Artist Guest of Honor: Diana Harlan Stein

Diana has been painting full time from 1995. From a family of artisans and patrons, she became the black sheep when choosing fantasy themes instead of more mainstream topics, but has had a lot of encouragement, enthusiasm, and energy. Diana's past clients include Analog, Nasdaq Securities, the Dragonstorm Card Game by Black Dragon, several titles at Radio City Comics, and many more. Her art has been featured in magazines, rule books, supplements, card games, art collections, comic books, jewelry, T-shirts, and literary anthologies. Diana has worked with the Ronald McDonald House Charity Fund to raise money for families in need, and loves traveling to conventions to sell and showcase her art. View her gallery at www.naiadstudios.com

Author Guest of Honor: Holly Lisle

Holly has been writing full time since 1993. Before that, she sang in restaurants, sold newspaper advertising, taught beginning guitar, did commercial artwork, sold burgers at a popular fast food chain, and worked as a registered nurse. Holly won the Compton Crook Award for Best First Novel, was a finalist twice for the John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer, and has had a number of her books hit the Locus Bestseller List. Diplomacy of Wolves also spent two months on the Waldenbooks Bestsellar List. Holly thinks writing novels is the "best job a human being could have". Find out more at www.hollylisle.com - Haven't read her writing yet? Two of her novels are available online, free, at the Baen Free Library!

Filk Guest of Honor: White Plectrum

White Plectrum is just a guy named Keith playing and signing and having fun. But at the same time, it's more than just that as well. It's the crew keeping everything together, it's the Filking 101 panels where musical carnage ensues, and most of all, it's the fans providing their own input to the performances, just when it's needed (YAY GOO!). As an email signature written by Jerry Conner says, "We are Plectrum of Borg. You will be assimilated. Your musical distinctiveness will be added to our own. Seriousness is futile." Join the fun at www.plectrum.net

Fan Guest of Honor: Ron Jarrell

Ron is a mystery, wrapped in an enigma, and neatly bottled up in a bipedal puzzle. After his service on the southern front during the Great Penguin Conflict, Ron found his niche in sorting multicolored tape, and was quickly moved into a top-secret government position. At some point during his career as a secret agent, he discovered science fiction. The NSA hasn't been the same since. Fnord.

Film Director: Jerry Conner

Jerry joins us as a special guest this year to present his recent filmmaking adventure: bringing the first story in West Virginia author Jean Battlo's Appalachian Gothic Tales to life. Appalachian Gothic, directed by Jerry, is also the pilot for a potential series of productions adapting both Ms. Battlo's original works and translating classic works to the Appalachian milieu. Jerry is the coordinator of cable television services at Bluefield State College, and has previously worked with Galtham films on the first two episodes of "Space Rogues". Read more about his latest film here.

Author: Danny Adams

Danny Adams is the co-author, with Philip Jose Farmer, of the recently- completed short novel The City Beyond Play. Some of his short stories and poems have appeared or are forthcoming in Abyss & Apex, Andromeda Spaceways Inflight Magazine, Dreams of Decadence, Illumen, Lone Star Stories, The Mount Zion Speculative Fiction Review,, Mythic Delirium, Not One Of Us, Revolution Science Fiction, Star*Line, Strange Horizons, and Weird Tales.

The Fragile Gravity team: Chris Impink and Barb Fischer

Chris and Barb are the creators of the web comic Fragile Gravity, a strip that features independent comics, conventions, and lately an invasionary force of penguins. Oh, and an extra-bitter stoat. Chris Impink does the artwork for the strip; he has been featured in Antarctic Press and did much of the graphic work for The Babylon Project role-playing game. Additionaly, his work has been feautured at various conventions such as Katsucon, Technicon, and Rising Star. He is also mildy notorious for co-founding Katsucon, though his team of spin doctors has kept that under wraps for many years. Barb Fischer does the writing for the strip; her latest endeavor is exploring parts of her dwarven heritage by quaffing and mining in the backyard. As she has no love for ale or gold, these parts have proven to be a bit difficult. Axes, on the other hand, she's taken to like a duck to water. Find out more at www.fragilegravity.com

Author: Tom Kratman

Kratman is a political refugee and defector from the People's Republic of Massachusetts. The mechanism of his defection was enlisting into the Army in 1974 at age 17, which deeply distressed his high school (Boston Latin, founded 1635) as they thought he had "higher and better things" ahead of him. He served two years as an enlisted grunt with the 101st and 1.5 with the 193rd Infantry Brigade in Panama, getting 2 years of college done (when he wasn't in the field he was taking courses). At that point the Army gave Kratman a scholarship and sent him off to Boston College to finish his degree and obtain a commission. Tom graduated, cum laude, in 1980 and returned to the Army as an infantry officer. Tom served another three year tour in Panama, then more schooling at Benning, then 4+ years with the 24th Infantry Division near Savannah, Georgia. Fun times then ceased for a while while he did two years in Recruiting Command. Saddam Hussein (PBUH) saved Tom from this by invading Kuwait. Tom writes for Baen and had one book come out in December of 2003. Find out more about Tom, and check out his writing, online at www.tomkratman.com

The Comedity Team: Garth and Larom

Garth and Larom run Comedity.com, a local webcomic about life, college, art, ninjas, and penguins. Check them out at www.comedity.com

Writer and Editor: Tiffany Trent

Tiffany Trent is an Instructor in the English Department at Virginia Tech. She has three master's degrees: English, Creative Writing, and Environmental Studies. In addition to writing fantasy and science fiction, she also writes nonfiction essays and memoir. She is currently working on a young adult dark fantasy series.

Dancers: Amira and Bambi

Amira is best known for her skills as a professional Middle-Eastern dancer. She excels in Egyptian Cabaret, Arabic and Turkish folkloric styles having had personal training under the tutelage of Egyptian, Turkish and Greek dancers as well as many American Master dancers. Interpretive Fusion, based upon Belly Dance moves is her favorite specialty. She currently has named this style Urban-Techno-Tribal and hopes to give guys a chance to learn moves so more will become comfortable on a dance floor at a Club.

Amira graduated Hollins in 2002 with a B.A. in psychology, cum laude. She went on to Radford University to receive a Master's in psychology and has started her own company, "Plum Crazy Alternative Psychological Wellness Services".