Award-winning author Amanda Faith may have been raised in Dayton, but her heart and home is in the South. With a lifelong love of teaching and writing, she had plenty of encouragement from teachers and friends along the way. Loving a good puzzle has always been a fascination, and writing gives her the outlet to put all the pieces together.
Being adventurous and loving to try new things, it wasn’t long before her characters found themselves in unusual situations. She loves to put people from two different worlds into new situations and to see how they interact, taking them on journeys they would never have normally experienced.
Her current adventure working as a high school English professor turned Media Specialist, writing, and doing paranormal investigations doesn’t slow her down from having a great time with a plethora of hobbies. Her published credits include several short stories, poetry, several journal articles, her doctoral dissertation, and her award-winning book Strength of Spirit. With multiple degrees, she has a passion for learning and exploring new venues. She is a staff writer for The Daily Dragon at Dragon Con.
Check out her new website (www.amandafaith.net) or on Instagram (@dramandafaith)
The two-part Create-A-Puppet Workshop with Lolly Lardpop ran Sunday from 4PM to 6:30PM in International South (Hyatt). Participants were given a bag with the pieces and instructions needed to make their own Lolly Lardpop. On each of four long tables were supplies like glue sticks, markers, scissors, and construction paper to allow the construction of the puppet. The tables were… Read more →
Marie Baker, better known as Natakiya, was the enthusiastic presenter for the Kumihimo Braiding workshop Sunday 11:30AM in the Piedmont (Hyatt). This workshop was longer than a regular one, lasting two and half hours. Natakiya first had a PowerPoint presentation on the history of this craft. It is actually the oldest form of braiding, originating from Chinese and Korean influences…. Read more →
The Marionettes panel took place Sunday at 2:30PM in M101 (Marriott). This cheery panel consisted of three makers of puppetry, their experience and love of the art clearly evident. Marionettes are considered to be the most technically challenging puppetry style. Learning the basics in this workshop with audience participation was a lot of fun. There are three things one must… Read more →
Randal Schwartz and Johnny X were the hosts of this informative and funny panel on Saturday, 7PM, at the Marriott. This presentation was not about how to hack, but how to be private with your information while out in public. On the screen was a display he called the Wall of Sheep, showing recent users who had logged into the… Read more →
Matthew Prince Lowry, a physics teacher at both the high school and college levels, was the moderator of this interesting, four-person panel held on Saturday, 5:30PM, 202 (Hilton). The first theory addressed was the Grey Goo Theory. The term was first used by molecular nanotechnology pioneer Eric Drexler in his book, Engines of Creation (1986). In chapter four of Engines… Read more →
I love being part of Dragon*Con. It’s a great way for my inner geek to celebrate with like-minded peeps. One of the many ways to become more involved is to be in the parade. The amount of work and planning that goes into this is amazing. Everything is mapped out. There is a staging area for setup. A Dragon*Con volunteer… Read more →
Thursday night in the Centennial Ballroom (Hyatt) was the area to be in. The Aeronauts, a high energy Circus-Gypsy-Pop Steampunk band, was rocking the house to get Dragon*Con started. The band came complete with belly dancers, violins, balloons, costumes, guitar solos, and bass tapping, sultry falsettos. The four-member band consists of Brandt Cooly, Jules Charlemagne, Becky Conway, and Brian Smith…. Read more →
Using steampunk to teach science, history, perspective, morality, religion, and ethics was the topic of discussion on Friday, International A (W). Presenter Emily P. Bush headed up a panel of authors and educators. The room was set up as a roundtable discussion, allowing participants to ask questions of the panel. The venue filled quickly, with a few sitting on the… Read more →
