Imaginarium 2026 is proud to announce the 2026 Inductee Class for the Imagination Hall of Fame! The 2026 Inductees will be recognized and inducted this Saturday, July 18th, during the Imaginarium 2026 Awards Banquet!
The Imagination Hall of Fame recognizes individuals who have exhibited a high degree of excellence and achievement in their creative fields during the course of their careers, who embody the spirit and mission of the Imaginarium Convention, and who have demonstrated their support for other creatives, whether through teaching, mentoring, or providing developmental or professional opportunities.
The members of the 2026 Inductee Class are:
Hallee Bridgeman
Lee Martindale (posthumous induction)
John Palisano
Find out more about each of the 2026 Inductees below!
About Hallee Bridgeman: Hallee Bridgeman is the USA TODAY bestselling and Carol award-winning author of several action-packed romantic suspense books and series. An Army brat turned Floridian, Hallee settled with her husband in central Kentucky, where they have raised their three children.
Her work has been described as everything from refreshing to heart-stopping exciting and edgy. Hallee has served as the Director of the Kentucky Christian Writers Conference, President of the Faith-Hope-Love chapter of the Romance Writers of America, Secretary and Assistant Programming Chair of Novelists, Inc. (NINC), is a member of the American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW), and the American Christian Writers (ACW).
When she’s not writing, Hallee pursues her passion for cooking, coffee, campy action movies, and regular date nights with her husband. An accomplished speaker and active member of several writing organizations, Hallee can be found online at www.halleebridgeman.com.
About Lee Martindale: Lee Martindale made her first professional fiction sale, to Marion Zimmer Bradley for Snows of Darkover , at the age of 43. Since then, her stories appeared in numerous magazines and anthologies, including three volumes of Marion Zimmer Bradley’s Sword & Sorceress anthology series, Turn The Other Chick, Chicks and Balances, Witch Way To The Mall, and Fangs For The Mammaries for Esther Friesner, Roby James’ Warrior Wisewoman 2, the Sharon Lee/Steve Miller-edited Low Port, Martin Greenberg and Janet Dever-Pack’s Catopolis, and three volumes of Selina Rosen’s Bubbas of the Apocalypse anthology series. Bard’s Road: The Collected Fiction of Lee Martindale, a compilation of twenty-nine of her short stories, was published in 2014.
In addition to slinging fiction, Lee was a Named Bard, an ordained ULC minister, and a Lifetime Active Member of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America, where she served two 3-year terms on the Board of Directors and was the author and driving force behind the organization’s Accessibility Guidelines. She also served well over a decade on the Grievance Committee as Senior Mediator, and received the 2019 Service to SFWA Award.
Lee was the toastmaster at the first Imaginarium Convention. She passed away on March, 10th, 2026.
About John Palisano: JOHN PALISANO’s writing has won the Bram Stoker Award®, the Imadjinn Award, the Yog Soggoth Award, been nominated for the Rondo Hatton Award and the Imadjinn Award, and has been published and appeared in such notable venues as Vanity Fair, The Los Angeles Times, Blumhouse Online, Cemetery Dance, Fangoria, and more. His screenplays have won acclaim as finalists in Shriekfest, Project Greenlight, Latent Image, and more. His professional career started with an internship and work with Ridley Scott & Associates, then with director Marcus Nispel, Tony Bon Jovi, and more. He recently served as President of the Horror Writers Association.
You can find out more about John at: www.johnpalisano.com
Come celebrate with us this weekend at Imaginarium 2026! For full information, visit www.entertheimaginarium.com
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