Guests of Honor
We are excited to announce the return of our Guests of Honor slate from virtual DemiCons 31 and 32: Author Guest of Honor Lettie Prell, Artist Guest of Honor David Pancake, Artist Guest of Honor Alison Johnstun, and Fan Guests of Honor Dana Hinterleitner and Bruce Hinterleitner.
Toastmaster will be Tadao Tomomatsu.
Lettie Prell
Lettie Prell often writes about the edge where humans and their technology are increasingly merging, although she has also explored justice-related themes, which stem from her long-standing career as a researcher in that field. Her short fiction has appeared in WIRED, Tor.com, Clarkesworld, Analog, Apex and Martian Magazine, and reprinted in a number of anthologies, including The Best American Science Fiction and Fantasy and The New Voices of Science Fiction. Her novella, Uploading Angela, was a finalist for the AnLab Readers’ Award. Her work has also been translated into several languages.
When Lettie is not writing, she can be found in the kitchen or garden, or at her piano, where she is attempting to learn jazz. She is a good amateur photographer and a subpar chess player. A life-long Midwesterner, she currently lives in Des Moines.
Check out Lettie’s work here:
Live Update by Lettie Prell : Clarkesworld Magazine – Science Fiction & Fantasy
The Future of Work: ‘Collaborative Configurations of Minds,’ by Lettie Prell | WIRED
David Pancake
David Pancake is a sculptor of fantasy art. David’s creations represent a vast and unique repertoire of his personal interests. Not limiting himself to one genre, he pursues a variety of subject matter which includes a series of risqué angels, dragons, comic book heroes, nudes, abstracts, and horror figurines.
David is fascinated with the sensual beauty of the human form, which is quite evident in his risqué angel sculptures. He states: “I love detail and texture and angels and dragons allows me to create whimsical creatures that display a wide variety of complex textures that feel sensual to the touch.” David’s work captures a flight of fancy, freezes the imagination’s most soaring dream, and brings it to terra firma for our pleasure and admiration.
David Pancake’s fantasy art creations are sought by international collectors and his beautiful sculptures are gracing homes all over the USA as well as Europe. David has been sculpting for 20 years, bringing to life dragons, angels and heroes.
Alison Johnstun
Alison is an independent artist who has always loved animals, creatures, and monsters, and draws dragons every day. Her website hosts links to her online store as well as her patreon, and also houses a journal of her daily dragon sketches.
She has previously exhibited work in the DemiCon. Check out her new book of illustrations, available on her website at https://www.alisonjohnstun.com.
Fans Dana & Bruce Hinterleitner
Bruce and Dana Hinterleitner have been bringing, for over three decades, their brand of humor and costuming skills and characters to the halls and stage at conventions and gatherings across the country. You’re never quite sure what they will show up with, but it is generally noteworthy, like a 10 foot flamingo.
So if you are still reading this consider yourself forewarned.
Toastmaster Tadao Tomomatsu
Tadao Tomomatsu (aka TNT or Uncle Albert) is a local celebrity within the Los Angeles science fiction community. He is also an actor, comedian, and a general all-around good guy. Really, what other guest of a convention is willing to come in a day early and stay a day late to work as hard at setting up and tearing down a convention as the convention staff.
He was born in Texas on a date which only his parents know for sure, but his age is suspected to be within the range of 25-85. However, he grew up in the Midwest in an area which could boast few Asian heritage inhabitants. As self-defense against being signaled out in a negative way, Tadao developed a quick sense of humor and a wide range of voices. He is truly a man of many voices. Ask him for an impersonation and he may not even know which voice will speak. This ability soon led to his participation in theater productions and the discovery of a love for the field of entertainment.
The son of a preeminent food scientist, he was encouraged to continue his academic career which resulted in his attaining a Bachelor´s in the Communication Studies from the University of Iowa. During these early years, he was employed as a Chicago DJ as well as in several other eclectic jobs. In college, he became an active participant in Mid-Western Fandom.
In recognition of his involvement in Mid-Western fandom and because he´s so much fun, he has been a Fan Guest of Honor at DemiCon, ConQuest and ICon as well as serving as Toastmaster at both Icon and Demicon. Following his history in the Midwest, he moved to the West Coast in 1992 in order to take on a production assistant position for the then-new series Friends.
The following years saw his active involvement in many aspects of the entertainment business (see his resume). It also saw his slow increasing involvement in local science fiction fandom in the forms of both the Time Meddlers of Los Angeles and the Los Angeles Science Fantasy Society (LASFS).
In 1999 he became involved with the world´s first internet 24/7 broadcasting station, CyberRadio. He not only wrote and produced, but also was a Cyberjock/host.
One of his most recognized characterizations is a Lead Actor in USA Network´s Banzai Movie Friday and Banzai TV United Kingdom as Mr. Shake-Hand´s Man.
His most recent project was a short film by Canon to introduce their new camera, the “XXIT”, playing opposite Nicolette Sheridan. Apparently, there is some behind the scenes footage of Tadao doing knife flipping bits…
Professional Guests
We have many local, regional, and national professionals that attend DemiCon. They contribute to many areas of the convention, such as the art show, the music venue, and programming.
Adam Stemple
Adam Stemple is an award-winning author, poet, and musician. Of his first novel, Singer of Souls, SFWA Grandmaster Anne McCaffrey said, “One of the best first novels I have ever read.” Of his later works, Hugo Award winning author Naomi Kritzer said, “No one writes bastard-son-of-a-bitch characters as brilliantly as Adam Stemple.”
You can find him online at www.adamstemple.com.
Adam J. Whitlatch
Adam J. Whitlatch is the author of the novels The Weller, Fear of the Dark, War of the Worlds: Goliath, Birthright, War Machines, and Vengeance for My Valentine, as well as dozens of short stories and poems spanning the science fiction, fantasy, and horror genres.
A fantasy enthusiast from a young age, his interest in science fiction was first sparked at the age of ten when his father played the infamous 1938 Orson Welles War of the Worlds radio broadcast for him on an unusually snowy Halloween night. It’s a tradition Adam carries on to this day.
From 2012 to 2015, he worked as an associate editor for KHP Publishers, Inc., managing their science fiction imprint.
In his spare time, he enjoys building models, particularly Gundam plastic model kits, or Gunpla.
Adam resides in southeast Iowa with his wife, their children, and two adorable pit bulls.
Annie ‘Sirkles’ Drahos
The artwork created by Annie ‘Sirkles’ Drahos may look like a bunch of abstract circles, but the designs are actually the words and letters of an intricate circular script. This script started in 2011 when her friend, Loren Sherman, released the first ever widely used fan-made variation ‘Circular Gallifreyan.’ Not long after, she was listed on Loren’s site as the recommended artist for custom designs. Since that time, she has remained active in the script’s development and growth. As the popularity of the script continued to grow, it eventually made its way on screens in BBC’s very popular show: Doctor who. This, naturally, resulted in a huge boost to Annie’s career as a full time scribe. With thousands of hours, over a decade of experience, and several hundred designs under her belt, she comfortably boasts to be the “most experienced scribe of the only fan made script to have ever appeared on Doctor Who.”
Brandy Stark
Brandy Stark moved to St. Petersburg, Florida, in 1992. As an undergraduate, she took a course in sculpture at the University of Tampa where she discovered her wire wrapping abilities. Utilizing welding rods, she made three wrapped wire figures: a triton, a dragon, and a centaur. These constituted the first generation of her “Metal Myths” series, established in 1995. A lifelong lover of world mythology, her works often manifest as ancient characters, legends, and deities. Tying past to present, Stark sees herself as a Neo-expressionist with the weaving and wrapping process she uses transferring her own energy into the piece. Inspired by the sculptures of Joan Miro, she also utilizes found objects in her pieces. These promote an awareness not only of upcycling, but symbolize that everything and everyone has a place in this world.
She is the founding member of the SPIRITS of St. Petersburg, the longest running paranormal investigation team in the Tampa Bay Area. She is the host of the Paranormal Pets podcast, hosted by petliferadio.com, the author of Supernatural Saint Petersburg and Paranormal Pinellas, and a dedicated pug fanatic.
Cath Schaff-Stump
Cath Schaff-Stump writes fantasy for children and adults. She writes funny stories, dark stories, and everything in between. She is the author of the Klaereon Scroll series and the Abigail Rath Versus series. More of her fiction has been published by Paper Golem Press, Daydreams Dandelion Press, and in The Mammoth Book of Dieselpunk. You can find her online at Facebook, Goodreads, Amazon, @cathschaffstump, and cathschaffstump.com. Follow Cath’s Kindle Vella serial The Autumn Warrior and the Ice Sword. Catherine was a finalist in the 2022 Next Generation Indie Awards for Horror fiction.
Cheshire Moon
Lizzie Crowe & Eric Coleman are collectively known as Cheshire Moon. Lizzie is a fan of Anime, Doctor Who, Pokemon, Nightmare Before Christmas, and Women from Disney movies. She is also a compulsive crocheter, as well as a writer of songs, stories and poetry. She sings and plays bowed strings. Eric is a fan of comics, games, swashbuckling movies, 30s movie comedy (particularly the Marx Brothers) and Kaiju. He plays any instrument with frets that he can get his hands on as well as synthesizer.
They have played at conventions all over the US, as well as Canada and England. They have released 5 albums and three EPs and are hard at work on not one but two concept albums.
Darby Harn
Darby Harn is the author of Stargun Messenger, an SPSFC Quarterfinalist, and Ever The Hero, which Publisher’s Weekly called ‘an entertaining debut uses super powers as a metaphor to delve into class politics in an alternate America.’ His fiction appears in Strange Horizons, Interzone, and elsewhere.
Doug Engstrom
Doug Engstrom is the author of CORPORATE GUNSLINGER (Harper Voyager, 2020) and several short stories published in small press anthologies. In the course of his life, Doug has failed in attempts to become a missile launch officer and a navigator, succeeded in running an Air Force base newspaper on the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, and bicycled across the state of Iowa twice. He worked in corporate IT before he began writing full time. He lives near Des Moines, Iowa with his wife, Catherine Engstrom.
Kelsey Josephson
Kelsey Josephson is a sci-fi fantasy author and member of SFWA and ALLi from the Midwest. She has a deep love for Universal Monster movies, all things related to Nikola Tesla, and iced coffee.
Her work includes Strange Happenings, a gaslamp fantasy series set in an alternate timeline, and Forsaken Beauty and the Etherbeast, a steampunk fairy tale retelling. For more information about her books, please visit http://kelseyjosephson.com/.
Rachel Aukes
Rachel Aukes is the bestselling author of forty books, including 100 Days in Deadland, which made Suspense Magazine’s Best of the Year list. Her novels have repeatedly been Amazon Top 100 bestsellers. She was one of the first Wattpad Stars, with her stories having over eight million reads. She writes in several genres, including science fiction, fantasy, horror, thriller, romance, and more. When not writing, Rachel can be found flying old airplanes with her husband and an incredibly spoiled dog over the central Iowa countryside.
The Microphone Misfitz
.png)
.png)
The Microphone Misfitz can entertain you if that is what you came for, from music to dance to a party-good time. Now, if you want quality for your time then let the Fitz engage you in the arts & sciences of the 21st century’s preeminent culture. Based in Chicago, the Microphone Misfitz are more than a band or crew, creating music but using the pillars of HipHop (turntablism/DJing; MCing; breakin’; graffiti/street art; knowledge & overstanding) and their shared dynamics to enlighten and sustain their audiences and themselves.
Kin Solo, DFEX, and Jet Nam/ Jet9 are the choreography & movement artists; Ray of Light is the high-octane hype-man & MC; Mel L. is the Graff artist, vocalist, & road DJ; DJ Mar & Mike Knobel (aemka) are the production team; and D-Nick is the lead MC, lyricist & artistic director of the group. The Microphone Misfitz have toured worldwide from grassroots gatherings to South By Southwest; from Algeria to China and elsewhere; Sharing stages with luminaries such as Crucial Conflict, Black Star, KRS-ONE, Jeru tha Damaja, Saul Williams, Æsop Rock and more.
Focused on the themes of living for a healthier state of mind; and uplifting those who are trying to find their path in this world, the Fitz embody the acronym Healthy Independent People Helping Other People.
DemiCon Hall of Fame
At DemiCon 15 we wanted a way to extend special acknowledgement those who have helped make DemiCon what is today. The DemiCon Hall of Fame was created to recognize those particularly influential individuals.
Rusty “James” Hevelin
At DemiCon 15, Rusty Hevelin was our first inductee to DemiCon Hall of Fame. Rusty had started as our Fan Guest of Honor at DC 1, but somewhere before our first convention came around, he was named Toastmaster. From that day forth, he was our Toastmaster. When Rusty became a member of the DemiCon Hall of Fame, he was given the title of Toastmaster Emeritus, but he did not rest on his laurels and has been at every DemiCon until DC22 when health problems kept him away. Rusty passed away in 2011.
To learn more about Rusty, follow this link to the Hevelin Collection at the University of Iowa.
Joe and Gay Haldeman
Gay and Joe had an intricate part in growing the love of science fiction in those who created DemiCon when they were members of Science Fiction League of Iowa Students (which Joe created) and running ICON. Gay and Joe have been dubbed by those that were under their tutelage as the “Grandparents” of DemiCon.
Joe Haldeman is a multiple Hugo and Nebula award winning author. For his spectacular career in writing science fiction and fantasy, he was given the honor of SFWA Grand Master. Joe has been our Author GOH for DC 2 and DC 20 where the Haldemans were inducted into the DemiCon Hall of Fame.
Gay Haldeman was our Fan Guest of Honor at DC 2 and was a regular guest, besides Rusty Hevelins’ travel buddy through the many years. Mary Gay Potter Haldeman (a name familiar to those who read The Forever War) has a Master’s Degree in Spanish Literature and another in Linguistics. Joe and Gay are retired in Florida after many years of teaching at MIT . But, Joe is not the only one with an award or two. Gay shared a Skylark Award with Joe in 1996, and in 2011 was given the Big Heart Award at the World SF Convention in Reno, Nevada. Both Gay and Joe have thespian talents and have graced our stage as TICC performers, as well.
Glen Cook
Glen was made a member at DemiCon 25. Glen Cook Author guest of honor for DemiCon 5, known for his stellar The Black Company military fantasy series and so much more, told DemiCon this: I was born and am still under foot. Hit the ground in NYC in 1944, lived there, Indiana, and California growing up. Served in the Navy, attended U of Missouri, worked for General Motors and retired therefrom. Began writing with intent to commit publication late 1960s and have since produced 51 published books (#51, Working God’s Mischief, will come out between now and the convention), some short fiction, some articles and some essays. I have three sons, an Army officer, an architect, and a symphony musician, plus numerous grandchildren, all but one of whom seem determined to be female. And I have an amazing wife who has been with me for almost 45 years. These days I am, extremely slowly, working on expanding the Black Company chronicles by two novels and a story collection. I have become a victim of Ambition Deficit Disorder, which is what has put the slow in slowly.
Glen has been at almost every DemiCon selling books to all who love the joy of reading. Signing his and making DemiCon even more special. Thanks Glen.
Carol Eis and Karen Eis
Carol and Karen Eis are the unsung heroes of the Art Show. Lovingly known to all as the Eis Sisters, these two showed up on a DemiCon of many years past to volunteer and stayed. Coming in to help behind the scenes for both show and auction, they make sure all runs smoothly. The Eis Sisters have even helped train some of our art show department heads on the little tricks of the trade. DemiCon is fortunate to have Carol and Karen as volunteers throughout the years.