Name: Opening Ceremonies
Start: 2026-07-17T19:00:00-0400
End: 2026-07-17T20:00:00-0400

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Opening Ceremonies

Friday July 17, 2026 7:00pm - 8:00pm EDT

Grand Ballroom Salon D (Main Programming)

Grab your Hawaiian Shirt and join James Fulbright (Con Chair) and Mike Pederson as we introduce our guests and tell you about the special events happening this weekend!

Each year, ConGregate remembers contributors that we have lost from the science fiction and fantasy world. The tradition began in memory of Aaron Allston, who was well known for his love of Hawaiian shirts. We encourage everyone to wear a Hawaiian shirt on Friday, July 17.

This is also where the Manly Wade Wellman Award will be presented. The Manly Wade Wellman Award for Science Fiction and Fantasy was founded in December 2013 to recognize outstanding achievement in science fiction and fantasy novels written by North Carolina authors.

Speakers

Sherrilyn Kenyon

Special Guest

Defying all odds is what #1 New York Times and international bestselling author Sherrilyn Kenyon does best. Since her first book debuted while she was still in college, she has placed more than 80 novels on the New York Times list in all formats and genres, including manga and graphic novels, and has more than 70 million books in print worldwide.A pioneer in paranormal, fantasy, science fiction and romantasy, she has become one of the most popular and influential authors in the world (in adult, YA and... Read More →

Tally Johnson

Special Guest

Mr. Johnson is a graduate of Spartanburg Methodist College and Wofford College with degrees in history. He is the author of Ghosts of the South Carolina Upcountry, Ghosts of the South Carolina Midlands, Ghosts of the Pee Dee (all for The History Press) and Civil War Ghosts of Sou... Read More →

Richard Kadrey

Guest of Honor

Richard Kadrey is the New York Times bestselling author of the Sandman Slim supernatural noir series. Sandman Slim was included in Amazon’s “100 Science Fiction & Fantasy Books to Read in a Lifetime,” and is in development as a feature film.Some of Kadrey’s other books in... Read More →

John Scalzi

Guest of Honor

John Scalzi is the Hugo-winning and New York Times bestselling author of Old Man’s War, Redshirts, The Kaiju Preservation Society, and Starter Villain, among other novels. Some of his short work was featured in the Netflix animated series Love, Death + Robots.He was president of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America (now the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Association), but he got better.He owns one dog, three cats, a six-necked guitar and a church. His burritos are internet infamous and possibly actual crimes. He lives... Read More →

Sam Montgomery-Blinn

Literary Guest

Samuel Montgomery-Blinn grew up on a family farm in Indiana and now spends his days helping ensure the trustworthiness of artificial intelligences. Once upon a time he published Bull Spec, a print magazine of speculative fiction, and now he administers The Manly Wade Wellman Award for North Carolina Science Fiction and Fantasy, meaning yes, he’s read your book. He lives in Durham with his wife, two too-grown teenagers, two cats who are very good boys, and one dog who... Read More →

James Fulbright

Con Chair / President, ConGregate

James Fulbright was introduced to AD&D by a friend in 1979. After joining his first gaming group, his friends convinced him to start attending conventions like StellarCon. It wasn’t long before attending cons led him to start helping out with those cons; which, in turn, led to running... Read More →

Michael D. Pederson

Fan Guest

Way back in 2004, Mike came up with the crazy idea of hosting a convention in Richmond, VA. He’s been chairing RavenCon ever since.In addition to running RavenCon, Mike Pederson was the publisher/editor/graphic designer responsible for the fanzine Nth Degree (2002-2019). Mike b... Read More →

Friday July 17, 2026 7:00pm - 8:00pm EDT
Grand Ballroom Salon D (Main Programming)

Special Events

Tech Needs sound system

ConGregate 12