DRAGON CON MARKS 40TH ANNIVERSARY WITH LEGENDS TIMOTHY ZAHN AND TONY DITERLIZZI AS LITERARY AND ARTIST GUESTS OF HONOR
Posted by Liz and John Attaway, 7/14/26
Dragon Con, celebrating its 40th anniversary as Atlanta’s internationally known pop culture, fantasy, sci-fi, and gaming convention, has named author Timothy Zahn and artist Tony DiTerlizzi as its 2026 Literary and Artist Guests of Honor.
Dragon Con’s 2026 convention runs from Thursday, Sept. 3 through Monday, Sept. 7 with events and activities across five host hotels – Hyatt Regency Atlanta, Marriott Marquis, Hilton Atlanta, Westin Peachtree, and Courtland Grand Hotel – and AmericasMart Buildings 2 and 3.
Since its first convention in 1987, Dragon Con has spotlighted the authors and artists whose creative contributions have breathed life into the realms of fantasy and science fiction as Literary and Artist Guests of Honor. Both Zahn and DiTerlizzi will be recognized throughout the event and will be on hand to meet fans and participate in panels to provide insight into their success and love of fandom.
Zahn is a Hugo Award winning and New York Times bestselling author whose work has helped define modern science fiction. A member of the Dragon Con family since his first appearance in 1995, Zahn is best known for creating the iconic Grand Admiral Thrawn and the bestselling Thrawn Trilogy. He has written more than 60 novels, nearly 90 works of short fiction, and multiple collections, with over eight million copies of his books in print. In addition to his influential Star Wars novels, Zahn’s extensive body of work includes original series such as Cobra, Quadrail, and Dragonback, as well as contributions to major franchises like StarCraft. For more information, visit https://www.simonandschuster.com/authors/Timothy-Zahn/432874
Tony DiTerlizzi is a bestselling author and acclaimed illustrator whose work has shaped modern fantasy across gaming, books, and film. He first rose to prominence for his distinctive artwork in Dungeons & Dragons and for illustrating iconic cards for Magic: The Gathering, helping redefine the visual language of both franchises. DiTerlizzi is the co-creator of the internationally bestselling The Spiderwick Chronicles series (with Holly Black), which has been adapted into a feature film and a television series. His imaginative storytelling continues with projects such as the WondLa series. Blending classical illustration influences with a whimsical, otherworldly style, DiTerlizzi remains one of the most recognizable and influential artists in contemporary fantasy. For more information about DiTerlizzi, visit https://diterlizzi.com.
