Dragon Con has selected American writer of fantasy, science fiction, and children’s books Jane Yolen and fantasy artist and illustrator Petar Meseldžija as its 2017 Guests of Honor.
Beginning with its first convention in 1987, Dragon Con has recognized an author and an artist as the Guests of Honor. This year’s Guests of Honor are widely renowned in their respective fields and recognized as endlessly creative individuals. They will be recognized at the Awards Banquet on Saturday, Sept. 2, 2017.
“We are delighted that Jane and Petar will be joining us this year as our Guests of Honor,” said Rachel Reeves, convention co-chair. “Their works have delighted all of us, from children to adults, and helped us discover worlds that are beyond our mortal reach.”
Yolen has been called the Hans Christian Anderson of America and the Aesop of the twentieth century. She has written over 300 books for children and young adults, including Owl Moon – a Caldecott Medal winner – The Devil’s Arithmetic, and How Do Dinosaurs Say Goodnight? Her work has also been recognized with the Nebula Award (twice), the Mythopoeic Fantasy Award, and the World Fantasy Award among many others. Please visit Yolen’s website at http://janeyolen.com/.
Meseldžija began his career as a teenager working on comic strips before switching to illustrations and painting in his twenties. His illustrations have been published in books and other formats all over the world, while his gallery art has been shown in group and solo exhibits in his native Serbia, as well as America and several European Countries. His work has been recognized in a number of juried exhibits in Yugoslavia and the U.S. Please visit Meseldžija’s website at https://www.petarmeseldzijaart.com/.
Dragon Con is the internationally known pop culture convention held each Labor Day Weekend (Sept 1-4, 2017) in Atlanta. Organized for fans, Dragon Con features more than about 3,000 hours of comics, film, television, costuming, art, music, and gaming over four days.