Called alternatively the "Hans Christian Andersen of America" (Newsweek) and "the Aesop of the twentieth century" (New York Times), Jane Yolen is a storyteller, novelist, children's book author, poet, playwright, and author of over 200 books for children, young adults, and adults.
Ms. Yolen's books, poems, and stories have won so many awards, they cannot all be listed, but include: the Nebula Award, the Rhysling, an Asimov's Magazine Reader's Poll award, World Fantasy Award, the Caldecott Medal, a National Book Award nomination, three Mythopoeic Awards, the Golden Kite Award, the Skylark Award, Jewish Book Award, the Christopher Medal, the Association of Jewish Libraries Award, the Charlotte Award, etc. She has six "bodies of work" awards from such diverse groups as the Catholic Library Association., the Universities of Minnesota and Keene State, the Oklahoma Libraries, and the New England Science Fiction Association.
Her books have been translated into thirteen languages, including French, German, Spanish, Italian, Japanese, Chinese, Portuguese, Xhosa!, Hawaiian, Russian, Danish, Swedish, Afrikaans.
They have been made into television shows, audio books, theatrical presentations and one - The Devil's Arithmetic - is being filmed for Showtime right now by Punch Productions, starring Kirsten Dunst. Ms. Yolen has written the script for one short animated feature, two musical plays (produced in Boston and in Northampton, Mass.) and lyrics for several rock and folk groups. She was consultant to Punch Productions on the script for her feature film.
There's a Jane Yolen FAQ, and here's an AARP interview. Oh, here's another bio at the Penguin Putnam site.
Tom Kidd is a widely known fantasy illustrator. He has received four Hugo nominations, and has won four Chesley Awards and the Anlab Award. His work has appeared on the covers of well over two hundred books and many magazines, ranging from Good Housekeeping and Readers' Digest to Analog and Savage Sword of Conan. His paintings have been displayed at the Delaware Art Museum, The Society of Illustrators, and the Cleveland Museum of Science. He has designed robots and created architectural designs for a theme park, and is working on a large scale book called "Gnemo".
This September, William Morrow published an illustrated edition of The Three Musketeers with sixteen full color illustrations by Tom. He has also just finished work as a conceptual designer on an animated feature for Walt Disney Studios, and is now at work illustrating The War of the Worlds for Morrow. Tom lives in New Milford, Connecticut with his wife Andrea.
Additional information can be found at Tom's web site.
Despite being an avid science fiction reader since grade school, Sharon Sbarsky didn't find science fiction fandom until she joined HopSFA (The Johns Hopkins University Science Fiction Association.) At that point she heard about conventions with names like Boskone, Lunacon, and Philcon, but never attended any until she graduated and moved to Boston in 1978. Her first convention was Boskone XVI, twenty years ago, where she not only joined Noreascon Two, but signed up as a volunteer. Since then she's attended almost 200 conventions, working in one area or another at most of them. She's run or worked program, registration, treasury, newsletter, art show, dealers, sales to members, staff den, green room, ribbons... well, you get the idea. Sharon is currently an active member of the New England Science Fiction Association, Massachusetts Convention Fandom, Inc., OSFCI, and the Lunarians, and is active on-line in fannish newsgroups and mailing lists, and is having fun building various fannish web sites, including the World Fantasy Convention web site. She's even been know to assist Arisia from time to time.
Additional information can be found at Sharon's web site.
Cat Faber is the offspring of a sasquatch and a space alien; Callie Hills sprang from the musings of a journalist and a philosopher. Their first gig was to entertain a dozen princesses; they naturally joined forces in the face of so much royalty, and decamped from the area, winding up serenading some bemused peddlers instead. They have since travelled over much of the country, changing costumes and instruments frequently to throw off pursuit, while writing, arranging and performing songs about subjects ranging from fairies and gypsies to computers and spaceships. Many of these performances, until now only seen in the wild, have been captured on digital media, and are displayed in lifelike settings and attitudes on _Under the Gripping Beast_, their first CD (released at OVFF in 1997), and _As Good As Any_, released at BaltiCon in 1999.
Our thanks to M.A.S.S.F.I.L.C. for a grant to help us bring them from Oregon.
Since moving to Oregon in 1985, Arlene 'Callie' Hills has performed in a variety of amateur and semi-professional ensembles. In addition to performing regularly with Cat Faber as "Echo's Children", she has founded two Renaissance consorts (one of which, Belles-Anges, she is still active in) and two madrigal groups. Callie's formal musical education includes two years each of piano and flute lessons, two years study in music theory, history and performance at the University of Oregon School of Music, and two years of voice lessons, still ongoing. She is self-taught on recorders, pennywhistles, and guitar (in descending order of skill...). When not rehearsing or performing, she pursues a myriad of interests including Renaissance costuming, both as costume designer and creator for Echo's Children and Belles-Anges, and as one of her areas of study in the Society for Creative Anachronism (SCA).
Cat Faber began writing filk before she knew what it was. She claims her first filk was written at the age of six or seven, but steadfastly refuses to say what it was or what it was about. When she took up the guitar at the age of 15, she suddenly had a way to write melodies down, and a simple way to stay in key while composing. Her main forum was the Society for Creative Anachronism, in which she gained the beginnings of her performing experience. She attended her first con (an Orycon, she thinks) at about this time, but owing to the expense did not become a regular con-goer for many years more. She has performed in several choirs and madrigal groups in various states, and founded and helped run one in Amarillo Texas, where she also got her Ph.D. in Molecular Biology. She joined up with Arlene "Callie" Hills in 1996, when they discovered their vocal ranges, musical instruments, and lyrical and compositional talents to be complementary. Their first engagement really was to play for a dozen (or so) Princesses. Ask them about it sometime.
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