Website: http://www.donatoart.com/

Donato Giancola balances modern abstract concepts with realism in his paintings to bridge the worlds of fine and illustrative arts. He recognizes the significant cultural role played by visual art, and makes personal efforts to contribute to the expansion and appreciation of the science fiction and fantasy genre that extend beyond the commercial commissions of his clients. Since beginning his professional career in 1993 Donato list of clients has continued to grow. From the major book publishers in New York to design firms on the West Coast, his commissions include companies such as LucasArts, National Geographic, DC Comics, The Free Masons of Philadelphia, Microsoft, Amazing Stories, Bantam Books, Ballantine Books, HarperCollins Publishers, Penguin, Playboy Magazine, Scholastic, Sony, Tor Books, Warner, Random House, Danbury Mint, Discover Magazine, The Franklin Mint, Milton-Bradley, Hasbro, and Wizards of the Coast.

Donato was born and raised in Colchester, Vermont. He moved to New York City in 1992 shortly after graduating Summa Cum Laude with a BFA in Painting from Syracuse University to begin his art career.

Success as a science fiction illustrator has taken Donato around the world as a guest of honor at numerous events such as Magic: The Gathering tournaments in Santiago, Chile, to the Lucca Comic Book Convention in Italy, the Essen Toy Fair in Germany, and the Lisboa Comic Book Convention in Portugal. Donato is a frequent exhibitor at the Society of Illustrators and shows at many conventions around the states, including World Science Fiction Convention. He was given a Jack Gaughan Award for Best Emerging Artist in 1998, seven Chesley Awards including one for Artistic Acheivement 2002, and has been nominated five times for the Artist Hugo Award. Donato旧 work can also be seen in Spectrum: The Best of Contemporary Fantastic Art, who’s juries have awarded him multiple medals from the recent Silver in Advertising Illustration in 2003 to a 2001 Gold in Editorial Art. He was also included in Infinite Worlds, a compendium of notable science fiction illustrators of the 20th century authored by Vincent DiFate

In addition to a lucrative freelance career he has also taught at the School of Visual Arts, and in 1999 was an instructor at the Fashion Institute of Technology. He has served as Guest Lecturer at Syracuse University, Pratt Institute, Virginia Commonwealth University, and Pennsylvania School of Art and Design, and was a co-chair of the 1997 Student Scholarship Committee at the Society of Illustrators in New York.

Donato appears at various colleges, institutions, Magic tournaments and science fiction conventions, where he interacts with fans, performs demonstrations in oil paint, and displays original paintings. A comprehensive listing of his work, technique, and in depth biographical information is available on his website at www.donatoart.com.

Donato lives in New York City with his wife and two daughters. Any time away from his studio is spent in the museums, with his family, playing soccer, or attending various cultural events around the city.

Website: http://www.peterbeagle.com/

Wit, depth, intelligence, true emotion, and a gift for language that would make a silver-tongued devil trade up — what more could any reader ask of a writer? With novels as richly different as TAMSIN, THE INNKEEPER’S SONG, and A FINE AND PRIVATE PLACE, plus screenplays for the animated J.R.R. TOLKIEN’S THE LORD OF THE RINGS, the “Sarek” episode of STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION, and other films and television features, Peter has established a reputation for imagination and magic like no other living author. Not just in fiction, either — his memoir I SEE BY MY OUTFIT, which recounts a 1963 journey across America on motor scooter, is considered a classic of American travel writing.

Peter’s best-known book is THE LAST UNICORN, a fantasy novel with a worldwide following numbering in the tens of millions. At the after-Oscar party for THE RETURN OF THE KING, where Peter was an honored special guest, he was startled to find Oscar winners giddily shaking his hand, grown women singing to him in Elvish, and a flock of fans screaming and crying when he was announced from the stage. This outpouring of affection is no mystery to those of us who know THE LAST UNICORN as a true modern classic, a book which has been steadily in print for nearly four decades, as fresh today as when it was first published in 1968. (A brand-new deluxe hardcover edition will be coming out in September 2007.)

Meanwhile the 1982 animated version of THE LAST UNICORN (featuring the voices of Mia Farrow, Jeff Bridges, Alan Arkin, Rene Auberjenois, and Christopher Lee) is enjoying bestseller status in DVD format, with more than million copies in distribution around the world.

In 2005 Peter finally wrote a magnificent coda to THE LAST UNICORN called “Two Hearts,” and began work on a new full-length novel sequel to his classic. “Two Hearts” won the 2006 Hugo and Nebula Awards for best novelette, and was nominated for the World Fantasy Award.

2007 and 2008 are going to be banner years for Peter S. Beagle fans. Scheduled to appear are at least a dozen new short works; three new novels (the magical realist SUMMERLONG, the ‘50s baseball fantasy SWEET LIGHTNING, and the aptly-named I’M AFRAID YOU’VE GOT DRAGONS); reissues of old titles; at least five new collections and nonfiction books; and a graphic novel version of THE LAST UNICORN in manga style.

Most writers become icons only after their deaths. Peter is here with us now, a respected and self-deprecating “legend in the making” — the elder statesman of fantasy as storyteller, songwriter, and poet, with many more tales still to tell and a big bright twinkle in his eye.