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John Scalzi
John Scalzi has been writing professionally since 1991, first as a film critic and general columnist for the Fresno Bee newspaper (where his reviews and columns were nationally syndicated), then as America Online’s in-house writer and editor, and since 1998 as a full-time freelance writer. Scalzi is best known as a writer of science fiction, with several novels in the genre published since 2005, including Redshirts, the 2013 winner of the Hugo Award for best novel. He also frequently writes non-fiction.
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Lyss Menold
Lyss Menold is an illustrator based in Lansing, Michigan. As a child they loved to go to bookstores, not just to buy books, but to browse the isles and see all the beautiful covers. Eventually this love for illustration led to pursuing a BFA in illustration at Kendall College of Art and Design, and then later an MFA in illustration from Hartford Art School’s low residency program. After graduation they worked as the in-house artist for Wyrd Miniatures and Dogmight Games, and taught at Kendall College and the College for Creative Studies.
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Austin Harrison
Austin Harrison is Head of Games at IV Studio (the publishers of tabletop games such as Moonrakers,Veiled Fate, Mythic Mischief, Fractured Sky, etc.) and has been a part of producing both video and board games as a part of his role. He works with designers, artists, and developers to bring new games from concept to the table. Austin enjoys talking about game design, crowdfunding, publishing, and what goes into creating great tabletop experiences. He lives in Nashville and is obsessed with grand strategy games such as Rebellion or TI4, as well as games like It’s a Wonderful World, Ra, and Sidereal Confluence.
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Bridget Landry
Bridget Landry was educated as a chemist/planetary scientist, and works as an engineer. She has worked in robotic spacecraft operations for 35 years, including the Hubble Space Telescope, Mars Pathfinder, the Cassini mission to Saturn, and both the Curiosity and Perseverance rovers. Wearing her technical hat, Bridget has been on science panels at Worldcons as well as local and regional conventions. However, Ms. Landry has been attending and working cons since the age of 13. She is a master-level costumer and has won masquerade awards from the local to the Worldcon level.
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Paul Bielaczyc
Paul has been working as a professional artist for over 2 decades. During that time he won the prestigious Chesley Award in 2006 for his charcoal drawing, Nightmare, and Paul was also one of a select few officially licensed Wheel of Time artists. His WoT work was featured in the Wheel of Time Companion along with countless t-shirt designs for Ta’veren Tees. His work has also been featured in various role-playing systems, including White Wolf, DragonLance, and Sagaborn.
Attending Guests
H. R. Raymer
Herika R. Raymer grew up consuming books - first by eating them, later by reading them. Her parents taught her the value of focus and hard work while encouraging a love literature and art; so she's written and doodled off and on for decades. When Raymer was finally published, she developed a taste for it and continued to send submissions - sometimes with success. Her single works include 'Make Mine With A Side Of Creepy', 'Chicken Pulp', and 'L' Artefact Malefique'. In addition to writing, she gained experience editing while with a science fiction periodical and a horror periodical. Herika R. Raymer is married and has two children West Tennessee, USA.
Josh Plock
Josh Plock has written about some of the most iconic figures in popular culture with contributions to the acclaimed books: The American Superhero, The American Villain, and Robots in Popular Culture published by Bloomsbury. In 2022 he was the co-author of the book We Are Gotham exploring the dark corners of the most iconic city in fiction. Beyond the bookshelf his work has been featured on popular blogs like the House of Geekery, Burial Books, and Horror Bound as well as printed in the pages of Ghostwatch Paranormal Zine.
critter42
Involved in nerdy things all of his life, Danny has been a cosplayer, helped run a Star Trek fan club, and is approaching his 40th year as a convention organizer. His goal is to create a safe space for anyone to express their true selves without fear of shame or rejection. Currently the Webmaster for MidSouthCon he has been involved in nearly every facet of the convention, including head of programming, technical director all the way to Chairman of the convention.
Elissa Hargraves
I first attended Mid South Con in 1990 or 1991. I’ve been around pretty much ever since. Through the decades my area of focus has moved around.
Denise Hager
Memphis Cryptid. I emerge every March to be social and burn bright. I also run programming and marketing for the Con.
Denise Hager
Memphis Cryptid. I emerge every March to be social and burn bright. I also run programming and marketing for the Con.
H David Blalock
H. David Blalock has been writing speculative fiction for over 50 years. His work appears in novels, novellas, stories, articles, reviews, and commentary both in print and online. He is editor for parABnormal Magazine from Hiraeth Publishing.
Josh Plock
Josh Plock has written about some of the most iconic figures in popular culture with contributions to the acclaimed books: The American Superhero, The American Villain, and Robots in Popular Culture published by Bloomsbury. In 2022 he was the co-author of the book We Are Gotham exploring the dark corners of the most iconic city in fiction. Beyond the bookshelf his work has been featured on popular blogs like the House of Geekery, Burial Books, and Horror Bound as well as printed in the pages of Ghostwatch Paranormal Zine.
H. R. Raymer
Herika R. Raymer grew up consuming books - first by eating them, later by reading them. Her parents taught her the value of focus and hard work while encouraging a love literature and art; so she's written and doodled off and on for decades. When Raymer was finally published, she developed a taste for it and continued to send submissions - sometimes with success. Her single works include 'Make Mine With A Side Of Creepy', 'Chicken Pulp', and 'L' Artefact Malefique'. In addition to writing, she gained experience editing while with a science fiction periodical and a horror periodical. Herika R. Raymer is married and has two children West Tennessee, USA.
H David Blalock
H. David Blalock has been writing speculative fiction for over 50 years. His work appears in novels, novellas, stories, articles, reviews, and commentary both in print and online. He is editor for parABnormal Magazine from Hiraeth Publishing.
critter42
Involved in nerdy things all of his life, Danny has been a cosplayer, helped run a Star Trek fan club, and is approaching his 40th year as a convention organizer. His goal is to create a safe space for anyone to express their true selves without fear of shame or rejection. Currently the Webmaster for MidSouthCon he has been involved in nearly every facet of the convention, including head of programming, technical director all the way to Chairman of the convention.