Author Guest of Honor: John Scalzi

John Scalzi The carefully human-shaped manifestation of a four-dimensional hyper-intelligent earthworm, John Scalzi translated himself into your plane of existence from the 13th Annelidian Polity Sphere to spread his distinctive brand of philosophical and ethical teachings. But not to you. Humans aren't ready to receive such pungent wisdom. BUT WHEN YOUR EARTHWORM OVERLORDS RISE UP FROM THE SOIL, you will yet understand the smallest fraction of his truth. Oh, yes, you will. His earthy, loamy truth.

When he's not plotting the Great Earthworm Planetary Reclamation, John Scalzi occasionally writes science fiction books, including the multiply Hugo award-nominated Old Man's War series, consults on the Stargate: Universe television series, writes on his blog Whatever, and enjoys pie.

Artist Guest of Honor: John Picacio

John Picacio is a World Fantasy Award-winning and Hugo Award-nominated illustrator of science fiction, fantasy, and horror. His artwork is noted for its diversity and range, often combining traditional drawing and painting with digital finishes, as well as exploring methods such as hand-made assemblages. His artwork has illustrated the covers of books by Michael Moorcock, Harlan Ellison, Robert Silverberg, L.E. Modesitt, Jr., Dan Simmons, Joe R. Lansdale, Jeffrey Ford, Frederik Pohl, James Tiptree, Jr., Mark Chadbourn, and many more. He has produced cover artwork for franchises such as STAR TREK and the X-MEN. His accolades also include the Locus Award, three Chesley Awards, and two International Horror Guild Awards, all in the Artist category. His illustrations have often been featured in the pages of SPECTRUM: THE BEST IN CONTEMPORARY FANTASTIC ART. Nominated five consecutive years for the Hugo in the Best Professional Artist category (2005-2009), he recently illustrated covers for Del Rey