Press and in a few other small press publications. A New Englander by birth and a Washingtonian by choice, he spends his days managing projects and data for a non-profit organization in Virginia and his evenings busily involved in the science fiction community. He lives with his husband (as of July 28th) Peter Knapp in a house that features a door painted to resemble the TARDIS, over 5000 books, 3 rabbits, and enough TVs that he can watch baseball without annoying Peter. Return to Index

Robin Owens Robin D. Owens has been writing longer than she cares to recall. Her fantasy/futuristic romances finally found a home at Berkley with the issuance of HeartMate in December 2001. She credits the telepathic cat with attitude in selling that book. Since then she has written six books in the series and Heart Fate will be out in October 2008. Her Luna Books series includes shape-shifting fairies and average American women summoned into another world to fight monstrous evil. The first, Guardian of Honor, came out in February 2005 and Sorceress of Faith was issued in February 2006, Protector of the Flight in February 2007 and Keepers of the Flame came out in January 2008. go buy...this is a subliminal message from the author January 2008. She is profoundly thankful to be recipient of the 2002 Romance Writers of America RITA Award for HeartMate, the 2003 Denver Area Science Fiction Association Lungfish Award for Writer of the Year, and the 2004 Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers’ Writer of the Year award. Return to Index

		Robin Roberts Robin Roberts is Associate Dean and Director of Interdisciplinary Programs and Professor of English and Women's and Gender Studies in the College of Arts and Sciences at Louisiana State University. She is the author of five books, four of which deal with science fiction: Anne McCaffrey: A Life with Dragons published by University Press of Mississippi (2007); Sexual Generations: Star Trek: The Next Generation and Gender (1999); Anne McCaffrey: A Critical Companion (1996); and A New Species: Gender and Science Fiction (1993). A pioneering feminist scholar of science fiction, Dr. Roberts taught the first course on Star Trek at LSU; she also teaches a joint course with Dr. Geoff Clayton on science fiction and astronomy. Her latest publication is the biography of Anne McCaffrey, an endeavor that took over ten years to complete. One of her favorite parts of the research was looking through old photographs, many of which will be featured in her presentation. A biography of a great science fiction writer like Anne McCaffrey inevitably involves science fiction history. Dr. Roberts has a B.A. from Mount Holyoke College and a Ph.D. from the University of Pennsylvania; she lives in New Orleans. Return to Index

Scott Edelman Scott Edelman (the writer) has published more than 75 short stories in magazines such as PostScripts, The Twilight Zone, Absolute Magnitude, The Journal of Pulse-Pounding Narratives, Science Fiction Review and Fantasy Book, and anthologies such as Crossroads: Southern Tales of the Fantastic, Men Writing SF as Women, MetaHorror, Once Upon a Galaxy, Moon Shots, Mars Probes, Summer Chills, and Forbidden Planets. Upcoming stories will appear in the anthologies The Solaris Book of New Science Fiction Volume Three, Nation of Ash and Aim For the Head. He has been nominated three times as a Stoker Award finalist in the category of Short Story. Scott Edelman (the editor) currently edits both Science Fiction Weekly, the internet magazine of news, reviews and interviews, (www.scifi.com/sfw/) and SCI FI, the official print magazine of the SCI FI Channel. He was the founding editor of Science Fiction Age, which he edited during its entire eight-year run from 1992 through 2000. He also edited Sci-Fi Entertainment for almost four years, as well as two other sf media magazines, Sci-Fi Universe and Sci-Fi Flix. He has been a four-time Hugo Award finalist for Best Editor. Return to Index

		Stephen H. Segal Stephen H. Segal is the editorial & creative director of Weird Tales, which is currently celebrating its 85th anniversary as the world's first magazine of fantasy, horror, and science fiction. He has also designed book covers for such recent genre releases as Ekaterina Sedia's The Secret History of Moscow and The Alchemy of Stone, Datlow & Windling's Black Thorn White Rose, and Robert Asprin's Myth-Chief. Back when Stephen was editor of the alternative newsweekly InPittsburgh, his colleagues used to gently tease that all of his story ideas were based on strange analogies and juxtapositions: "Meet the artificial-heart researcher who took time off to invent an electric harmonica!" "Here's what Samuel Delany's science fiction has in common with surrealist video installation art!" Stephen, who believes strongly in the transcendent and often untapped power of "the imagination culture," responded by writing more profiles of creative problem-solving teachers, ministers who marry transgendered couples, and Warren Zevon. He has been an editor at WQED's Pittsburgh Magazine, a regional judge for the Reading Rainbow Young Writers & Illustrators competition, a publication designer for Carnegie Mellon University, a Chancellor's Scholar at the University of Pittsburgh Honors College, and an Odyssey of the Mind world finalist. He currently lives in Frederick, Maryland, an hour north of Washington, D.C. Return to Index

Susan Krinard Trained as an artist with a BFA in Illustration from the California College of Arts and Crafts, Susan Krinard became a writer in 1992 when a friend read a fanfic story she'd written and suggested she try writing a romance novel. A long-time fan of science fiction and fantasy, Susan began reading romance -- and realized what she wanted to do was combine the two genres. Prince of Wolves, her first romance novel and one of the earliest to feature a werewolf hero, was the result. Within a year Susan had sold the manuscript to Bantam as part of a three-book contract, and the novel went on to make several bestseller lists. Since then, she's written and published over fourteen paranormal and fantasy novels, and written stories for a number of anthologies, both fantasy and romance. Both the anthology Out of This World (which included Susan's "Kinsman") and the novel Lord of the Beasts appeared on the New York Times extended bestseller list. Susan makes her home in New Mexico, the "Land of Enchantment," with her husband Serge, their dogs Freya, Nahla and Cagney, and their cats Agatha and Jefferson. In addition to writing, Susan's interests include music of almost every kind, old movies, reading, nature, baking, and collecting unique handmade jewelry and decorative crafts. Return to Index

		Priscilla Olson Priscilla Olson is a not so secret master (or mistress) of fandom. She has been active in Boston area fandom for many years, as part of the New England Science Fiction Association (NESFA), which sponsors the annual convention Boskone, and Massachusetts Convention Fandom, Inc. (MCFI), which has run several Worldcons in Boston and several Smofcons in Boston and elsewhere. Olson has chaired three different Boskones – in 1992, 2001 and 2005 – and has been a department or division head at Boskones, Smofcons, Worldcons and even the 1999 World Fantasy Con. She is also an editor for NESFA Press, NESFA’s publishing division, where she has edited or co-edited books by Neil Gaiman, Charles L. Harness, Zenna Henderson, Chad Oliver, Jane Yolen and as well as Robert Silverberg Presents the Great SF (1964). Olson wears many hats, not all by choice. She is a cancer patient who gardens, cooks, knits and loves crossword puzzles. She also creates and markets her own original jewelry. Besides being a SMOF she is also a fan of the Legion of Super Heroes. She has her own Legion flight ring. You’ll have to ask her if it actually works. Photo by Mark Olson. Return to Index

Rebecca Moesta Rebecca Moesta, the bestselling and award-winning author of dozens of young adult novels, has written or co-written books for Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Star Wars, Star Trek, Titan AE and Starcraft. The third novel in her Crystal Doors series (an original fantasy trilogy for young adults, written with husband Kevin J. Anderson) debuted in June from Little, Brown and Company. She is currently at work on a YA Science fiction series. Rebecca has an MS in Business Administration from Boston University. She collects gadgets and enjoys swimming in hot springs. She lives in Colorado Springs, CO, where there aren't actually any hot springs (though there are many in the mountains nearby). Return to Index

Ted Monogue Ted Monogue has worked behind the scenes at cons for several years, including assisting at the ConAdian WorldCon and at several local conventions in Colorado. He has done both pre-con at at-con registration and web maintenance (but not design!). He has also been a member of the SCA for 18 years, during which time he ran several large events and spent time as both the local Seneschal (president) and regional Chronicler (newsletter manager). When he really wants to have fun he spends hours in front of his Macintosh, with Cheetos and Mountain Dew at hand, writing software for organizing his world. Return to Index

Valerie Estelle Frankel Valerie Estelle Frankel was born at an early age. She was the youngest person ever to receive a Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing from San Jose State University, where she currently teaches writing. Her many short stories have appeared in over seventy magazines and anthologies including Legends of the Pendragon, Rosebud Magazine, and The Oklahoma Review. Many of her short stories lurk on her website, along with contests, giveaways, and an interactive fantasy kingdom especially for kids. She recently published her first book, Henry Potty and the Pet Rock: An Unauthorized Harry Potter Parody, First Place winner of the Indie Excellence Award and USA Book News National Best Books Awards Winner in 2007. The sequel, Henry Potty and the Deathly Paper Shortage, is now in stores. Readers who long to waste their valuable time can play Chickenfeet Academy Games, check out the Henry Potty paperback book, and cavort with flying pigs for hours at www.HarryPotterParody.com. Return to Index

		Jack Heneghan Jack has been to so many Worldcons (23) that he can’t even remember all of the jobs he has done and staff positions he has held. He has worked in ops, been head of the volunteers, and worked ConSuite – along with lots of gophering. Outside of Worldcons, he has been chair of three conventions: Disclave, Datclave and COSine. He has been in charge of Con Suite for Disclaves and COSines, and head of Night Ops for Disclaves and Balticons. He was on the staff of many Disclaves and Balticons between 1975 and 1990. His regular convention schedule currently covers Worldcons, MileHiCons, COSines and Bubonicons, and he may be adding Minicon to that list. He occasionally attends Corflus and Smofcons. Return to Index

		Ian McDonald Ian McDonald began writing when he was nine years old, sold his first story at 22, and has been writing full-time since 1987. McDonald has lived most of his life in Belfast, Northern Ireland, where he grew up with his Scottish father and Irish mother during a time of turbulent political conflict in Ireland. His understanding of Northern Ireland as a post-colonial society imposed on an old culture clearly has informed his work. Praised by critics and often nominated for awards, McDonald's work has received worldwide acclaim for his intelligent, multi-cultural sf. He is an amazing storyteller - a stylist who dazzles us with character, culture, and social commentary. The Chaga Saga analyzed the AIDS crisis in Africa, River of Gods examined what life might be like in mid-twenty-first-century India, and his latest book, Brasyl, imagines colonialism in the eighteenth and twenty-first centuries in South America. Ian McDonald is the author of River of Gods, Desolation Road, King of Morning, Queen of Day, Out on Blue Six, Chaga, Kirinya, and numerous other novels. He has written short fiction, a graphic novel, and worked on several television projects. McDonald has won the Philip K. Dick Award and the BSFA Award, been nominated for a Hugo Award and a Quill Book Award, and has several nominations for the Arthur C. Clarke Award. Return to Index

John Kessel John Kessel co-directs the creative writing program at North Carolina State University in Raleigh. A winner of the Nebula Award, the Theodore Sturgeon Award, the Locus Poll, and the James Tiptree, Jr. Award, his books include Good News from Outer Space, Corrupting Dr. Nice, and The Pure Product. A prolific short story writer, his collection, Meeting in Infinity, was named a notable book of 1992 by the New York Times Book Review. Writer Kim Stanley Robinson has called Corrupting Dr. Nice "the best time travel novel ever written." In 2007, Kessel's short story, "A Clean Escape" was adapted for ABC's science fiction anthology series Masters of Science Fiction. He edited an anthology of stories from the Sycamore Hill Writers' Conference (which he often helps to run), called "Intersections," with Mark L. Van Name and Richard Butner. His most recent books are the anthology Rewired: ThePost-Cyberpunk Anthology, edited with James Patrick Kelly, and a collection, The Baum Plan For Financial Independence and Other Stories, published by Small Beer Press. Kessel's criticism has appeared in Short Form, Science Fiction Eye, The Los Angeles Times Book Review, The New York Review of Science Fiction, Science Fiction Age, The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, Foundation, and elsewhere. Return to Index

		Leslie Howle Leslie Howle is the Executive Director of the Clarion West Writers Workshop and has been administrating the workshop for twenty-one years. She is also the founder and administrator of Northwest Media Arts, a nonprofit literary arts organization in Seattle, Washington. Leslie worked as the Senior Manager for Education and Outreach for the Science Fiction Museum and Hall of Fame for the museum's first several years, was nominated for a World Fantasy Award in the Special Award: Non-Professional category in 2007, and served on the jury of the James Tiptree, Jr. Award in 2008. Return to Index

Randy Smith Randy Smith has been hanging around Fandom for about thirty years or so, depending on how you count years. During that time he has pubbed APAzines, written fanzine articles, helped run conventions, played role-playing games, collected comics and old prozines, and participated in various online fannish forums. On one or two occasions he has even been seen wearing a costume or heard singing a filk song. He was the manager for the Hugo Ceremony at ConJosé, the 2002 worldcon. He is married to the beautiful Tupou Fakava-Smith and is step-father to the wondrous Elizabeth. If you see him wearing a clergy collar at the convention, know that it is not a costume. He is also an ordained United Methodist pastor currently appointed to serve a congregation in California. Return to Index