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November 26, 2021

James Welker is a professor in the Department of Cross-Cultural Studies at Kanagawa University in Yokohama, Japan. He researches gender and sexuality in postwar and contemporary Japan, with an emphasis on the consumers and producers of queer media, the lesbian community, and radical feminism, as well as the globalization of Japanese popular culture. He is currently researching the global fandom of queer media from Japan—particularly boys love (BL), yuri, and trans manga, anime, and other media—and the relationship between that fandom and local LGBTQ+ cultures. He is the author of Transfiguring Women in Late Twentieth-Century Japan: Feminists, Lesbians, and Girls’ Comics Artists and Fans  (Hawai‘i, forthcoming) and the editor of Queer Transfigurations: Boys Love Media in Asia (Hawai‘i, 2022), BL ga hiraku tobira: Hen’yō suru Ajia no sekushuariti...

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June 14, 2021

Dr. Yoni Sobin, PsyD, a self-proclaimed “Nerd Therapist,” is a clinical psychologist in private practice based out of New York City who specializes in treating OCD and anxiety disorders, using cognitive-behavioral therapy and acceptance and commitment therapy approaches. He loves incorporating pop culture directly into the course of a patient’s treatment and using fandom to help patients live their best life. In his spare time, he enjoys Lord of the Rings on repeat, reading graphic novels, and building Lego. Sometimes he tries to move metal with his mind and fails. Yoni finds joy in (over)analyzing the psychological makeup of fictional characters. Dr. Sobin has contributed to “THE JOKER PSYCHOLOGY: EVIL CLOWNS AND THE WOMEN WHO LOVE THEM,” and joined many...

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June 14, 2021

Joshua Paul Dale is the author of Irresistible: How Cuteness Wired our Brains and Conquered the World and a Professor of American Literature and Culture at Chuo University in Tokyo. Since moving to Japan in the 1990s, Dale has pioneered the field of Cute Studies, and has been featured as an expert on cuteness by media outlets such as The New York Times, TED-Ed, CNN, National Geographic, the Guardian, The Cut, Refinery29 and Discover Magazine. His website is at: https://www.cutestudies.org/...

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May 17, 2021

Dr. Eric Wesselmann, PhD, is a social psychologist who studies the dynamics of social inclusion and exclusion in daily life. He has taught several classes connecting psychology to topics such as popular films, fandom, horror entertainment, and the X-Men media franchise. He has contributed chapters to ten volumes of the Popular Culture Psychology series (e.g., Spider-Man Psychology, Stranger Things Psychology,Wonder Woman Psychology). Eric regularly discusses the overlap between psychology and popular culture topics at conventions both local and national. He has contributed to several podcasts for WGLT Psych Geeks, writes essays on psychology and cult films called FilmCULTure, and has a YouTube channel called Digital Golgotha Productions. You can Follow Dr. Eric Wesselmann at: Twitter: @EricWesselmann...

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May 14, 2021

Arden Powell is a speculative-fiction author and illustrator from the Canadian East Coast. They graduated in 2013 with a Bachelor of Arts degree, Honouring in English Literature, and published their first book five years later. As a hybrid author, they self-publish as well as publish with indie presses, and have short stories appearing in literary magazines including Baffling Magazine and Lightspeed. A nebulous entity, they live with a small terrier and an exorbitant number of houseplants and have conversations with both. They write across a range of fantasy, science fiction, and horror sub-genres, and everything they write is queer. They can also be found on Twitter @ArdenPowell. Pronouns: they/them...

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May 13, 2021

Scott Jordan, Ph.D., is a cognitive psychologist/philosopher who studies the neuroscience, psychology, and philosophy of cooperative behavior. He is the founder and director of ReggieCon, and is best known for developing Wild Systems Theory. He regularly publishes papers about connections between pop-culture narratives, psychology, and the realities of lived life. He has published a peer-reviewed, song about the ‘self’ (It’s hard work being No One), (song), which received a positive review in Discover Magazine. He also produces the Dark Loops Productions channel on YouTube. Finally, he is an avid cosplay enthusiast, and is extremely proud of his international comic-book collection....

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December 6, 2020

Kelly McMahon is a celebrated illustrator and graphic designer, known for her minimalist style, composed of sophisticated vector shapes and bold colours. Whether working as a commercial illustrator, graphic designer, or as an artist creating personal pieces, Kelly’s designs are inspired by both an iconic sense of style and balance. Her work has been featured in collaboration with Clerks III, Jay and Silent Bob Reboot, Radiant Pink, The Massive-Verse, Deer Arrow amongst many others. Kelly’s unmistakable designs can be seen at Gallery 1988 (LA) and Hero Complex Gallery (LA). Store: www.kellymcmahondesign.com Socials: https://www.instagram.com/kmmcmdraws/...

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December 5, 2020

Andres Perez is the creator and writer of the giant robot indie comic "Primal Warrior Draco Azul." He is also a freelance editor who has worked on projects such as the giant monster comic "Nagoraiar: Against the Terror of the Moon" as well as the mythology-themed novel series "Gods' Wrath: Tournament of the Divine." In addition to comics, he has also cowritten several novels including “Primal Warrior Draco Azul: Soulless Blood” and “Atomic Rex: Ballad of Bravura.” Outside of literature and comics, Andres is an aspiring film critic who makes reviews and podcasts covering movies, television, comics, and games on his YouTube channel, "KaijuNoir." In 2018, both Andres and thriller novelist Matthew Dennion started the ongoing Kaiju vs Cancer charity where...

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October 24, 2020

Author A.C. Greenlee is an award-winning creator of Paranormal Romance, High Fantasy, AMBW Romance and Adventure novels. In 2012, Greenlee‘s debut novel, Guardian of the Hellmouth, was released via Lillium Publishing House LLC and quickly became a fan favorite. With short stories and novellas like Dead Like Me, Blood Fantasy and Cocaine and Catwalks published under the same house, she draws in readers from all over the world with her unique story-telling style and penchant for detail and descriptive writing. An avid gamer, you will most frequently find her farming experience in an online multiplayer game, or progressing up the military ranks in competitive first-person shooters–when she’s not writing of course. With a Graduate degree in Creative Writing under her belt, A.C. is extremely enthusiastic...

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June 6, 2020

Alena Van Arendonk has been cosplaying for nearly two decades with her group “…And Sewing Is Half The Battle!”, an Indiana-based cosplay team that has garnered more than 50 awards for their costumes and performances at events around the United States. As an entirely self-taught seamstress and craftsman, Alena enjoys helping novice cosplayers improve their craft through workshops and seminars. She also provides professional costuming and SFX makeup work for film, theatre, and museums. When she's not making costumes, Alena works as a film, stage, and voice actress. She also juggles the hats of author, artist, historic preservationist, gamer, and fangirl. Check out her site: https://www.andsewingishalfthebattle.com/ Social Media Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AndSewingIsHalfTheBattle/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/asihtb Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/andsewingishalfthebattle/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC1Gf4AJyUSriIjMdjyTG9CQ...

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