KEYNOTE SPEAKER:
We are pleased to announce that our keynote speaker is MARY E. PEARSON, NYT bestselling and award winning author of young adult novels, novellas, and short stories. Her works include the recently completed trilogy, The Remnant Chronicles, which in a starred review, Publisher's Weekly called "masterfully crafted." The first book in the trilogy, The Kiss of Deception, was chosen by teens as a 2015 YALSA Top Ten title. Her novel, The Adoration of Jenna Fox, has won numerous awards, is used in classrooms across the country, and has been optioned for film and slated for theaters in 2018. Her other novels include Golden Kite winner, A Room on Lorelei Street, The Miles Between, and Scribbler of Dreams. Mary writes from her home in Carlsbad, CA. You can learn more about Mary and her books at www.marypearson.com.
We are pleased to announce that our keynote speaker is MARY E. PEARSON, NYT bestselling and award winning author of young adult novels, novellas, and short stories. Her works include the recently completed trilogy, The Remnant Chronicles, which in a starred review, Publisher's Weekly called "masterfully crafted." The first book in the trilogy, The Kiss of Deception, was chosen by teens as a 2015 YALSA Top Ten title. Her novel, The Adoration of Jenna Fox, has won numerous awards, is used in classrooms across the country, and has been optioned for film and slated for theaters in 2018. Her other novels include Golden Kite winner, A Room on Lorelei Street, The Miles Between, and Scribbler of Dreams. Mary writes from her home in Carlsbad, CA. You can learn more about Mary and her books at www.marypearson.com.
Aleta Barthell - Aleta was a finalist for the 2016 HUMANITAS/CTG Playwriting Prize for her play, WINDOW OF SHAME. She has also created a pilot about the 12th century queen, Eleanor of Aquitaine, for which she received a grant to study source material in Paris through the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Aleta was a panelist at the 2015 Dramatists Guild National Conference and spoke about “Writing from History.” She is a teaching artist with Playwrights Project, drama teacher at St. Patrick Catholic School and founder of the youth theater education program, Kids Act.
Cecil Castellucci - Cecil Castellucci is the author of books and graphic novels for young adults including Boy Proof, The Plain Janes, First Day on Earth, The Year of the Beasts, Tin Star, Stone in the Sky and the Eisner nominated Odd Duck. In 2015 she co-authored Moving Target: A Princess Leia Adventure. Upcoming in 2016 is Shade, The Changing Girl an ongoing comic on Gerard Way’s Young Animal imprint at DC Comics. And her newest Graphic Novel Soupy Leaves Home comes out in 2017. Her picture book, Grandma’s Gloves, won the California Book Award Gold Medal. Her short stories have been published in Strange Horizons, YARN, Tor.com, and various anthologies including, Teeth, After and Interfictions 2. She is the Children’s Correspondence Coordinator for The Rumpus, a two time Macdowell Fellow and the founding YA Editor at the LA Review of Books. She lives in Los Angeles.
Esteban Ismael - Esteban Ismael is a National City native, editor, and instructor with San Diego Continuing Education. He earned his MFA at the Helen Zell Writers’ Program at University of Michigan, where he was the recipient of a Helen Zell Postgraduate Fellowship and a Rackham International Research Award to study Maya poetics in Quintana Roo and Yucatán, Mexico. He has worked as an in-school writing resource resident with the Ann Arbor School District, a creative arts coordinator & group facilitator intern at a drop-in center for homeless and at-risk youth, and also served as the spoken word coach for Ozone House's slam team representing Ypsilanti, MI at Brave New Voices. Before moving into literature, Esteban performed spoken word at numerous venues in southern California, studied under our now serving US Poet Laureate Juan Felipe Herrera, and opened for Nas’s tour band, Mulatto. His poems have appeared in literary magazines including Spillway, Poetry Daily, Dogwood, The New Guard, The Massachusetts Review, Ruminate Magazine, H_NGM_N, RHINO, and Crab Orchard Review, among others. Esteban is the recipient of the 2016 First Prize in Poetry from Dogwood, and was most recently selected as a Second Rounder in the Austin Film Festival’s 2016 teleplay competition for a Bob’s Burger spec titled “Outside Bro-teins.”
Igor Goldkind - Igor Goldkind is an author, lecturer and producer of advanced media technology innovations. At the age of 14, Goldkind served as a volunteer Science Fiction Coordinator for the now wildly popular San Diego Comic Con. It was in this capacity that he met Ray Bradbury, whom he asked for advice about becoming a writer. Through Comic Con, Goldkind also befriended Theodor Sturgeon, Larry Niven, Harlan Ellison and others whom he considered to be heroes of the SF genre. In 2015, his project published by Chameleon Publishing in multiple ebook editions (and a hard cover book), IS SHE AVAILABLE?, broke ground in combining Poetry, Comics, Jazz and Animation and set a new bar in electronic publishing. In his 20 year career as an author, product developer and digital producer, he has initiated and successfully delivered digital media projects in the UK and Europe for Oxford University Press, the Tate Modern in London, the BBC and the Stockholm Environmental Institute. Previous to his work in the digital industries, he worked in the comic publishing industry promoting science fiction, fantasy and comics to the mainstream audience. Igor Goldkind is best known for having promoted and established the Graphic Novel genre as a global publishing phenomenon. In 2010, was employed by the University of Liverpool as Creative Director and digital producer to produce a selection of next generation game applications. He successfully presented to the senior board at Sony Entertainment Europe and developed early stage online storytelling modules for Sony Play Station Network. Igor Goldkind is currently preparing a short story collection THE VILLAGE OF LIGHT based in the genre of Speculative Realism as well as his first novel PLAGUE.
Chris Green - Chris Marie Green and her alter ego Crystal Green have written eighty works in total. “Chris Marie Green” writes everything from hot contemporary romance to new adult to thrillers to paranormals. Some of her series include Rough and Tumble, Aidan Falls, Final Girls, and Vampire Babylon. RITA nominated “Crystal Green” writes “sweet” romance, namely the Heroes of the West historical Western series for Debra’s Holland’s Montana Sky Kindle Worlds series. As both pen names, she tries her best to avoid international incidents whenever she takes a break from her first love, writing, and cheats on it with her other true love, traveling. You can find her on Twitter @ChrisMarieGreen and @CrystalGreenMe, and Facebook. You can also read her work on the Radish mobile reading app and Wattpad!
T. Greenwood - T. Greenwood is the author of eleven novels. She has received grants from the Sherwood Anderson Foundation, the Christopher Isherwood Foundation, the National Endowment for the Arts, and, most recently, the Maryland State Arts Council. TWO RIVERS was named 2009 Best General Fiction Book at the San Diego Book Awards, and GRACE received the same award for 2012. Five of her novels have been BookSense76/IndieBound picks; THIS GLITTERING WORLD was a January 2011 selection, and GRACE was a selection in April 2012. Her eighth novel, BODIES OF WATER, was finalist for a Lambda Foundation award. Her eleventh novel, THE GOLDEN HOUR, will be published in March 2017.
Christopher Hamilton - Christopher Hamilton’s second-grade teacher called home to verify his reading log because, “No one could be reading that many books.” In high school he kept his obsessive reading a secret from his friends on the soccer team, discussing Jane Eyre discreetly after school with his favorite teacher, Mrs. Teegarden. This love of Literature led to graduate degrees in English Literature at UCLA, specializing in 18th and 19th century British Literature and Critical Theory. Christopher Hamilton taught hundreds of college students at UCLA in courses ranging from Introduction to Literature to seminars on Crime Fiction, and earned awards for his scholarship and his teaching. Christopher jumped ship from academia to commercial magazine writing, eventually becoming Editorial Director of a magazine focused on food, wine, and cooking. After gaining a few pounds but missing the energy and atmosphere of the classroom, Christopher became a partner in an international college consulting and test-prep company, and eventually went on to create additional companies devoted to helping ambitious student find a path to great colleges. In 2014 he founded Hamilton College Consulting, helping local and international students apply to selective colleges.Christopher Hamilton has helped literally hundreds of students gain access to Ivy-level universities, and thousands find a path to colleges of all descriptions.
Henry Hertz - Henry Herz writes fantasy and science fiction for children. He is represented by Deborah Warren of East/West Literary Agency. He and his sons wrote MONSTER GOOSE NURSERY RHYMES (Pelican, 2015), WHEN YOU GIVE AN IMP A PENNY (Pelican, 2016), MABEL AND THE QUEEN OF DREAMS (Schiffer, 2016), LITTLE RED CUTTLEFISH (Pelican, 2016), and CAP’N REX & HIS CLEVER CREW (Sterling, 2017).
Lisa Kessler - Lisa Kessler is an Amazon Bestselling and award winning author of dark paranormal fiction. Her debut novel, Night Walker, won a San Diego Book Award for best Fantasy-Sci-fi-Horror, and also won the Romance Through the Ages Best Paranormal and Best First Book categories. She has since garnered a second San Diego Book Award for Best Published Romance for Moonlight. Lisa's short stories have been published in print anthologies and seen on the web in eZines like Sinisteria, Horrorfind, Twilight Times, The Writers Hood, Savage Night, The Murder Hole, Behold and Shadowkeepzine. Her story, “The Third King” won Second Place in Behold's short story contest, and her story, "Immortal Beloved" was a finalist for a Bram Stoker award. Lisa is an active member of Romance Writers of America serving as Past-President of the San Diego Chapter and the FF&P (Paranormal) Chapter. She’s also a member of the International Thriller Writers. Lisa loves to teach and has taught writing craft classes both online and in person for RWA University, San Diego Writers Ink, and has been a speaker for numerous RWA chapters, the RT Booklovers Convention, San Diego Comic Fest, and for various writer's retreats.
Courtney Kilian - Courtney Amber Kilian is a writer, gentle yoga teacher, and the founder of Om & Ink: Live, Breathe, Write, which offers prompts for mindful creative practice and Yoga For Writers classes. She received her MFA in Creative Writing at UCSD, and loves working with others to inspire their creativity, deepen their intuition, and use writing and yoga as therapeutic practices. Her work can be found in the following anthologies: Rooted: The Best New Arboreal Nonfiction; Ancestors, Place, and Memory…Our Stories Will Never Die; and California Prose Directory: New Writing from the Golden State. Learn more at www.om-and-ink.com and follow her on Instagram @Om.And.Ink.
Harley Jane Kozak - Harley Jane Kozak was born in Pennsylvania, grew up in Nebraska, graduated from NYU Tisch School of the Arts , and migrated to Los Angeles. She worked as an actress (Parenthood, Arachnophobia, The Favor, etc.) before turning to crime fiction. Her first novel, Dating Dead Men, won the Agatha, Anthony, and Macavity awards, and was followed by four others. Her short prose has appeared in Ms. Magazine, The Sun, The Santa Monica Review and the anthologies Mystery Muses, This is Chick Lit, A Hell of a Woman, Butcher Knives and Body Counts, The Rich and the Dead, and Crimes by Moonlight. After a 15-year maternity leave, Harley has returned to acting, appearing most recently in I Spit on Your Grave III. She lives in L.A. with three teenagers and two large dogs.
Natalie M. Lakosil - An honors graduate of the University of San Diego, California, Natalie holds a B.A. in Literature/Writing. After nearly four years at the Sandra Dijkstra Literary Agency and a brief dabble in writing author profiles and book reviews for the San Diego Union Tribune, she joined the Bradford Agency in February of 2011. She is drawn to talented, hard-working new authors with a fresh, unique voice and hook.
Viet Mai - Viet Mai is an Educator, Artist and Consultant who works to enhance the lives of others through community engagement and youth empowerment. As a member of the 2013 ELEVATED! Slam Team, he represented San Diego to rank 4th place at the National Poetry Slam in Boston, MA.
Mr. Viet began exploring his creativity by writing poetry while a student at the University of California in San Diego. With influences from Ethnic Studies and Music classes, as well as lyrics from Hip Hop artists, Viet focuses his writing and performing towards education, community development, self reflection, and empowerment. As his talent and creativity bloomed, he was sought after as a featured poet at many events and venues in Southern California, and has appeared in venues across America. Ultimately, Mr. Viet's mission is to collaborate with community members to educate, motivate, and inspire youth and families through spoken word, art, and culture. He has facilitated numerous workshops with various organizations and youth programs. After obtaining his BA in Math-Computer Science from UCSD, Viet currently serves as a Program Facilitator with the Village of Promise Collective Mentoring Program, and as an Independent Consultant, specializing in Education and Data Analysis. Furthermore, he devoutly continues to edutain his audience as a Public Speaker, Host and Spoken Word Artist. The vKnowledge Collective is Mr. Viet's latest venture; a collaborative community consulting network designed to impact Education and Mentorship, Health and Wellness, and Social Entrepreneurship. For more information visit vknowledge.org and vietmai.com.
Mr. Viet began exploring his creativity by writing poetry while a student at the University of California in San Diego. With influences from Ethnic Studies and Music classes, as well as lyrics from Hip Hop artists, Viet focuses his writing and performing towards education, community development, self reflection, and empowerment. As his talent and creativity bloomed, he was sought after as a featured poet at many events and venues in Southern California, and has appeared in venues across America. Ultimately, Mr. Viet's mission is to collaborate with community members to educate, motivate, and inspire youth and families through spoken word, art, and culture. He has facilitated numerous workshops with various organizations and youth programs. After obtaining his BA in Math-Computer Science from UCSD, Viet currently serves as a Program Facilitator with the Village of Promise Collective Mentoring Program, and as an Independent Consultant, specializing in Education and Data Analysis. Furthermore, he devoutly continues to edutain his audience as a Public Speaker, Host and Spoken Word Artist. The vKnowledge Collective is Mr. Viet's latest venture; a collaborative community consulting network designed to impact Education and Mentorship, Health and Wellness, and Social Entrepreneurship. For more information visit vknowledge.org and vietmai.com.
Sylvia Mendoza - Award-winning journalist Sylvia Mendoza absolutely believes in the power of the written word—and that every person has a story to tell. When she wrote The Book of Latina Women: 150 Vidas (Lives) of Passion, Strength and Success, an important historic perspective on Latinas who have made significant contributions in the arts, politics, science, entertainment, sports, education, and more, the women’s stories changed her life. First released in 2004, the book was selected for the 2007 California Collection for High Schools by the California Readers Association. In 2014, the updated reprint won 1st place in the International Latino Book Awards “Best Women’s Issues” category. She continues to write stories to inspire and be inspired, to empower and be empowered. Now she is onto her next venture with ZEST BOOKS—writing biographies of inspiring men and women of color for middle grade readers. Sonia Sotomayor: A Biography will be released in April 2017 and is the launch book for the Living History series. A biography on astrophysicist Neil DeGrasse Tyson will follow in Fall 2017. Recognized as a 2006 “Woman of Distinction” at California State University, San Marcos for her contributions in promoting awareness of gender issues, Sylvia is an advocate of diversity, literacy and women's empowerment through education. She has been a featured speaker for the National Women’s History Project and has appeared on C-Span’s Book-TV, the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books, Book Expo America, and Essence of Latinas Tour. In 2014, Sylvia was cited as 1 of 25 Influential Latina Leaders invited to the Consulate General of Israel, Los Angeles, for a private meeting with Ms. Mazal Renford, Israeli delegate to the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women. In 2016, she was featured as a thought leader and one of “50 Voices of the Future” in Journalism as part of UCSD Extension’s 50 Year Anniversary celebration. She teaches Journalism, Media Studies and Writing at several San Diego college campuses. A freelance writer for 30 years, she’s written for many publications such as Hispanic Outlook in Higher Education, Baja Traveler, OurCity San Diego, Los Angeles Times, San Diego Union-Tribune, Decor & Style, Kids' Wall Street News, Siempre Mujer and Hispanic. She has won numerous awards, including 1st place in the 2016 San Diego Press Club Excellence in Journalism Awards for Magazine Writing, Multicultural Category. Sylvia earned her M.A. and B.A. in Journalism and certification in Women’s Studies and Copyediting. She is a member of ASJA, Society of Professional Journalists, San Diego Professional Editors Network, San Diego Press Club, and National Women’s History Project.
Jim Pascoe - For the past 20 years, Jim Pascoe has been generating, collaborating on, and executing creative ideas. He is the author of over 10 books including By the Balls: a Bowling Alley Murder Mystery and many Buffy the Vampire Slayer comics. He is excited about his new graphic novel series COTTONS coming from First Second/Macmillan in 2018. He was also the creative director/producer on Disney/ABC Cable Network Group’s interactive television program JETIX Cards Live, which won a 2004 Emmy Award (Outstanding Achievement in Advanced Media Technology).
Laura Preble - Laura Preble is an author from San Diego. Her books include the Queen Geek Social Club series, the dystopian LGBT novel Out, and the forthcoming Anna Incognito, which is currently in search of a publishing home. She is the winner of a Kurt Vonnegut Fiction Prize, and her articles have appeared in NEA Today, Hysteria, Writer’s Digest, and the North American Review.
James Matlack Raney - James Raney grew up all over the world, in Europe, Latin America, and Africa, leaving him with a lifelong love of adventure that escapes through his daydreams and lands on the pages of his stories. He is the author of the Jim Morgan series and Lord of the Wolves, is a two-time Foreword Reviews Book of the Year Finalist for Juvenile Fiction, and is the winner of the 2015 Writer's Digest Book Award for YA/Middle Grade Fiction. He is currently working on a new novel and visiting as many schools and bookstores in Southern California as will put up with him. James loves spinning yarns he would have howled at when he was a boy, eating sushi, strumming his guitar, and wishing he had a dog to play frisbee with on the beach.
Kendall Sherwood - An LA-based playwright/screenwriter who is currently staffed on “Major Crimes,” a spin-off of TNT’s hit crime series “The Closer,” where she worked her way up from an internship in 2010. She's represented by CAA and The Cartel Management Group. Despite the transition into the land of TV, Kendall keeps a foot in the world of playwriting, with – most recently – a workshop production of The Record Breakers in Denver’s inaugural festival for women's voices, the Athena Project, a month-long run of Devil May Care in Chicago (Wishbone Theatre Collective) and the honor of being named a finalist two years running for the Eugene O’Neill National Playwrights Conference for Found Religion and The Record Breakers. She received a BA in Theatre from Clemson University and an MFA in Writing for the Screen and Stage at Northwestern University, where she taught Foundations of Screenwriting in the Radio/TV/Film department.
Scott Sigler - #1 New York Times best-selling author Scott Sigler is the creator of fifteen novels, six novellas and dozens of short stories. His works are available from Crown Publishing and Del Rey Books. He is also a co-founder of Empty Set Entertainment, which publishes his young-adult Galactic Football League series. In 2005, Scott built a large online following by releasing his audiobooks as serialized podcasts. A decade later, he still gives his stories away — for free — every Sunday at scottsigler.com. His loyal fans, who named themselves “Junkies,” have downloaded over thirty-five million individual episodes. Scott lives in San Diego, CA.
Greg van Eekhout - Greg van Eekhout is the author of six published novels and over two-dozen short stories. His work has been nominated for the Nebula Award for Best Short Story, the Andre Norton Award for Best Young Adult Science Fiction and Fantasy Novel, and the Locus Award for Best First Novel. His most recent book is Dragon Coast, the conclusion to the Daniel Blackland Trilogy (Tor Books). He lives in Pacific Beach with his wife and dogs. www.writingandsnacks.com
Matthew Wolf - Bestselling author of YA epic fantasy novel The Knife’s Edge, book one of The Ronin Saga. He is a graduate of UCSB with a specialization in medieval studies and Japanese, which strongly influence the world of The Ronin Saga. He was also a Kung Fu instructor, a health nut, and a hobbyist of woodcraft, archery, and other old worldy things. He enjoys giving rousing speeches and encouraging others on the exciting path of writing.
Mysterious Galaxy Bookstore will be selling speakers’ books with a portion of the proceeds going to the conference.