Gaylaxicon 2009, the annual international Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror Convention for gay men, lesbians, bisexuals, transgendered people and their friends, will take place this weekend, October 9-11, in Minneapolis. The convention will include a range of activities: Art Show, Autographs, Cabaret, Charity Auction, Costuming, Dealers Room, Discussion Panels, Gaming, Guests, Local Events, Parties, Readings, Video Program, and more! Converse with other fans who examine the genre through queer life experiences. Gaylaxicon welcomes all fans regardless of sexual and gender identity or planet of origin.

Guests of honor include include Prism’s very own Terrance Griep and Andy Mangels, along with Margaret Weis and Laurence Schimel. Other attending professionals include Mark DeBauch, Barth Anderson, Eleanor Arnason, Brian Attebery, Lois McMaster Bujold, Pam Keesey Mary Kuhfeld, Catherine Lundoff, Lee Martindale, Lyda Morehouse, Warren Rochelle, Don Sakers, Daniel Wallace, and special cabaret host Glori!

Andy Mangels is the USA Today best selling author and co-author of over twenty novels and non-fiction books - including Star Trek, Roswell, and Star Wars tomes- and is an award-winning comic book anthology editor. He is a member of the International Association of Media Tie-In Writers. In addition to writing more upcoming books and contributing to anthologies, Andy has scripted and directed over forty-five half-hour DVD documentaries, as well as hosting commentary tracks and other DVD Special Features content, for Time Life, Entertainment Rights, and BCI Eclipse. Titles include He-Man, She-Ra, Real Ghostbusters, Secrets of Isis, Flash Gordon, Dungeons & Dragons, and many more.

Andy has also written licensed material based on properties from Lucasfilm, Paramount, New Line Cinema, Universal Studios, Warner Bros., 20th Century Fox, Microsoft, Abrams-Gentile, and Platinum Studios. Over the last two decades, Andy’s comic-book work has been seen from DC Comics, Marvel Comics, Dark Horse, Wildstorm, Image, Innovation, WaRP Graphics, and others, and he was the editor of the award-winning Gay Comics anthology for eight years.

Andy has written hundreds of articles for entertainment and lifestyle magazines and newspapers in the United States, England, and Italy. He is a national award-winning activist in the gay community, and has raised thousands of dollars for charities. He is also one of the world’s foremost Wonder Woman collectors. For more information, go to andymangels.com.

Terrance Griep - Some of the things he writes are true: he's sold stories to Out Magazine, The Advocate, Star Trek Monthly, and Lavender Magazine, among others. He's interviewed Clive Barker, John Waters, and Esera Tuaolo, along with lots of boring straight people. A member of the Prism Comics’ Advisory Board, he is a writer of that organization's frequently-hit Queer Eye on Comics web feature. Some of the things he writes are false: he makes up stories, and, incredibly, people sometimes pay him for them. Most often, his lies are written for comics. For DC, he’s written stories that have included Superman, Batman, and Green Lantern, but he's best known as a writer on the DC monthly, Scooby-Doo. Comics have obviously damaged his brain–in fact, they turned him into a part-time super-villain.

On nights and weekends, Terrance works as professional wrestler, Tommy “The SpiderBaby” Saturday. As The SpiderBaby, Terrance, a multi-titlist, has been featured on TV, radio, and the Internet. The International Gay Outdoors Organization recently named him one of the Nine Toughest Gays in America. Find out more at terrancegriep.com.

Gaylaxicon is taking place at the Doubletree Hotel Minneapolis - Park Place, 1500 Park Place Blvd., Minneapolis, Minnesota (952/542-8600). For registration, programming and other information about Gaylaxicon, go to their website.

Ted Abenheim

Prism Comics promotes the works of the LGBT community in comics. It does not implicitly endorse any other material or products associated with those works. Any opinions expressed are those of the author(s).