2025 Theme:
Galactic Empires & Epic Interstellar Legends
We like to think of MarsCon as a weekend long party for people who enjoy Science Fiction and Fantasy. To learn more about our Con, please look at our “What is MarsCon” page by clicking here.
Meet the Marscon 2025 Guests of Honor – More updates coming soon!
Writer GOH
Christopher Ruocchio is the internationally award-winning author of the Sun Eater, a series blending elements of both science fiction and fantasy, as well as more than twenty works of short fiction. Born and raised in Raleigh, North Carolina, Christopher received a degree in English Rhetoric from North Carolina State University in 2015, with a minor in the Classics. Also in 2015, he began a career in publishing, serving as the Junior Editor at Baen Books until the summer of 2021, when he resigned to take up the life of a full-time writer.
An amateur historian, erstwhile boxing enthusiast, and life-long science fiction fan, Christopher knew he wanted to be a writer since he was 8-years-old, and sold his first novel—Empire of Silence—at 22. Additionally, Christopher runs a modestly successful YouTube channel, also called the Sun Eater, where he discusses publishing, popular culture, and writing in general—as well as hosts other writers for discussions and engages directly with his readers. Empire of Silence won the Manly Wade Wellman Award for Best Novel in 2019, as well as the Hellfest Literary Prize for its French edition in 2021. His subsequent novels were twice nominated for the Dragon Award. His books have appeared in 5 languages. He curated 8 short story anthologies for Baen Books, including Sword & Planet, Time Troopers, and Worlds Long Lost. His work has also appeared in Marvel Comics.
Christopher lives in Raleigh, North Carolina with his family.
Writer GOH
Cassandra Rose Clarke’s novels have been finalists for the Philip K. Dick Award, the Romantic Times Reviewer’s Choice Award, and YALSA’s Best Fiction for Young Adults. Her poetry has placed second in the Rhysling Awards, been nominated for the Pushcart Prize, and appeared in Strange Horizons, Star*Line, and elsewhere. Her latest novel is Forget This Ever Happened, our now from Holiday House.
Cassandra graduated in 2006 from The University of St. Thomas with a B.A. in English, and two years later she completed her master’s degree in creative writing at The University of Texas at Austin. In 2010 she attended the Clarion West Writer’s Workshop in Seattle, where she was a recipient of the Susan C. Petrey Clarion Scholarship Fund.
Cassandra is represented by Stacia Decker of the Dunow, Carlson & Lerner Literary Agency.
A collection of manuscript materials related to Cassandra’s work, including her unpublished master’s thesis, are now available digitally through the Cushings Manuscript Collections Database at Texas A&M University.
Gaming GOH
Stephen Buonocore is a hobby game entrepreneur, game media personality, game industry veteran, as well as a former financial services industry IT professional.
Buonocore is the retired founder, owner and President of Stronghold Games, formed in 2009 to publish quality hobby board and card games. Stronghold Games and Indie Boards & Cards merged in 2018 to form Indie Game Studios, where he continued in his role as President. Buonocore provided vision and guidance for hundreds of game titles, both developed within the company and in partnership with global publishers.
Stephen Buonocore is the host of Board Games Insider, one of the most popular hobby game audio/ video podcasts. He has appeared in interviews on television, radio, and numerous game media outlets to promote the hobby game industry.
Buonocore retired from Stronghold Games in 2020, rebranding as “The Podfather of Gaming”, and is found as such on his Youtube channel and other social media platforms. He remains a high-profile, vocal advocate for the hobby game industry, and mentors individuals from underserved groups.
Stephen Buonocore became a board game designer as well, signing a board game with Asmodee in 2023. In late 2023, Buonocore and over one dozen investors from the hobby game industry announced the creation of a new publisher, PLAY TO Z. Buonocore serves as Chairman of the Board.
Buonocore serves on the Board of Directors of the World Series of Board Gaming, a company created to run an annual board game event to crown a World Champion and award large monetary prizes. Buonocore serves on the Board of Directors for the Arizona Astrobiology Center for Development (AABCD). The Arizona Astrobiology Center, a 501(c)(3) organization, is a hub for diverse scientific endeavors, providing bold and transformative dialogue to make astrobiology discoveries relevant to the experiences of all people on Earth.
Artist GOH
Jake Clark makes badass art for badass stories. Full of grit and storytelling, his work is geared to instantly capture attention. Using 3-d modeling software combined with digital painting, his fully custom creations play with perspective and scale in a way few other covers in the industry do.
Musician GOH
Have you ever wanted to hear a Disney princess singing about the things you love…board games, ninjas, and krakens? Rhiannon’s Lark is happy to make your wish come true. Alyssa Yeager is an accolade-winning musician including the Pegaus award for “Best Performer” and Guest of Honor appearances at various festivals and conventions.This geek-goddess-girl has eight full-length original albums and tackles everything from t-rexes to moral dilemmas with insightful lyrics, gorgeous vocals, and gentle humor.
Toastmaster
Michael Jon Khandelwal
Michael Khandelwal is the Executive Director of The Muse Writers Center, a nationally recognized literary center in Norfolk, Virginia. An award-winning writer and teacher, he writes poetry, fiction, editorials, profiles, and feature articles, which have appeared in Rattle, Coastal Virginia Magazine, Alt Daily, and elsewhere. Michael teaches poetry and fiction workshops for The Muse, and is the current Chairperson of the Norfolk Electoral Board and a member of the Norfolk Commission on the Arts and Humanities. A graduate of the University of Southern California (BA & MPW), he is a past web content management specialist for The American Council on Education and the past President of the 2008 Electoral College of Virginia.