Speakers

IN-PERSON AND ONLINE SPEAKERS (NOVEMBER 3-4)

Steve Berg is an actor and improviser who just finished work on Olivia Wilde’s new film Don’t Worry Darling, and is currently working on the feature Snack Shack. He can also be seen in New Line’s comedy feature Tag starring Jon Hamm and Rashida Jones. His credits also include recurring roles on NBC's The Good Place, ABC's The Goldbergs, Comedy Central's Idiotsitter, and BET's The Comedy Get Down. He has appeared in two features for director Joe Swanberg -- the Netflix Original Win It All and the indie Digging For Fire which premiered at the 2015 Sundance Film Festival. Other credits include Mike White's directorial debut Year of the Dog, Jared Hess’ Gentlemen Broncos, and Joss Whedon's digital series Dr. Horrible's Sing Along-Along Blog. Berg has been a drunk narrator multiple times on Comedy Central's Drunk History and was a series regular in the Fox Television pilot WTF America produced by Ron Howard and Brian Grazer. He performed live sketch and improv for over a decade in Los Angeles at The Second City, Upright Citizens Brigade and Improv Olympic. He is originally from Omaha, Nebraska.89

Tim Binnall is the news editor for Coast to Coast AM as well as the host of the pioneering paranormal podcast Binnall of America. For more than a decade and over the course of hundreds of BoA programs, he has interviewed a vast array of researchers, spanning a wide spectrum of paranormal genres and ranging from bonafide esoteric icons to up-and-coming future players in 'the field.' A graduate of Syracuse University, Binnall aims to maintain an outsider's perspective on the paranormal world with a distinct appreciation for its absurdities and a keen interest in the personalities and sociology of esoteric studies.

Kiki Dombrowski is a spiritual researcher and explorer who has spent her life studying mythology, magic, witchcraft, and the supernatural. She lives in Savannah where she is a professional tarot card reader, certified life coach, and professional writer. Her sophisticated perspective allows her to help improve and expand her clients’ and readers’ spiritual awareness and evolution.

Kiki has been reading tarot for over 25 years and has delighted her clients by giving them thoughtful, accurate, and encouraging readings. As a certified life coach, Kiki’s tarot readings are a unique experience that require the client to interact through conversation and exploring present successes and opportunities. Her advanced knowledge of the tarot and spiritual knowledge allow for her to offer proactive advice, creative solutions, and inspiring insights.

She received her BA in English and Creative Writing from Southern Connecticut State University. She received her MA in Medieval English from the University of Nottingham. Her background in writing and academic research has allowed her to find success in writing.

Kiki has recently published a second edition of A Curious Future, an inviting book that explores unusual and fascinating forms of divination. Her next book on tarot will be published late summer 2022.

Kiki has been a contributing writer for Witch Way Magazine for over five years and works as a content specialist for the magazine. Kiki is a passionate traveler who has lived abroad in Paris and Nottingham. Most recently she has visited Egypt in the fall of 2021.

For more information please visit her website kikidombrowski.com or follow her on Twitter: @KikiD333.

Nathan Paul Isaac is a writer, filmmaker, and host/creator of the Penny Royal podcast. A native of Kentucky, he has been researching the folklore, mystery, and high strangeness of the Bluegrass State for over two decades. In addition to the Penny Royal podcast, Nathan films and produces the music series SomerSessions.

S. William Snider, aka Recluse, is the longtime curator of the VISUP blog (visupview.blogspot.com), where he has explored high strangeness and parapolitics in all their many forms for over a decade. More recently, he has branched out into books and podcasts. He is the co-author of Strange Tales of the Parapolitical: Postwar Nazis, Mercenaries, and Other Secret History and the host of The Farm podcast (thefarmpodcast.com). He is also a reoccurring guest on the Penny Royal podcast. Most recently, he has issued the 30,000 word essay More Strange Tales: Hellier, the Lovecraft Gnosis, and Psychological Warfare in conjunction with the first Penny Royal release. The first installment of a three part trilogy exploring the origins of Jeffrey Epstein's network, A Special Relationship: Epstein, Trump, and the Secret History of the Anglo-American Establishment, is set to drop this October.

Wren Collier is an occultist and Thelemite living in Minneapolis, Minnesota. He is a frequent contributor on the "Where Did The Road Go?" podcast, as well as contributing to projects like NAEQ.IO and the Lunar Cry occult community. He also sells fine occult goods at his Etsy store, Atelier Argent, and is working on his first book, "CTHONIA", an exploration of katabasis narratives, underground kingdoms, pulp scifi, and the Hollow Earth. He can be found at liminalroom.com

My name is Chelslyn Vance, and I am a hypnotherapist. Hypnotherapy is a one you can change fundamental aspects of yourself. I use my voice to induce the hypnotic state and take you through a journey through your subconscious mind. There, we can work with the subconscious mind and change habits, imbed new and helpful mindsets, and return control over your thoughts to you!

Zack has spent the last decade writing about the interplay of faith and politics in the public sphere on his eponymous blog, Substack, and Patheos as well as contributing articles to multiple publications. He’s also made appearances in Rolling Stone, The Boston Globe, Huffington Post, and various other media outlets. Zack’s work culminated in the launch of his first book, Unraptured, in 2019 which Publishers Weekly called “a piquant debut.” Using stories drawn from his own faith deconstruction, Unraptured reimagined the biblical theology and application of Revelation to see it not as mysterious code to be unraveled, but a source of hope and liberation, particularly for the least of these among us.

His current book, Godbreathed: What It Really Means For the Bible To Be Inspired, released in the spring of 2023.

Before his public writing career began Zack graduated from Trevecca Nazarene University with an undergraduate double major in Religion and History. He also holds a graduate degree in Theology as well as an additional graduate degree in Christian History from Yale Divinity School. Combined with more than 20 years spent preaching and working in various forms of ministry Zack works to reimagine the Church’s relationship with the Bible and its role in the lives of believers.

When not writing about the intersection of faith and politics, Zack can be found traveling and trying out new restaurants with his wife, playing with their two little girls, and sneaking out onto his back porch trying to smoke the perfect rack of ribs on his beloved smoker.

Tobias Wayland is a passionate fortean who has been actively investigating the unusual for over a decade. The first several years of his investigative career were spent as a MUFON field investigator, and following that he investigated independently prior to becoming the head writer and editor for The Singular Fortean Society. Tobias is a frequent guest on various podcasts and radio shows, has contributed to several books and periodicals on the paranormal, and is often invited to speak at paranormal conferences and events.

He was featured in the series premiere of Expedition X, and the Small Town Monsters documentaries Terror in the Skies and On the Trail of the Lake Michigan Mothman for his work investigating Mothman sightings around Lake Michigan. He and his wife Emily have been involved with the Lake Michigan Mothman investigation since its advent in the spring of 2017, and published a book chronicling the experience, The Lake Michigan Mothman: High Strangeness in the Midwest. His second book about unusual phenomena, Strange Tales of the Impossible, continues their work in investigating a variety of seemingly impossible events.

His years as an investigator have served him best by illustrating that when it comes to the anomalous, the preternatural, and the paranormal, any answers he's found are still hopelessly outnumbered by questions.

Joshua Cutchin is the author of seven books about the supernatural. He has appeared on dozens of programs including Coast to Coast AM, and is regularly invited to speak at paranormal conferences. He recently released his first novel, THEM OLD WAYS NEVER DIED.

Brent Raynes has been immersed in the field of ufology and it's many components of high strangeness going back 57 years this coming January. He is the editor of the monthly online journal Alternate Perceptions, and the author of Visitors from Hidden Realms, On The Edge of Reality, and John A. Keel: The Man, The Myths, and the Ongoing Mysteries.

Mallory Cywinski is an author, content creator, and paranormal investigator based near Philadelphia, PA. She has her B.S. in Human Development and Family Studies from Penn State University, and she lives with her husband, son, daughter, and rescue dog. Her debut book, Making Friends with Ghosts, and her children’s book, The Roasty Toasty Ghostie are both available now on Amazon. Her writing has also been featured in Volumes 1 & 2 of The Feminine Macabre: A Women’s Journal of All Things Strange and Unusual. She’d happily go miles out of her way for a peppermint oatmilk latte, preferably from a café with claims of a haunting. Follow her adventures in ghost hunting, writing, (and publishing!) on Instagram and Facebook @coffeebooksandghosts.

ONLINE-ONLY SPEAKERS (SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 5)

Seriah Azkath is the host of Where Did the Road Go?, which he began in Jan of 2013. He is in the process of working on two books, one on his own personal experiences, and one on new ways of looking at reality and the strange phenomena within. He is a True skeptic in the true sense of the word, asking questions instead of pushing beliefs.His talk will be about time, and how it's odd connection to unexplained phenomena, as well as different ways of looking at experiences people have. Throwing out new ideas, even as thought experiments, to try and make connections we have missed.

Aaron Gulyas created The Saucer Life in 2017 and--in 2021--co-created Great Lakes Lore with Samantha Engel. Gulyas holds Bachelor's and Master's degrees in American history and has taught at Mott Community College in Flint, Michigan since 2006. In addition to teaching and podcasting, he has written several books and articles on the history of paranormal, conspiracy culture, and media history.

Chris Ernst is an experimental filmmaker and Associate Professor of Film & Moving Image at Stevenson University in Maryland. Much of Chris’ work deals with themes of mysticism, the occult, paranormal, weird fiction and cosmic horror. His award-winning underground films CORPSE and THE HILL AND THE HOLE, made with his creative partner Bill Darmon and starring Adam Gorightly, have screened internationally at festivals and venues such as Anthology Film Archives and the H.P. Lovecraft Film Festival. Chris has also worked as a producer and director for MTV, a cinematographer for feature films such as the 2010 Tribeca Film Festival selection BURIED LAND, a hybrid documentary about the Bosnian Pyramids, and he is a frequent guest on Where Did the Road Go?

Michael M. Hughes is an author, speaker, magical thinker, and activist. He is the creator of the internationally viral Spell to Bind Donald Trump and All Those Who Abet Him, the largest magical working in history. He speaks on politics, magic, pop culture, psychedelics, the paranormal, and tarot. His latest book, Magic for the Resistance: Rituals and Spells for Change, is published by Llewellyn Worldwide. His acclaimed supernatural thriller series, the Blackwater Lights trilogy, is available from Penguin Random House. Michael lives in Baltimore with his wife, two daughters, two cats, and a rabbit named Toby Turnipseed. http://michaelmhughes.com

David B. Metcalfe is a researcher, writer and multimedia specialist focusing on the areas where creativity, culture, and consciousness collide. In 2011 he established the Liminal Analytics: Applied Research Collaborative to focus on building multidisciplinary lines of communication through applied scholarship, digital media and social network development.Metcalfe is the Editor-in-Chief for the Windbridge Research Center’s Threshold: Journal of Interdisciplinary Consciousness Studies. In addition, he is currently working on a long-term trans-media project with Dr. R. Andrew Chesnut, Chair of Catholic Studies at Virginia Commonwealth University, to document the growth of devotional traditions associated with Santa Muerte.

Timothy Renner is an illustrator, author, and folk musician living in Pennsylvania. His illustrations have appeared in the pages of various books, magazines, fanzines and comics as well as on many record and CD covers. Since 1995, Timothy has been making music both solo and with his band, Stone Breath. Timothy is the creator of "Strange Familiars", a podcast concerning the paranormal, weird history, folklore and the occult. He makes regular appearances on the paranormal radio show, "Where Did the Road Go?", and has appeared as a guest on many other podcasts and radio programs, including "Coast to Coast AM".