Month: September 2025

“Before he knew any better, Juan got his PhD in physics from Edinburgh
University. Then, he went on to study filmmaking and write short films
like Elle, Blind Justice, and Siguiente Nivel , which won multiple awards and were screened at international festivals.
After working on short stories, he got his first Spanish novel,
Segunda Juventud, published in 2022. His first fiction book in
English is Broken Horizons, an anthology of short sci-fi stories
about AI, reverse pandemics, and time travel.
Juan is very friendly and loves talking with other writers and fans,
so don’t hesitate to approach him during HSFCon.”

Foto: Xebia

Petra Polane-Loijenga is a Dutch illustrator, designer and art director. Together with Jasper Polane, co-owner and founder of Polanimation and Quasis Publishers. In addition to providing support, she makes illustrations and covers for the books.

After her education at CIBAP, studying advertising and presentation, she studied Image and Media Technology at the University of the Arts in Utrecht. Obtained her Bachelor’s degree as an animator in 2002. From her company Polanimation, she was able to immediately start working on her best-known work, the cartoon series Dip & Dap, after her studies. Polanimation is where she still works as a senior Art Director, as well as under her own label Petra Polane.