Author Guest of Honor, Dr. Jeana Jorgensen!
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Dr. Jeana Jorgensen, author of Folklore 101 and Fairy Tales 101 among other books, has degrees in folklore from the University of California, Berkeley and Indiana University. She has taught at these universities along with Indiana University-Purdue University of Indianapolis and Butler University, where she currently teaches in the Department of History, Anthropology, and Classics. Dr. Jorgensen serves on the editorial board of the academic journal Marvels & Tales: Journal of Fairy Tale Studies and is a member of the American Folklore Society, the International Society for Folk Narrative Research, the International Society for the Fantastic in the Arts, and other scholarly organizations.
She is also a creative writer, having recently released her debut poetry collection The Thorn Key: Fairy Tales in Verse. Her poem “The Witch’s House” was nominated for the 2018 Rhysling Award, and her short dystopian story about reproductive rights, “The book you find when you really can’t afford to get pregnant,” won the Spider Road Press Feminist Flash Fiction Award of 2018. When not writing, she directs two dance troupes and performs as a soloist, wrangles her sourdough starter, and knits (badly). She promises she is not a fae queen in exile who is plundering human libraries until she can find the answer to a riddle that will let her return home.
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Artist Guest of Honor, Lor Illustration!
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Hi! I’m Lor! (Aka, Fig)
I work as a freelance artist and comic artist. On the illustration side, I primarily produce art for tabletop games and card games. I have contributed illustrations for Wizards of the Coast, Arcane Wonders, Fantasy Flight Games, Rio Grande Games, Slugfest Games, and many more.
For the past few years, I have been writing and illustrating a webcomic series called ‘A Tale of Two Rulers.’ Set in the universe of ‘Legend of Zelda,’ my webcomic is a humor/romance between Zelda and Ganondorf. It has become one of the most emotionally rewarding projects I have ever worked on, and the feedback from my readers has helped me to become a better writer and illustrator. I am very grateful for my readers’ support, as nothing is better than knowing that my work makes people happy!
You can check out Lor’s amazing art at https://www.lorillustration.com/
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Cosplay Guest of Honor, Casual Moth Cosplay!
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Lizzy (she/her) is a cosplayer and character performer from the midwest. Passionate about cosplay and activism, she uses her art and her platform to promote empowerment, especially to young women and members of the LGBT community. Lizzy has a personal focus on sustainability, preferring to upcycle her costumes from used fabric and clothing or other thrifted textiles whenever possible. She has been cosplaying since 2013, and typically attends conventions around the Indianapolis and Chicago areas. Her costumes span genres from film, television, anime, gaming and more.
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Trivia Guest of Honor, Lou Harry!
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Lou Harry is the author of more than 40 books including, proudly, the novelization of Santa Claus Conquers the Martians (his not-so-secret goal is to write a book for every classification in the Dewey Decimal System). He has also written for dozens of publications including Variety, The Sondheim Review, and even Cartoon Network magazine. His produced plays include “Midwestern Hemisphere,” “Lightning and Jellyfish” and “Popular Monsters.” Follow him – he won’t mind – on Bluesky @louharry.bsky.social or connect at www.louharry.com.
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Also Appearing as Special Guests
TammyJo Eckhart
The Great Yarn Dragon
Dr. Rob Pyatt
Darkside
