Circle Of Janus
SF&F Fan Club - Home Page
InConJunction Science Fiction and Fantasy Convention

Indianapolis, IN

Sheraton Indianapolis Hotel & Suites

July 1 - 3, 2005


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NOTE: This page contains archived web-site content.
Go to the InConJunction Home Page to view the information for the current year.


More Information About Our Guests


Tara K. Harper
Author Guest of Honor

Tara K. Harper

Tara K. Harper was born in 1961, in the year of the first, manned, suborbital hop. Although she was raised in northwest Oregon with cats, dogs, chickens, rabbits, and horses, hers was a truly nuclear family. Her father had worked in a nuclear lab analyzing radioactive cloud samples from Russian atomic test blasts; her mother had been a uranium buyer. Tara K. Harper's first electronic toy was an oscilloscope.

Competitive, driven, and passionate about her beliefs, she freely admits that she can be as irritating as a two-ounce flea in a sleeping bag. She enjoys a good discussion, refuses to take herself too seriously, and is often accused of being a thrill-seeker. In four words? Eclectic, eccentric, opinionated, blunt--but as some say, that's just her dark side...

In 1979, Harper won a journalism honor and a communications scholarship, and enrolled at the University of Oregon. She worked nights in a cannery, fished to feed her cat, and lived in a filbert orchard while studying physics, mathematics, and journalism. Uncertain as to whether she should pursue a career in physics, music, writing or space science, she attended the Oregon Institute of Marine Biology. At the same time, she served an internship as science journalist on The World newspaper (Coos Bay, OR).

In 1984, Harper graduated from U of O with a Bachelor of Science. She returned to northwest Oregon and immediately took a job with a company in R&D high-tech, test and measurement. This allowed her to make enough money to support her personal research (aka vacations) in engineering, genetics, virology, and other disciplines. Her fiction writing was, at that time, a hobby--something for weekends and evenings.

By the end of 1988, Harper had completed four science-fiction novels. Under forcible pressure from a friend, she sought an agent. Her first novel was accepted at Del Rey Books (an imprint of Random House) six months later, and she saw Wolfwalker published in 1990. The novel was an immediate best-seller, and Harper's career moved quickly forward.

Currently, Harper is the author of nine science-fiction novels, including the best-selling and critically acclaimed Wolfwalker series and Cat Scratch series, as well as other stories. Her work is available internationally in a variety of languages and as books on tape. Two of her novels, Cat Scratch Fever and Wolf's Bane, were nominated for the Oregon Book Awards. She has also received numerous awards for science writing, has been Guest of Honor at several conventions, and was nominated in 1999 to a University of Oregon inaugural Hall of Achievement. In late 1999, she was a Guest Speaker at the Library of Congress, in Washington, D.C.

Harper credits the realism of the action in her novels to a lifetime of competition and participation in outdoor and athletic activities. She attributes her overall success as a novelist to a diverse academic background; extensive experience in fending off wild and feral animals; a continuing involvement in science; and in-depth experiments in drowning. Other activities have included archery, shooting, rock-climbing, waterpolo, soccer, sailing, scuba diving, fencing, and martial arts. In the latter two fields, she competed nationally and internationally. (She also earned the nickname TKO, but that is a different story.) Active in community service, Harper currently teaches creative writing for an alternative school, trains youth in wilderness skills, and serves on the board of directors for a youth treatment center.

In winter, she travels with heavy-duty hiking boots, snowshoes, and an emergency stove; in summer, she leaves the snowshoes behind--sometimes. She refuses to buy any more fire extinguishers--she claims that buying an extinguisher guarantees she will have a fire. Upon reflection, she says she really doesn't know why so many things keep happening to her. Although she claims to have only one good joint left in her body (her left elbow), Harper continues to hike, shoot, camp and canoe, and still claims she wants to be a stunt-person.

For additional information, please refer to Tara K. Harper's Web Page.


Aaron Williams
Artist Guest of Honor

Aaron Williams

Aaron Williams’ first cartoon was published in Dragon magazine in 1989. He was 19 years old, and it was drawn on typing paper with a flair-tipped pen. He’s come a long way since then. His work has been published in Dragon Magazine, Dungeon Magazine, and Amazing Stories. While starting his career in cartooning, he worked as an artist for Southwestern Bell Yellow Pages. In 2000 he took a leap and decided to take the Nodwick cartoon strip he’d created and turn it into a comic book. It’s the story of a henchman used and abused by his companions on their many quests to save the world, find treasure, and right the wrongs done by evil.

The bulk of his work today involves putting out two comic books on a bi-monthly basis. Taking real life and turning it into something funny is a talent he has always had. Aaron grew up in a home full of educators, and then he decided to marry one. What would any normal person in this situation do? Why, create a comic book about all of the stories you are bombarded with on a daily basis. And so, ps238 was born. This is a comic about a school for the children of super heroes. Training, mentoring and educating children can be a task; add flight, laser beams, and super strength to the mix and you get nothing but pure hilarity.

Aaron has been know to dabble in watercolors occasionally, and when his wife pulls him away from the studio, he’ll often head down to the workshop for feats of mad science and carpentry. He has lived in Kansas City for almost 10 years now, and in Missouri most of his life.

For anyone interested in Aaron’s work, his webpage can be found at www.nodwick.com. It is updated weekly, with a chance for fans to chat with him through Live Journal. Both Nodwick and ps238 can be found across the United States and internationally at a comic shop near you. If not, look on-line. Aaron will ship them to you, complete with autograph.

For additional information, please refer to Aaron Williams's Web Page.


Alan Smithee
Guest of Honor

Born in 1967 to a set of parents both in the prestigious Directors Guild of America, Mr. Smithee's future was evident from the start when he finished directing his first feature film before the age of one. Can you imagine directing Lena Horne and Carroll O'Connor in Death of a Gunfighter before you could walk, talk, or eat solid food? The film received positive reviews upon release in 1969 including critic Roger Ebert who gave it 3.5 out of 5 and said, "Director Alan Smithee, a name I'm not familiar with, allows his story to unfold naturally. He never preaches, and he never lingers on the obvious." During his first decade, Mr. Smithee added to his filmography by directing the feature The Barking Dog and two made for television movies. Oh, and he learned to ride his bike too.

From 1980 to 2004, Mr. Smithee was busy directing 28 features including such timeless classics as Solar Crisis, Bloodsucking Pharaohs in Pittsburgh, Le Zombi de Cap-Rouge, Hellraiser: Bloodline, Here Comes Santa Claus, and the "Forest Humps" segment from National Lampoon's Senior Trip. He also continued his work in television directing episodes of "MacGyver", "The Twilight Zone", and "The Cosby Show" along with a slew of made for TV movies. The list of actors Mr. Smithee has famously directed reads like a casting director's dream with names like Robert Duvall, Charlton Heston, Peter Boyle, Christopher Plummer, Cheech Marin, Sherman Hemsley, and Scott Baio.

1988 was a special year for Alan Smithee as he stood up from the director's chair for the first time and began to apply his unique talents to the other filmmaking crafts. That year he wrote his first original screenplay and has since written eight additional ones including The Tony Blair Witch Project and The Nutt House with his son Alan Smithee Jr. Over the next sixteen years, Mr. Smithee has dabbled in acting, film editing, art direction, production design, and even composing. It's something of a miracle that a Hollywood career this long and diverse could all have come from the artistic mind of a single person.

We are thrilled to welcome the incomparable Hollywood director Alan Smithee to InConJunction for his first ever convention appearance.

For additional information, please refer to Alan Smithee's Web Page.


Tom Smith
Filking Guest of Honor
The World's Fastest Filker

Tom Smith

For darn near two decades, Tom Smith, The World's Fastest Filker, has been breaking hearts, crippling minds, and dropping jaws across the country and around the world.

Sometimes it's with the slow, gorgeous stuff ("Starlight & Saxophone", "Storm Dancing", "A Dragon's Lullaby"). Sometimes it's the dark and dramatic ("Hellraiser", "PQR", "Bullet Time"). Sometimes it's the flat-out rockin' ("Bermuda Triangle", "Rocket Ride", "And They Say I've Got Talent").

But mostly it's the puns. And the godawful jokes that make you choke on your own laughter. And the audacity with which he throws 'em around. "Smurfin' Safari", "Five Years", "I Want To Be Peter Lorre", "Domino Death", "Sheep Marketing Ploy (The Ballad of Fenton)", "Divine Irregularity", "Telly Taley Heart", "Honey-Glazed Ham", "House At Cthulhu Corner", "Psychic Voicemail Hotline", "Dead Potters", "Badger Pajama", "The Illuminati Polka", "Talk Like A Pirate Day"....

Tom's got ten albums, dozens of other unrecorded songs, twelve Pegasus Awards for Excellence in Filk, an animated music video ("Enterprising Man" from the second Babylon Park video), and hundreds of stunned, delighted onlookers in his wake.

Tom's concerts are always high-energy, and because the news of the day usually has him cranked up (or off) about something, he usually has at least two or three new pun-filled ditties, and if he doesn't he'll make something up on the spot. His turns at the late-night filks get even more insane, because his philosophy is that if you've been up all day at the con the LAST thing you need is some monotonous, gore-filled dirge to put you to sleep, and he starts dragging out the really bizarre stuff, and he starts doing voices, and call-backs, and quotes from cartoons or The Muppet Show or Rocky Horror or MST3K, and... look, trust us, it just gets wild.

For additional information, please refer to Tom Smith's Web Page.


Rob Pyatt, Ph.D.
Toastmaster
Mad Scientist and Pseudo Super Villain

Rob Pyatt, Ph.D.

Rocketed to Earth as an infant to escape the destruction of his home world where his parents had been brutally murdered before his eyes one night in a dark alley, Rob's ship crash landed in a jungle where he was adopted by a friendly gorilla and raised to learn the ways of the jungle. As a teen-ager, Rob re-joined society and quickly enlisted in the army where he was given an experimental formula designed to create the ultimate soldier. After being put on ice for a number of years, Rob ditched the military and got a job at a scientific research facility where he was unfortunately exposed to gamma radiation, beta radiation, delta radiation, cosmic radiation, and a really nasty bite from a radioactive spider.

Well, sort of.

Rob's been bouncing around InConJunction for a number of years now and you can normally find him hosting the "Top 10 Worst Sci-Fi & Horror Movie" panel with Jeff Thompson and Chris Canary. As a mild mannered scientist, Rob's secret identity allows him the chance to develop his plans for world conquest while conducting some pretty twisted experiments. In the past, he's warped the fragile minds of college students at Morris Brown College, Clark-Atlanta University, and Emory University and you can now find him in the Molecular Pathology Laboratory at Ohio State.


Steve Godzilla
Special Guest

Steve Godzilla

"Aaaaaarrrrrrggggggghhhhhhhh"
Godzilla in Godzilla vs Mechagodzilla, 1974

There is no bigger star of the silver screen than Godzilla, and InConJunction is excited to again have him return as co-host of opening ceremonies.

Few people actually know that the same actor has played Godzilla for 50 over years including all the feature films and both animated television shows. It would also surprise most people to learn that The Big G really isn’t as tall as he is in the movies where he easily towers over most skyscrapers. No, in reality, Godzilla is actually a 65 year old, 13 inch tall actor from Toledo, Ohio who looks like a lizard. And his first name is Steve. When he showed up 4 years ago, we were just as surprised as you are. It was kind of like having a little, green, cranky Garrison Keeler open the show. Doesn’t that sound like something you’d want to see again?

Well, he works cheap so he’s coming back anyway! InConJunction is proud to welcome Godzilla back to help our Toastmaster co-host Opening Ceremonies.

Go, Go, Godzilla!

Updated! Godzilla retires!

Following the completion of his latest film Godzilla: Final Wars, Godzilla has announced his retirement from the entertainment industry and checked himself into the Betty Ford clinic for treatment for an addiction to Flintstone’s Chewable Vitamins. Godzilla has refused all interviews and his whereabouts are currently unknown, although empty vitamin bottles can occasionally be found outside the clinic gates.

Will Godzilla honor his contract and show up at opening ceremonies? Will he kick his 5 tablet a day habit? How did he get hooked in the first place? What about the rumors of him coming between Jennifer Aniston and Brad Pitt? Who exactly am I talking to? Come to opening ceremonies and find the answers to these and other more relevant questions.

 


Also Appearing


Andy Andrews

Biography available soon.


Rob Braun

Biography available soon.


Stephanie Braun
Co-founder of The Pathworks Community

Biography available soon.


Barrett Caldwell
Director of the Indiana Space Grant Consortium

Biography available soon.

For additional information, please refer to Barrett Caldwell's Web Page.


Chris Canary

Chris Canary has been a part of InConJunction, from it's "golden age", to modern day. A locally reviled fan of movies, comics, and oddities, and a pope in the Church of the Subgenius, Chris has worn many hats at InConJunction over the last several years, and is currently a student, seeking to better his life. Computer Geek, B-Movie Magnet (Bad... as if there were any other kind of B Movies), Movie Soundtrack Obsessive, and a former InConJunction chairman, Chris enjoys fun in almost any capacity... And we're not just talking alcohol here.


Dennis Ciurej

Biography available soon.


Lynette R. F. Cowper

Biography available soon.


Mike Cowper

Biography available soon.

For additional information, please refer to Mike Cowper's Web Page.


Southwell Cowper

Biography available soon.


Andrea Dale

Biography available soon.


Brian Davidson

A Fifteen year veteran of on-line interactive fiction, big-screen movie enthusiast, and compulsive nit-picker, Brian was eager to help with InConJunction after his initial exposure, and has been actively involved in Programming and Operations since 1998. He has co-written two plays, acted in three, and directed one, for the "It's Not Our Fault Players."


Dagonet Dewr
Editor for New Witch Magazine

Biography available soon.

For additional information, please refer to Dagonet Dewr's Web Page.


Mark Dooley
Founder of The Whoosier Network

Biography available soon.

For additional information, please refer to Mark Dooley's Web Page.


James S. Dorr
SF & Horror Author

Biography available soon.

For additional information, please refer to James S. Dorr's Web Page.


Linda J. Dunn

Biography available soon.

For additional information, please refer to Linda J. Dunn's Web Page.


Tom Ford

Biography available soon.


Corey Forehand

Biography available soon.


Ron Freeze

Biography available soon.


Drew Happli

Biography available soon.


Bri Henderson

Biography available soon.


David A. Henninger

Biography available soon.


Deb Hunt

Deborah Hunt joined InConJunction and Circle of Janus in 1983 and has written several plays for InConJunction.

Deb is currently working two jobs - one as a pastoral assistant at a church (Westview Christian Church where the Circle of Janus meets!) and another job at a hospital in Pediatric Critical Care. This adds up to working 60 hours per week. So in what free time remains, she is a big fan of Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, and Narnia as well as Dr. Who, Star Trek, and Star Wars to name a few things she loves. She enjoys writing and art.

She recently achieved a Master of Divinity degree from Christian Theological Seminary. Currently, she has an essay posted on the Leaky Cauldron website on the topic of "Biblical Markings and Harry Potter" and is writing a book on theology and Harry Potter.


Marq Johansen

Biography available soon.

For additional information, please refer to Marq Johansen's Web Page.


Thomas Jones
Co-founder of The Pathworks Community

Biography available soon.

For additional information, please refer to Thomas Jones's Web Page.


Darrell Lane

Biography available soon.


MagicHouse Productions
One of the Midwest's premiere motion picture production houses.

Biography available soon.

For additional information, please refer to MagicHouse Productions's Web Page.


James McCoy

Biography available soon.


Vicki Merriman

Biography available soon.


Chris Miller

Biography available soon.


Cheryl Miller-Andrews

Biography available soon.


Donna L. Neuman

Biography available soon.

For additional information, please refer to Donna L. Neuman's Web Page.


Ellen Patterson

Biography available soon.


Jeri Picha

Biography available soon.


Scott Picha

Biography available soon.


Gary Plumlee

Biography available soon.


Mark Racop
Director, Writer, and Producer

Biography available soon.

For additional information, please refer to Mark Racop's Web Page.


Kat Robertson

Biography available soon.


Kyra Shidler

Biography available soon.


Mark Shidler

Biography available soon.


Theresa Shidler

Biography available soon.


Kevin Spencer
Battlestar Wiki Bureaucrat

Biography available soon.

For additional information, please refer to Kevin Spencer's Web Page.


George Starkey

George Starkey (1963-2138) local fan turned actor, and long time InConJunction participant, is cursed with a resemblence to George Lucas, but as of yet has been unable to find a way to capitalize on this. George's film roles include Woodworks Films' Saving Star Wars (2004) and Open Mic'rs (2006) and he is currently involved in a film project with Shane Felux (of Star Wars-Revelations fame). George is often named when someone says, "If I'm ever on Who Wants to be a Millionaire..." as a lifeline, because of his seemingly bottomless well of totally pointless and obscure trivia that he can summon at any given time.

For additional information, please refer to George Starkey's Web Page.


Michael Lawson and Tony Patterson of Starwave Entertainment

Biography available soon.


Mike Suess

Biography available soon.


Jeff Thompson

With a list of qualifications including (but not limited to) b-movie maven, sub-genius preacher, amateur improv enthusiast, sci-fi fan, computer programmer and author, amateur prop and costume designer wanna-be, amateur astronomer, playwright, webmaster, follower of all things urban-legend and/or myth, past InConJunction con-chair, and hard-core chili-head, Jeff Thompson is either a modern-day renaissance man, or someone that will do anything once you get a drink in him. Jeff's been attending InConJunction since 1983 and has been working for the convention since 1992. You can regularly catch Jeff at the Top Ten Worst Movies panel, Video Trivia Contest, Sci-Fi Whose Line, as an occasional member of InConJunction's acting troupe (the "It's Not Our Fault Players") or preaching at InConJunction's on-again/off-again Sub-Genius Devival. If you can't find him there, odds are he's in the bar.

For additional information, please refer to Jeff Thompson's Web Page.


Barbara Treado

Biography available soon.


Tim Treado

Biography available soon.


Chris Umbreit

Biography available soon.


The Whoosier Network

Biography available soon.

For additional information, please refer to The Whoosier Network's Web Page.


NOTE: This page contains archived web-site content.
Go to the InConJunction Home Page to view the information for the current year.


Would you like to volunteer to help out with the convention? Do you want to apply to be a participating guest, artist, or vendor? Do you have promotional items you want to provide or items that you'd like to donate to our charity auction? Want to receive the latest convention flyer and be kept informed of upcoming events? You can do all this and more via our Online Address Book form. All InConJunction participants (both approved and those pending approval) can login and update their Participant Profile and Settings via the new Event Planning Dashboard.


Send an E-Mail to the current Convention Chair-Person at conchair2005@inconjunction.org if you would like any additional information about InConJunction. Send an E-Mail to the convention webmaster at webmaster@inconjunction.org with questions or comments about the InConJunction web page.


InConJunction is dedicated to providing a harassment-free convention experience for everyone. This policy applies to all participants, whether Convention Committee members, volunteers, vendors, invited guests or paying attendees.


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