Program Participant Biographies, Continued

Emily Mah

Emily Mah writes science fiction and fantasy short stories. A former attorney, she got her bachelors in philosophy, politics, and economics from Oxford University and her JD in business law from UCLA. She always preferred writing, though, and used to get up at 5am before work to churn out her short stories.

Emily also writes LDS fiction under the name E.M. Tippetts and her novel, Time and Eternity, was published by Covenant Communications this June. Science fiction is her first love, though. "Everyone told me, growing up, that it was a boy's genre, but I disagree. I make a point of using young, female protagonists that I hope will appeal to young adults of both genders. Though I do have a soft spot for girls who read science fiction. I was one of them once."

Eric Flint

Though writer Eric Flint has lived in California, Michigan, West Virginia, Alabama, Ohio, and Illinois, he currently resides in northwest Indiana with his wife Lucille. Eric graduated from UCLA in 1968, majoring in history, and later received a masters degree in African history from the same university. Despite his academic credentials, Flint has spent most of his adult life as an activist in the American trade union movement, working as a longshoreman, truck driver, auto worker, steel worker, oil worker, meatpacker, glassblower and machinist.

Eric's writing career began with the science fiction novel Mother of Demons. His alternate history novel, 1632, was published in 2000, and has led to a long-running series. He has also co-authored work with South African writer Dave Freer, David Drake, Mercedes Lackey and Dave Freer.

In addition to his own writing, Eric is the editor of several series reissuing the works of past SF authors, and is the editor of the online science fiction and fantasy magazine, Jim Baen's UNIVERSE.

Eric's current projects include a new alternate history series set in North America. He's also working with David Weber on a series of novels set in Weber's Honor Harrington universe, further volumes in the Joe's World series, and a new SF adventure series with Ryk Spoor.
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James Patrick Kelly

James Patrick Kelly sold his first science fiction story in 1975 and has been active in the genre since. He has written novels, short stories, essays, reviews, poetry, plays and planetarium shows.

His short novel, Burn, won the Nebula Award in 2007, and he was awarded Hugo Awards for "Think Like A Dinosaur" in 1996 and for "Ten to the Sixteenth to One" in 2000. His fiction has been translated into eighteen languages. He co-edits Feeling Very Strange: The Slipstream Anthology and Rewired: The Post Cyberpunk Anthology with John Kessel. He also writes a column on the internet for Asimov's Science Fiction Magazine and is on the faculty of the Stonecoast Creative Writing MFA Program at the University of Southern Maine and the Board of Directors of the Clarion Foundation.

Jordin Kare

Jordin Kare was born in Ithaca, New York, and attended Cornell at age 5--Cornell Nursery School, that is. He grew up in Raleigh, NC, and in suburban Philadelphia, where he discovered SF came in forms other than library books with little rockets on the spine. He picked up undergraduate degrees in physics and engineering from MIT, and a Ph.D. in astrophysics from the U.C. Berkeley.

After working for a decade at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory on big lasers and little spacecraft, Jordin became a freelance rocket scientist (really -- "Will design satellites for food"). He's won two NASA Institute for Advanced Concepts fellowships. Since 2007, he's hung up his rocket scientist hat and works as a staff inventor at Intellectual Ventures. In his spare time he's lead engineer for LaserMotive, a team competing for the $2 million NASA Centennial Challenge prize for Power Beaming. He lives in Seattle, WA with his wife, Mary Kay.

During Jordin's time as an aerospace consultant, he admits to writing many works of science fiction and fantasy, generally titled "Technical Proposal" and "Cost Proposal" respectively. However, his fannish credentials mostly relate to filk music, along with a 33-year history of con-going. He's published two filk albums, and one of his songs, "Fire in the Sky," has been quoted on national television by astronaut Buzz Aldrin. He has also appeared as a character in several science fiction books, a phenomenon he attributes to having had Ferdinand Feghoot as a thesis advisor.

Jordin also notes that his 101-year-old house is probably the only one in Seattle with a Class IV laser hazard warning sign on the utility-room door.
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Mary Morman

Mary Morman attended her first Worldcon (and her first science fiction convention) at Baycon in Berkeley in over Labor Day of 1968. She was a bit too dazzled by it all to actually volunteer, but she does remember seeing a naked Astrid Anderson as Dejah Thoris at the masquerade, reveling in table after table of used paperbacks in the dealers room, having a pass made at her by Harlan Ellison in said dealer's room, and being engulfed in an enthusiastic bear hug by Randall Garret at her first SCA event (also held at the worldcon). This eye-opening weekend led her into both the Tolkien Society and the Mythopoeic Society and she attended (and volunteered at) Mythcons and Westercons for the next decade while she finished college, married, and even had babies - reading SF all the while.

In the late 80's mystery fandom won out briefly over SF fandom, and she created and chaired the first few years of Malice Domestic (a DC area mystery con designed to provide a cozy alternative to the more hard-boiled Bouchercon). By now married to Kent Bloom, and attending worldcons and SMOFcons annually, Mary has worked site selection, information, newsletter, registration, events, and even taken a turn as a program participant. She ran worldcon babysitting at Bucconneer putting in 17 hour days and managing to only once have to change a diaper. With Linda Ross-Mansfield she ran at-con registration at Torcon (that was the one without the long lines).

Interaction in Glasgow in 2005 marked the grand debut of the Denver 2008 bid with a return to the worldcon masquerade. Mary and Kent were the Gnomes on the Range who won Best Audience Reaction; Mary's first masquerade entry since a leather-togged Assasin tore apart the Robes of Concealment that were her Gor costume at the 1972 Westercon and then dragged her off the stage tied up with his bullwhip - she got a lot of audience reaction to that costume, too.

Bidding for the 2008 WorldCon in Denver has been full of more cons than Mary felt it possible to actually attend in one year, but she's looking forward to LAconIV (and a learning experience working Treasury at a worldcon).

Mundanely, Mary works as a Business Operations Manager for the support organization of a major software firm - dealing with global hiring, budgets, and expense management. All of her children managed to grow up reasonably sane (although none are science fiction fans) and move away from home. Mary lives with her husband Kent, her chum Terry, and her cat Sappho in Colorado Springs, Colorado. She used to have a basset hound, and would like to have another someday. Everyone should have a goal in life.
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Theresa Mather

Theresa Mather has worked professionally as an artist since 1989, with her artwork exploring a wide range of the fantasy bestiary, from traditional fauna like dragons, gryphons and unicorns to unusual visions of the pets lurking within our own homes. Not enticed by the creative confinement of work for publication, Theresa has chosen to sell her art directly to the public, primarily at SF convention art shows. From 1989-99 she also worked in the field of antique carousel restoration, creating replacement scenery panels for a number of operating machines.

Theresa resides in the red rock country of southern Utah, where she enjoys hiking and exploring when she isn't painting or drawing. Her current goals include visiting tourist traps and other interesting spots in all fifty states.

Two quotes about art:

One of the great things about books is sometimes there are some fantastic pictures. – George W. Bush

The artist of our time has two chief responsibilities: 1) art and 2) sedition. – Edward Abbey

Visit Theresa's website.
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Adam Stemple

Adam Stemple is an author, musician, web designer, and professional card player. He has four novels currently out, including the winner of the 2006 Locus Award winner for Best Young Adult Book, Pay the Piper, which he wrote with Jane Yolen. His debut solo novel, Singer of Souls was called by Anne McCaffrey, "one of the best first novels I have ever read."

He has played music (cello) since he was six years old, and has played guitar for money since he was eighteen, in numerous bands -- for the last ten years, in the Irish rebel band The Tim Malloys. He may be the only acoustic guitar player in the Twin Cities who runs his axe through a Turbo Rat and an analog delay.

Adam plays online poker under the name "hatfield13" and is a featured instructor at PokerXFactor.com. He plays live occasionally at Canterbury Park and as often as possible in Las Vegas, usually at the Venetian or Treasure Island.

Adam lives in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area.
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Bob Eggleton

Bob Eggleton is a science fiction, fantasy, horror, and landscape artist whose career encompasses twenty years of putting brush to canvas or board. He is the winner of nine Hugo Awards, twelve Chesley Awards, and various magazine awards, and his art can be seen on the covers of magazines, books, posters and prints, trading cards, stationery, drink coasters, journals, and jigsaw puzzles. He cites H.P.Lovecraft as his single most influential SF/Fantasy writer and Brian Lumley as his most collaborated-with SF/Horror author. Bob Eggleton is considered the most "commercially successful" artist in SF & Fantasy.

He also works as a conceptual illustrator for movies and thrill rides, including environments on Star Trek: The Experience in Las Vegas and work for the 1998 film Sphere. Recent movie work includes concept and character design for the John A. Davis animated feature The Ant Bully. Bob did conceptual art for Davis' Academy Award nominated animated film Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius and worked on the independent short film "The Idol from director/writer Norman England.

Bob has illustrated two books of experimental artwork about dragons. Dragonhenge (2002) and The Stardragons (2005) allowed Bob to stretch his talents in a range of mediums and to indulge in exercising his beloved pencil work. Both are original stories conceived and written by award winning author John Grant.

Other books of Bob's artwork include: Alien Horizons: The Fantastic Art of Bob Eggleton, Greetings From Earth: The Art of Bob Eggleton, and The Book of Sea Monsters, Primal Darkness: The Gothic and Horror Artwork of Bob Eggleton (available from Cartouche Press).

He recently had work published in the artbooks L'Universe de Dragons volume 1 and 2 from Galerie Daniel Mahgden in France, and the history-making tome An H.P. Lovecraft Retrospective from Centipede Press in Colorado.

Bob's latest work is on Project Moonbase, the last unpublished work by R.A. Heinlein. Coming in 2009: If Dinosaurs Lived in my Town, illustrated by Bob Eggleton with Cortney Skinner, written by Marianne Plumridge, from Hollan/Sterling Books.

He still manages to sneak away sometimes and watch his beloved Japanese monster films, buy toys, travel to strange and wondrous places, and do the odd bit of landscape painting. He lives near Providence, RI and is married to Australian artist Marianne Plumridge. They live in a condo largely populated by a legion of Godzilla toys, movies, books–many books, music CDs, art materials, and the resultant paintings.

Bob says, "Take your work seriously. Don't take yourself so seriously. You'll live longer and have a lot of fun."
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Daryl Gregory

Daryl Gregory's short stories have appeared in Asimov's, The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, and multiple "year's best" anthologies. He says, " If you've heard of me at all it's because of my short stories, but my first novel, Pandemonium, is coming out in August 2008 from Del Rey Books... a few weeks after this convention." He regrets the timing.

Gregory was raised in the suburbs of Chicago by expatriate southerners in a fundamentalist, southern Baptist home. At the same time grew up reading a tremendous amount of science fiction. He says, "The cognitive dissonance was extreme."

He attended Clarion in 1988, sold a few stories, and then spent most of the 1990's making babies and working for the Man. Most of his SF short stories are about neuroscience and issues about identity and consciousness. His novel concerns Philip K. Dick, Carl Jung, and golden age comics. He's also been a web programmer for 10 years and like many SF writers, can argue about Internet technologies and e-publishing until the cows come home.

In 2005 Gregory received the Asimov's Readers' Award for the novelette "Second Person, Present Tense." Today he's a full-time writer, writing programming code in the morning and fiction in the afternoon. He lives in State College, Pennsylvania with his wife and two nearly grown babies. He blogs at SFNovelists.com.
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David D. Levine

David D. Levine is a lifelong SF reader whose midlife crisis was to take a sabbatical from his high-tech job to attend Clarion West in 2000. It seems to have worked. David made his first professional sale in 2001, won the Writers of the Future Contest in 2002, was nominated for the John W. Campbell award in 2003, was nominated for the Hugo Award and the Campbell again in 2004, and won a Hugo in 2006 (Best Short Story, for "Tk'Tk'Tk"). His "Titanium Mike Saves the Day" was nominated for a Nebula Award in 2008. He has written two novels, the first of which has not yet sold and the second is not quite ready for submission (he hopes to finish it up and begin submitting it before Denvention).

He was born in Minneapolis to parents from New York City, raised in Milwaukee, and educated in St. Louis, but the city in which he has spent more time than all the rest put together is Portland, Oregon, where he lives today. He has a BA with a major in Architecture from Washington University in St. Louis, which he has never used. He spent 24 years in high tech (working as a technical writer, software engineer, and user interface designer for Tektronix, Intel, and McAfee) and is now happily retired.

He lives in Portland, Oregon with his wife, Kate Yule, with whom he edits the fanzine Bento. Visit their website.

David's latest publication is a collection of short stories, Space Magic, from Wheatland Press.
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