NorwesconAs announced during halftime of tonight’s Norwescon 48 masquerade, we are thrilled to announce our guests of honor for Norwescon 49!
Writer Guest of Honor Seanan McGuire
Seanan McGuire is an author of speculative fiction of absolutely all kinds, from frothy urban fantasy about world-saving cheerleaders to biomedical science fiction terrors. She has released over one hundred books, comics, and collections since her first publication in 2009 (Rosemary and Rue, the first in her long running October Daye series). A resident of the Seattle area, she enjoys swamps, blackberry brambles, and the ever-present threat of Lake Washington, which may not have the reputation of the bigger lakes, but would be happy to drown you all the same.
Seanan has one of the largest My Little Pony collections in North America, because what is life without several hundred plastic horses? She is also an avid, if somewhat lapsed, filker, and has recorded and released five albums of original music. When not writing or enjoying the local wonders, she spends her time on conventions, musical theater, and Walt Disney World. Everybody needs a hobby, and Seanan has several. Watch for fast-moving, bright colors, too many beaded bracelets, and interestingly patterned facial masks.
Artist Guest of Honor Todd Lockwood
Todd Lockwood is a renowned American artist known for his exceptional contributions to fantasy and science fiction illustration, particularly in the realms of Dungeons & Dragons and Magic: The Gathering.
Science Guest of Honor Erin Macdonald
Erin Macdonald (PhD, Astrophysics) is an award-winning writer, science communicator, producer, and science advisor. She is most well-known for her work on the Star Trek franchise where she has been their official science advisor since 2019 and was a member of the Peabody Institutional Award for Star Trek in 2023. Continuing to work the Star Trek realm, she has played her own character across multiple iterations, including Star Trek: Prodigy and Star Trek Online and contributes as a writer to the Star Trek Adventures tabletop roleplaying game.
Originally from Colorado, Erin studied physics and mathematics at the University of Colorado at Boulder where her research into cold hydrogen in the local universe was recognized by the American Astronomical Society. She then moved to Scotland for her PhD at University of Glasgow where she did research in gravitational waves from neutron stars with the LIGO Scientific Collaboration. After leaving academia, Erin jumped careers from public science outreach, to education, to aerospace engineering, and finally to the entertainment industry. Instead of wanting to become Dana Scully, Erin realized she wanted to create those characters that will inspire future generations of scientists.
Erin runs the company Spacetime Productions which champions LGBTQIA+ stories in the sci-fi genre and has successfully produced three short films and featurettes since 2021.
She continues to work with the Star Trek franchise, most recently on Starfleet Academy, and is putting her energy towards her screenwriting career. Her latest feature script, To Skye, has been recognized at film festivals around the world. She now splits her time between Los Angeles, Glasgow, and a nice quiet garden in Michigan. When not writing or gardening, she can be found playing video games, brewing mead, or crafting her latest art project.
Spotlight Publisher DAW represented by Betsy Wollheim
Elizabeth (Betsy) Wollheim is the only child of legendary paperback editor Donald A. Wollheim and grew up in the world of science fiction and fantasy publishing, regularly socializing with authors and artists. She attended her first science fiction convention at age 6, and during her youth was active in fandom. In 1975 she began work at DAW Books, first as an assistant editor, then as an associate editor. In April, 1985 when her father became catastrophically ill, she took over the company. She became the President of DAW Books, and ran DAW from August, 1985, with business partner, co-publisher, and friend, Sheila E. Gilbert. During her career Betsy has worked with C.J. Cherryh, Tad Williams, Mercedes Lackey, Patrick Rothfuss, Nnedi Okorafor, Kristen Britain, C.S. Friedman, Jennifer Roberson, Saladin A. Ahmed, David Gerrold, Marion Zimmer Bradley, Tanith Lee, Bradley Beaulieu, Wole Talabi, and many, many other authors. In 2012, she was the first female long form editor to win the Hugo Award during her lifetime. Betsy also art directed the covers of her books for decades, working with many noteworthy artists including Michael Whelan, Donato Giancola, Todd Lockwood, Dan Dos Santos, and others. In 1982 Betsy married “freak folk” musician Peter Stampfel and they have two daughters, Zoe and Lily.
In 2022, DAW was purchased by Thinkingdom Media Group (Beijing) to be the SFF line of Astra Publishing House. Betsy continues to lead her list, as publisher of DAW, with her former employees and authors, on behalf of Astra. Sheila Gilbert retired in 2023.
As of 2024, Betsy has been a professional editor and publisher of SFF for over fifty years.
Special Guest of Honor Matt Dinniman
Matt Dinniman is a New York Times bestselling author, best known for the Dungeon Crawler Carl series. In addition to writing, Matt is an artist, a musician and has many pets.
Get your Norwescon 49 membership today!
Norwescon 49 will be held March 25 through 28, 2027, at our long-time host hotel, the DoubleTree by Hilton Seattle Airport. Memberships are available now — just $80 for the full four-day convention. This rate will increase over time as we get closer to the convention, so get yours today and save! Hotel reservations will open later this spring.
https://www.norwescon.org/2026/04/04/announcing-our-norwescon-49-guests-of-honor/ #BetsyWollheim #DAW #ErinMacdonald #MattDinniman #SeananMcGuire #ToddLockwood
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