Featured Contributors
Gaming
Tanya DePass
Tanya DePass is the founder and Director of I Need Diverse Games, a non-profit organization based in Chicago, which is dedicated to better diversification of all aspects of gaming. Tanya is a lifelong Chicagoan who loves everything about gaming, #INeedDiverseGames spawn point, and wants to make it better and more inclusive for everyone. She’s part of the Rivals of Waterdeep live play stream on twitch.tv/dnd, a partnered Twitch variety broadcaster; and often speaks on issues of diversity, feminism, race, intersectionality and other topics at conventions.
Please see our Q&A with Tanya here.
| Where to find Tanya | |
|---|---|
| Tabletop Live! Tanya Takes Her Friends to Hell—We Mean Avernus! | Saturday 12:00pm on Let’s Play Stage |
| Meet and Greet with Tanya DePass | Saturday 1:00pm at Signing Table |
| Building a Better Stream Community | Saturday 4:00pm in Uhura |
| GMing for Beginners | Sunday 10:00am in Samus |
The Badass Women of Blizzard
Representing all different gaming careers and journeys, the badass women of Blizzard are here to inspire, mentor, and to geek out at GeekGirlCon! Meet Software Engineer Stephanie Shu, 2.5D Artist Christi Kugler, Senior Encounter Designer Candace Thomas, Director Global Talent Dina Medeiros, Senior Game Producer Jennifer Owings, Senior Test Lead Mary Bourrie, and Senior Casting & Voice Director Andrea Toyias.
Science
Trudy Kortes
@TrudyKortes
Trudy Kortes has spent 30 years at NASA laughing her way through career challenges. She is eager to share her secrets to maintaining her humor through bad bosses, intense roles, and difficult decisions. Trudy’s sense of self in her life and career has only been gained by some tough lessons and challenging situations, and she can help you maneuver them in a way that helps you maintain your
authenticity.
Dajae Williams
@dajaewilliams_
Dajae Williams is a graduate of Missouri S&T and is currently a Quality Engineer at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Lab. At JPL, Dajae is responsible for helping ensure the quality of actuators for the SWOT and NISAR mission. In addition to her work at NASA, she writes educational hip hop music to aid in teaching underprivileged students STEM topics. Her mission is to seamlessly integrate arts within the sciences.
| Where to find the women of NASA | |
|---|---|
| The Science and Technology of Space Travel | Saturday 1:00pm in Garnet |
| A Journey Through Space and Time: Women of NASA | Sunday 10:00am in Garnet |
| Meet and Greet with Women of NASA | Sunday 11:00am at Signing Table |
Entertainment
Paula Burrows
@paulamburrows
Paula Burrows is a Scottish-born, Canadian-raised actress based in Vancouver, B.C. A graduate of Studio 58 and Langara College Film Arts, Paula is over the moon to be playing Rayla in the animated show The Dragon Prince, and her Scottish mother is delighted that she is finally “talking properly.” Her recent credits include the conveniently named character Paula in The Dangers of Online Dating, Mrs Luckenbill in The Hunt, and Jessica Hartley in Unspeakable.
Please see our Q&A with Paula here.
| Where to find Paula | |
|---|---|
| The Journey to Xadia: A Chat with Paula Burrows | Saturday 10:00am in Garnet |
| Meet and Greet with Paula Burrows | Saturday 11:00am at Signing Table |
The Doubleclicks
@TheDoubleclicks
The Doubleclicks are a folk-pop music duo made up of siblings Laser and Aubrey. The siblings perform songs that are geeky, snarky, sweet, and uplifting on their cello, ukulele, and meowing cat keyboard. The latest Doubleclicks album, The Book Was Better, has songs about video games, gender identity, and trying to get away from the internet. The Doubleclicks’s songs are for everybody and tend to be especially appreciated by nerds, queer folks, kids, and the rad folks who helped fund the production of their new album on Kickstarter. This community has helped make three of their previous albums Billboard-charting successes.
Please see our Q&A with The Doubleclicks here.
| Where to find The Doubleclicks | |
|---|---|
| The Doubleclicks Concert | Saturday 4:00pm in Garnet |
| Meet and Greet with The Doubleclicks | Saturday 5:30pm at Signing Table |
| The Doubleclicks Concert | Sunday 2:00pm in Garnet |
| Meet and Greet with The Doubleclicks | Sunday 3:00pm at Signing Table |
SassyBlack
@SassyBlack_
SassyBlack is a multifaceted creative force with a focus in the performing and literary arts. Hailing from Seattle, this goddess of “electronic psychedelic soul” and “hologram funk” explores sound through deep compositions. Sassy’s musical journey is available for listening and purchase through Bandcamp, Spotify, and all other streaming platforms.
Please see our Q&A with SassyBlack here.
| Where to find SassyBlack | |
|---|---|
| SassyBlack Concert | Saturday 7:00pm in Garnet |
| Meet and Greet with SassyBlack | Saturday 7:30pm at Signing Table |
| SassyBlack Concert | Sunday 4:00pm in Garnet |
| Meet and Greet with SassyBlack | Sunday 4:30pm at Signing Table |
Writing
Molly Brooks
@mollybrooks
Molly Brooks is the illustrator of Flying Machines: How the Wright Brothers Soared by Alison Wilgus and many other short comics. Her work has appeared in the Village Voice, the Guardian, the Boston Globe, the Nashville Scene, the Nib, the TOAST, BUST, ESPN social, Sports Illustrated online, and other publications. She spends her spare time watching vintage buddy cop shows and making comics about knitting, hockey, and/or feelings, which you can see on her website (mollybrooks.com). Molly lives and works in Brooklyn.
Molly’s Q&A coming soon!
| Where to find Molly | |
|---|---|
| Rising Stars: Q&A and Book Recs from Publishing’s Most Exciting Newcomers! | Saturday 2:30pm in Garnet |
| Meet and Greet with Featured Authors | Saturday 3:30pm at Signing Table |
| Zine Production (and Promotion) 101 | Sunday 1:00pm in Mulan |
Hafsah Faizal
@hafsahfaizal
Hafsah Faizal is the New York Times bestselling author of We Hunt the Flame and the founder of IceyDesigns, where she creates websites for authors and beauteous goodies for everyone else. When she’s not writing, she can be found dreaming up her next design, deciding between Assassin’s Creed and Skyrim, or traversing the world. Born in Florida and raised in California, she now resides in Texas with her family and a library of books waiting to be devoured.
Please see our Q&A with Hafsah here.
| Where to find Hafsah | |
|---|---|
| Rising Stars: Q&A and Book Recs from Publishing’s Most Exciting Newcomers! | Saturday 2:30pm in Garnet |
| Meet and Greet with Featured Authors | Saturday 3:30pm at Signing Table |
| Meet and Greet with Hafsah Faizal | Sunday 12:00pm at Signing Table |
Johnnie Jae
@johnniejae
Johnnie Jae is an Otoe-Missouria and Choctaw journalist, speaker, podcaster, technologist, advocate, community builder, and entrepreneur who loves empowering others to follow their passions and create healing, positive change in the world. She is the founder of both A Tribe Called Geek, an award-winning media platform for Indigenous Geek Culture and STEM, and #Indigenerds4Hope, a suicide-prevention initiative designed to educate, encourage, and empower Native Youth who are or know someone struggling with bullying, mental illness, or suicide. She is also the host of the Indigenous Flame and A Tribe Called Geek podcasts.
Please see our Q&A with Johnnie here.
| Where to find Johnnie | |
|---|---|
| Diversity and the Future of Star Wars | Saturday 4:30pm in Korra |
| Surviving the Zombie Apocalypse Rez Style | Saturday 5:30pm in Garnet |
| Transformative Racism: Race and Fandom | Saturday 7:00pm in Mulan |
| Indigenous Futurisms | Sunday 12:00pm in Korra |
| Meet and Greet with Johnnie Jae | Sunday 1:00pm at Signing Table |
Aiden Thomas
@aidenschmaiden
Aiden Thomas is a YA author with an MFA in Creative Writing. Originally from Oakland, California, Portland, OR is where they now call home. As a queer, trans Latinx, Aiden strongly advocates for diverse representation in all media. Aiden’s special talents include: quoting The Office, Harry Potter trivia, Jenga, finishing sentences with “is my FAVORITE,” and killing spiders. Aiden’s debut novel, Cemetery Boys, is a Dia de Muertos paranormal romance about Yadriel (a gay, trans brujo) who accidentally summons the wrong ghost (July 2020).
Please see our Q&A with Aiden here.
| Where to find Aiden | |
|---|---|
| Rising Stars: Q&A and Book Recs from Publishing’s Most Exciting Newcomers! | Saturday 2:30pm in Garnet |
| Meet and Greet with Featured Authors | Saturday 3:30pm at Signing Table |
| Exclusive Variant: Exploring the Gender Spectrum in Comics | Sunday 11:30am in Mulan |
