Nnadi Samuel

Nnadi Samuel (he/him/his) holds a B.A in English & literature from the University of Benin. Author of Nature knows a little about Slave Trade selected by Tate.N.Oquendo (Sundress Publication, 2023). His works have been previously published/forthcoming in FIYAH, Fantasy Magazine, Strange Horizons, Apparition lit Magazine, Deadlands Magazine, Heartline Spec, Timber Ghost Press, Haven Spec Magazine, Utopian Science Fiction, Penumbric Speculative Poetry & Fiction Magazine, SilverBlade Magazine, Liquid Imagination, Star*Line Fiction & Poetry Magazine, & elsewhere. A 3x Best of the Net, and 7x Pushcart Nominee. He tweets @Samuelsamba10.

Del Sandeen

Del Sandeen lives in Northeast Florida, where she works as a writer and copy editor. She also writes horror and speculative fiction. Her work has appeared in FIYAH: Speculative Literary Magazine, Uncanny Magazine, Nightlight Podcast, and Gay magazine. Del is the author of horror novel This Cursed House and the upcoming These Walls Remember (summer 2026). She can be found on Twitter @DelSandeen.

Christy Whitehead

DaVaun Sanders

DaVaun Sanders is an author and editor residing in Phoenix, Arizona. He currently serves as publisher and executive editor for the award-winning FIYAH Literary Magazine of Black Speculative Fiction. His middle grade fantasy Keynan Masters & The Peerless Magic Crew debuted in 2023, with the sequel out in 2025. His novel Minecraft: The Tournament released in 2024. DaVaun’s short fiction has also appeared in Fireside, Podcastle, the New York Times bestselling anthology Black Boy Joy, and elsewhere. He continues to expand his work in children’s SF/F for kids everywhere who deserve to enjoy inclusive stories. When deadlines are scarce he enjoys exploring the world with his wife and twins, cheering himself hoarse for the 49ers, collecting new injuries in Muay Thai, and any DIY project that requires outrageous new power tools.

Kelly Sandoval

Kelly Sandoval’s fiction has appeared in Asimov’s, Shimmer, and Best American Science Fiction and Fantasy. She lives in Seattle, where the weather is always happy to make staying in and writing seem like a good idea. Her family includes a patient husband, a demanding cat, and an anarchist tortoise. You can find her online at kellysandovalfiction.com.

Sylvia Santiago

Sylvia Santiago was born in the Sunflower State and spent her childhood in Western Canada, where she still lives. Her words have appeared in Star*Line, Liminality, and Immersion: An Asian Anthology of Love, Fantasy, and Speculative Fiction.

John Scalzi

John Scalzi is a former full-time film journalist and critic, reviewing thousands of films and interviewing filmmakers and stars like Harrison Ford, Samuel L. Jackson, John Woo, Quentin Tarantino, Gale Anne Hurd, and many others. He is the author of two books on film: The Rough Guide to Scifi Film (Rough Guides) and 24 Frames Into the Future: Scalzi on Science Fiction Films (NESFA Press).

Additionally, Scalzi writes the occasional novel, the most recent being Starter Villain (Tor). He lives in Ohio with his family.

Isabel Schechter

A fan since childhood, Isabel is Latina by birth, Jewish by choice, vegetarian by conscience, and uppity as necessary. Isabel has been active in fandom for 20 years, a convention runner for more than 10 years, and is co–chair of the San Juan in 2017 North American Science Fiction Convention bid. Isabel’s essays on fandom, religion, and race and representation in SF/F have been included in WisCon Chronicles and Invisible 2: Essays on Race and Representation in SF/F.

Leigh Schmidt

Leigh Schmidt is living her happily ever after with her daring hero in a seaside village in Denmark. She has a daughter and a way with animals and many stories she whispers to herself at night before she goes to sleep. She has been (in no particular order): a painter, a public speaker, a dancer, a cubicle drone, and a storyteller. She gave up on a life of chasing goalposts for a grand adventure and hasn’t looked back since. She lives in a state of perpetual motion, with a song close at hand to keep rhythm. You can find her on Twitter as @skriftleigh, or looking for a little peace and quiet as the monster under the bed.

Kenneth Schneyer

Kenneth Schneyer is a writer (by inclination), a professor (by occupation), a lawyer (by training), a project manager (by default), and an amateur astronomer (by avocation) living in Rhode Island. He’s been a finalist for both the Nebula and Sturgeon Memorial Awards, and has published more than 50 stories that have been translated into Italian, Czech, Russian, and Chinese. His second collection, Anthems Outside Time and Other Strange Voices, was released by Fairwood Press in July of 2020. You can find him on Facebook, on Twitter, and at kenschneyer.com.

David J. Schwartz

David J. Schwartz AKA Dax (he/she/him/her) is a novelist, short story writer, and occasional essayist. He is also the creator of “Small Victory Wednesdays.” He lives in Minneapolis with his wonderful partner and two hypothetical-soon-to-be-actual doggos.