Hi, I’m Bill Truesdale and for years I’ve attended conventions as a fan and I’ve also been working them too, mainly con security, from San Diego Comic-Con to Shore Leave, Dragon*Con, and ImagineCon 2000. I hope to make our panels run smoothly so that our con-goers can have a great time going to them. Any questions on the convention, or Con-Ops, please e-mail me.
Paul attended (and staffed!) his first convention his freshman year in college at Virginia Tech (that was Technicon 1—if you know the con, you do the math). Over the years he has run Operations, Security, Dealers, and Art Show for several cons (but not at the same time). He has also twice been Chairman for Katsucon. RavenCon marks his sixth convention as Art Show Director. Of all con departments, Art Show is his favorite—it gives him plenty of time to keep an eye on the pieces he intends to buy for himself!
Vanora is a veteran of too many Art Shows to count. She earned her BFA from the Corcoran College of Art in Washington, DC (and still works retail when not attending cons). Her art has been published in the 2006 and 2007 editions of Imagine. Her work has even garnered a celebrity endorsement from Aaron Douglas of Battlestar Galactica. As well as submitting her work to around ten cons per year, she also represents several other artists at many cons. She was first “volunteered” into running Art Shows when the artists at one convention staged a coup to take over a show that apparently had no staff. And she has not been able to escape it since!
The art show team is rounded out by the incomparable Krissie Hadley.
Way back in 2004, Mike (along with Tee Morris and Tony Ruggiero) came up with the crazy idea of hosting a convention in Richmond, VA. He’s been chairing RavenCon ever since.
In addition to running RavenCon, Mike Pederson is also the publisher/editor/graphic designer responsible for the fanzine Nth Degree. Mike began his career as a writer/publisher in 1988 when his SF short story, “Dust Storm,” won first place in a local writing contest. In the 1990s, he wrote and published the Raven comic book series (with artist Robert Quill) and edited and published Scene, a Virginia-based entertainment magazine. In 2001, Mike was part of the “Best in Class – Master Division” winning presentation (Pre-Emptive Strike) at the Millennium Philcon Masquerade. Two month later he started Nth Degree. In 2007, he wrote a chapter on “Writing for Magazines” for Dragon Moon Press’ Writing Fantasy: The Author’s Grimoire.
Other than RavenCon, Mike has also run programming for Trinoc*coN, been Fan Guest of Honor for ConCarolinas and Mysticon, co-chaired a successful NASFiC bid (with Warren Buff), and served as Master of Ceremonies for MarsCon. Between Nth Degree and his many convention appearances, Mike has become the East Coast’s go-to guy for interviews. He’s interviewed guests for Balticon, ConCarolinas, ConGregate, MarsCon, Mysticon, RavenCon, and StellarCon. In the last few years Mike has interviewed a wide range of writers, gamers, artists, and actors. Those interviews have included Aaron Alston, Kevin J. Anderson, Elizabeth Bear, Jennie Breeden, Terry Brooks, Jim Butcher, Orson Scott Card, Nicki Clyne, David B. Coe, Glen Cook, Larry Correia, Peter David, Peter Davison, Larry Dixon, Sherilyn Fenn, Phil & Kaja Foglio, Charles E. Gannon, Joe Haldeman, Richard Hatch, Jim Hines, D.B. Jackson, Albin Johnson, Sherrilyn Kenyon, Alethea Kontis, Katherine Kurtz, Ellen Kushner, Mercedes Lackey, Sharon Lee, George R.R. Martin, Todd McCaffrey, Steve Miller, Rebecca Moesta, Jody Lynn Nye, Tamora Pierce, Mark Poole, John Ringo, Kim Stanley Robinson, Carrie Ryan, Delia Sherman, Michael Stackpole, Allen Steele, Bruce Sterling, S.M. Stirling, Tony Todd, Lani Tupu, John Varley, David Weber, Connie Willis, Janny Wurts, Timothy Zahn, and too many more to list.
In 2017, Mike was honored with the Rebel Award for his contributions to Southern Fandom.
Yes, Mike is an insanely busy person; if you see him around the con please feed him lots of caffeine and/or beer.
When not engaged in geekish pursuits, Mike is an under-employed graphic designer and lives in Powhatan, VA.
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