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In: Author Guests, Editor Guests, Imaginarium, Official Guests, Publisher Guest, Spotlighted Guest

Imaginarium 2026 proudly welcomes award-winning author, editor, and publisher Stephen M. Vest as a Spotlighted Guest! Stephen is the editor and publisher of Kentucky Monthly magazine, which won the Governor’s Award in the Arts (Media) in 2005. Founded in 1998, Kentucky Monthly has more than 100,000 readers. Stephen is the author of Unexpected Inheritance, a memoir about being raised by older parents and a hard-to-please grandmother, two collections of his columns, and the publisher of the anthology Kentucky’s Twelve Days of Christmas. A frequent speaker, Vest is also an adjunct professor of communications at Campbellsville University, Eastern Kentucky University, and Midway University. We are honored to have Stephen participate with us forRead More →

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In: Actor Guests, Author Guests, Editor Guests, Filmmaker Guests, Imaginarium, Official Guests, Podcaster Guest, Poet Guest, Publisher Guest, Spotlighted Guest

Imaginarium 2026 proudly welcomes award-winning author, poet, editor, publisher, filmmaker, and actor Katerina Stoykova as a Spotlighted Guest! Katerina is the founder and senior editor of Accents Publishing, where she has selected, edited, and published close to 100 poetry collections. Her works as an author include Between a Bird Cage and a Bird House (University Press of Kentucky, 2024) and The Poet’s Guide to Publishing: How to Conceive, Arrange, Edit, Publish and Market a Book of Poetry (McFarland, 2024). Katerina acted in the lead roles for the independent feature films Proud Citizen, Fort Maria and Other Houses. all three co-directed by Thom Southerland. Katerina alsoRead More →

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In: Book Coach Guest, Editor Guests, Imaginarium, Official Guests, Spotlighted Guest

Imaginarium 2026 proudly welcomes book coach and editor Nicole Whisler as a Spotlighted Guest! Nicole is the founder of Fantasy Footsteps, a book coaching program designed to help writers craft stories that resonate! Nicole leads a thriving Facebook community for fantasy writers and has been recognized as a leading book coach by the Coach Foundation. She has presented for David Farland’s Apex Writers and coached writers at David Rank’s annual Novel Bookcamp in Wisconsin, in addition to being a member of the Editorial Freelancers Association and Professional Editors Network. We are honored to have Nicole participate with us for our 13th year, taking place JulyRead More →

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Imaginarium 2026 proudly welcomes award-winning, bestselling author DiAnn Mills as a Spotlighted Guest! The author of nearly fifty novels, 8 non-fiction books, and numerous collections, DiAnn is internationally known and celebrated for her action-packed, suspense-filled novels! Her novels have consistently landed on bestseller lists including CBA, ECPA, and Publishers Weekly, and have won prestigious awards such as the Christy, Selah, Golden Scroll, Inspirational Readers’ Choice, and Carol awards. An active member of Advanced Writers and Speakers Association, Mystery Writers of America, Sisters in Crime, and International Thriller Writers, DiAnn is a founding board member of the American Christian Fiction Writers, a former director of BlueRead More →

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In: Author Guests, Editor Guests, Imaginarium, Official Guests, Publisher Guest, Spotlighted Guest

Imaginarium 2026 proudly welcomes award-winning, bestselling author, editor, and publisher Jason Cordova as a Spotlighted Guest! An Associate Editor at Baen Books, a Navy veteran and a former teacher, Jason is the author of over two dozen novels across several genres, including YA, horror, science fiction, and urban fantasy! His work has also been featured in over forty anthologies, and he has been published in multiple languages across the world. Jason has received several awards and recognitions, including two Imadjinn Awards. He is both a John W. Campbell Award and Dragon Award Finalist. We are honored to have Jason participate with us for our 13thRead More →

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In: Author Guests, Filmmaker Guests, Imaginarium, Music Guest, Screenwriter Guests, Spotlighted Guest

Imaginarium 2026 proudly welcomes award-winning author, screenwriter, filmmaker, and musician John Palisano as a Spotlighted Guest! Winner of a Bram Stoker Award®, an Imadjinn Award, and a Yog Soggoth Award, and a Rondo Hatton Award nominee, John has been published and appeared in such notable venues as Vanity Fair, The Log 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 ofRead More →

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In: Author Guests, Imaginarium, Official Guests, Podcaster Guest, Publicist Guests, Spotlighted Guest

Imaginarium 2026 proudly welcomes author, publicist, and podcaster Dan Klefstad as a Spotlighted Guest! The author of the novel Fiona’s Guardians and DIY Book Promo, Dan is also a publicist for writers and the co-host of the vampire-themed podcast Vamp Chat With Dan & Eva, a podcast that has featured such notable guests like NYT bestselling author P.C. Cast, Three-time Oscar award-winning makeup artist Ve Neil, and author Dacre Stoker! Fiona’s Guardians, the first of a series, was adapted by the all-professional acting company, Artists’ Ensemble Theater, for their Mysterious Journey podcast! We are honored to have Dan join us for our 13th year, takingRead More →

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In: Artist Guests, Filmmaker Guests, Imaginarium, Official Guests, programming, SFX Artist, Spotlighted Guest

Imaginarium 2025 proudly welcomes award-winning international makeup FX artist Sven Granlund as a Spotlighted Guest! With over 30 years of professional experience, Sven’s work has appeared in numerous Hollywood and TV productions, including Deadpool and Deadpool 2, Kong Skull Island, The Cello, Blade Runner 2049, Trumbo, American Horror Story, and many, many more! Sven taught professional Special Effects and Prosthetics at Dick Smith’s world famous makeup school for several years. Sven is also the co-founder of KY Creature FX! We are honored to have Sven join us for our 12th year, taking place July 18-20, 2025 in Louisville, Kentucky! For further information on the ImaginariumRead More →

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Imaginarium 2025 proudly welcomes award-winning filmmaker, screenwriter, artist, columnist, and photographer Antonio Pantoja as a Spotlighted Guest! A columnist in The Voice magazine, Antonio’s first feature film , “One Must Fall,” secured an international and domestic distribution deal, while garnering over 130 awards during its festival run! Antonio’s photography work has been featured on the covers of dozens of magazines, and overall his film and photography work has been recognized with over 200 awards. We are honored to have Antonio join us for our 12th year, taking place July 18-20, 2025 in Louisville, Kentucky! For further information on the Imaginarium Convention, please visit www.entertheimaginarium.comRead More →

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In: Actor Guests, Artist Guests, Author Guests, Filmmaker Guests, Imaginarium, Screenwriter Guests, Spotlighted Guest

Imaginarium 2025 proudly welcomes award-winning actor, filmmaker, author, screenwriter, artist and model Kayla Perkins as a Spotlighted Guest! As an actor, Kayla has landed several lead and featured roles in TV and Film. She has appeared in movies such as Dreamer, The Killibilles, The Whittler, Wicked Ones. and Santa Vs Zombies. She also appeared in Travel Channel’s Most Terrifying Places in America 3, Nashville, and many more, and she was also a former Junior Miss Kentucky! Kayla is also a children’s book author, co-authoring “I’m Kayden and I Have JIA” with her son, Kayden, telling his story and showing kids living with Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis thatRead More →