CONvergence 2018: Natural Twenty is will be rolling out shortly, celebrating the first 20 unforgettable years of CONvergence! But, before we kickoff the celebration, we thought we’d check in with the CONvergence 2017 Guests of Honor to see what they have been up to since last July!
On August 11, 2017, at WorldCon75 in Helsinki, Lois McMaster Bujold won the first ever Hugo Award for Best Series for her Vorkosigan Saga. The award was her sixth Hugo to date. She followed up that win with a nomination in the same category for 2018 for her series World of the Five Gods. Lois McMaster Bujold lives in Minneapolis, and has two grown children. You can find more about Lois McMaster Bujold on her website, www.dendarii.com. Follow her on Facebook and on her GoodReads blog.
The fall of 2017 saw the release of Batman vs. Two-Face with Kristopher Carter, along with Dynamic Music Partners, providing Batman’s musical backdrop. The trio, once again, provided the score for the caped crusader in 2018’s Scooby-Doo & Batman: The Brave and the Bold. Additionally Karter, and partners composed for the animated series Wacky Races and Avengers Assemble as well as the feature film, Give Till It Hurts. Carter and Dynamic Music Partners are also attached to once more provide music for Young Justice as it returns in 2019 on DC’s new digital platform. This summer, Kristopher Carter has also launched his new EDM project, The Kr Protocol, which he is premiering at CONvergence MainStage this year. For updates on Kristopher Carter’s work, checkout www.DynamicMusicPartners.com and Kristopher’s IMDB page. You can also follow Kristopher on Twitter as @utadeer.
Norman Cates continues to live and work in Wellington, New Zealand. Along with acting as president of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Association of New Zealand, Norman serves as chair on the newly formed SFFCONZ Inc (Science Fiction & Fantasy Conventions Of New Zealand Incorporated) and is currently running a bid to bring the 78th World Science Fiction Convention, or Worldcon, to New Zealand in 2020. Keep up with Norman by checking out his IMDB profile or follow him on Facebook.
Eric Chu continues to work out of Paranoid Delusions Inc, a Vancouver-based Design Company he founded in 1985, developing and incubating new and exciting creative works. He is currently working on multiple projects in various stages of development, including working with Anderson Entertainment on the upcoming Gerry Adams-inspired, puppet-based science fiction series, Firestorm! Learn more about Eric Chu on his studio’s website, www.paranoiddelusionsinc.com, and follow him on Facebook and on Twitter as @TheCylonGod.
In the past year, Naomi Kritzer contributed to Catalysts, Explorers & Secret Keepers: Women of Science Fiction, a collection of new and reprinted works, framed as a take-home exhibit from the Museum of Science Fiction. Her stories “Paradox” appeared in the 2017 issue of Uncanny, and “Evil Opposite” appeared in the September/October 2017 issue of Fantasy and Science Fiction magazine. She continues to do science and occasional pop-culture blogging for the web site Bitter Empire and posts on her own blog at www.naomikritzer.com. Naomi lives in St. Paul, MN with her husband and two daughters, and (currently) three cats. You can find more about Naomi on her website and follow her on Twitter as @naomikritzer and on Facebook.
Shortly after CONvergence 2017, Tracy Lee Cocco reprised her role as Khuhl in the second installment of Renegades: The Series, an independently fan funded sci-fi web series, executive produced by Sky Conway. Tracey is also appearing in the upcoming feature film Night Mistress and the upcoming short Civil War 2020. Keep up with Tracee Lee Cocco on her website www.ltjae.com and her IMDB page. Follow Tracee on Facebook or on Twitter as @realtraceecocco.
Seanan McGuire, as prolific as she is talented, has been very, very busy since last time we saw her! In September, she released the 11th book in the October Daye series, The Brightest Fell and has two more (Night and Silence and The Unkindest tide) scheduled to be released within the next year and a half. In January she released the third book in her Wayward Children Series, Beneath the Sugar Sky with the fourth, In an Absent Dream to follow next year. In March, She released Tricks for Free, the seventh book in the in the funny and fast-paced InCryptid urban fantasy series and In just a few weeks, the second book in her Ghost Roads series, The Girl in the Green Silk Gown, is due to hit shelves! Finally, it was recently announced that Seanan was tapped by marvel to pen (along with Marco Failla) X-Men Gold Annual #2, which promises to tell the story of Kitty Pryde’s summer-camp hijinks, mutant angst and Kitty’s first Kiss! To learn more about Seanan and all the amazing things she manages to squeeze into her already busy life, visit her website, www.seananmcguire.com, and follow her on Facebook or on Twitter as @seananmcguire.
November saw the release of Chasing Hitler, a collaboration between Jai Nitz and his niece Hayley. In June, the first collected volume of Jai Nitz and Wesley St. Claire’s Fu Jitzu hit the shelves of your friendly local comic book store. The adventures of the world’s smartest 100 year old boy debuted in October of last year. Find a complete list of Jai Nitz’s comic book works on the Comic Book Database Website. Follow Jai on his Facebook page and on Twitter as @JAINITZ1.
Ian Truitner spent the last 12 months winning award after award for his scifi feature film Teleios also known as (Beyond the Trek), including the American Movie Awards for Film Directing, Best Feature Film at the Imaginarium Film Festival, the Forrest J Ackerman Imagi-Movie Award at the Silver Scream Festival, and the Maverick Movie Award for Best Special FX. Teleios is due to be released on DVD and VOD on September Learn more about Ian and his work on his website, www.iantruitner.com. Ian also dedicated his time teaching a program called “Minors Making Movies” focused on younger kids in the inner-city and underprivileged areas of Orange County in Santa Ana that film-making is a potential career path for them.
Saymoukda Vongsay had a deservedly wonderful year full of artistic accomplishments that included major grant/fellowship awards for theater and poetry/ She also signed a contract for her first poetry book for children. She recently won the Jerome Foundation Travel and Study grant to travel to Nong Khai, Thailand and Luang Prabang, Laos to retrace and write about her family’s journey after the Laotian Civil War. Additionally, the Emerging Artist Project and the Knight Foundation awarded her a grant to produce “In the Camps: A Refugee Musical” which will tell the story of the Lao people who resettled in St. Paul musically! To learn more about Saymoukda Duangphouxay Vongsay and her work, visit her website and follow her on Facebook or on Twitter as @REFUGENIUS.
That wraps up our overview of what the CONvergence 2017 guests have been up to since last July. We’re definitely looking forward to having Kristopher Carter, Lois McMaster Bujold and Naomi Kritzer join us again this year!
Now that you’ve caught up with all of last year’s Guests of Honor, why not check out our exciting slate of CONvergence 2018 guests?
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