Steampunk CommuniTea Weekend Special Guest Luminaries
Mandisa Njeri, Airship Ashanti
Mandisa Njeri is the founder and captain of the steampunk cosplay group Her Royal Airship (HRA) Ashanti which promotes multiculturalism and diversity within the steampunk and cosplay communities. Since its inception, the group has leveraged its steampunk costumes and aesthetic to bring attention to philanthropic causes such as Relay for Life, National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), and Down Syndrome Association of Greater Cincinnati as well as host its own charitable events, including no-sew blanket-making event “Fleet of Fleece” and “3-2-1 Let’s Jam: A Philanthropic Jazz Tribute to Cowboy Bebop.”
M. Leigh Hood
M. Leigh Hood serves as the Programming Director for the Steampunk Symposium in Cincinnati, Ohio. Steampunk found her as a teen when her motley crew of friends bumped into an equally motley – but better dressed – band of steampunks at Loveland Castle in the suburbs of Cincinnati. Her first official role at the Symposium was working volunteering at the booth for the convention charity partner, the National Alliance on Mental Illness of Southwest Ohio, which set the tone for her increased participation in the local steampunk community.
Medea Asherah, Airship Caduceus
Medea Asherah, “She Who Walk Above the Sea,” has been the captain of Lexington, Ky.’s Airship Caduceus since 2016, after being inspired by her co-captain who suggested visiting the Steampunk Symposium in 2015. Asherah fell in love with the clothing, competitions and camaraderie of steampunk. In addition to attending events, she’s created logos and designs for groups and events such as the Kentucky Steampunk Society, the Chicago Steampunk Exposition, The Traveling Revelers and her own airship.
Lizzieluv Trinkets, Airship Solio Zephyr
Lizzieluv Trinkets, a trinketeer on Airship Solio Zephyr in Wisconsin, fell in love with steampunk in 2013. When she attended the Steampunk Symposium, she was hooked. Trinkets has always been a helpful ball of aether so she wanted to do something charitable that involved the wonderful steampunk community. After reflecting on whether anyone had ever organized a food drive at any of the steampunk conventions, “Steampunk Provisions for the Hungry” was born. With the help of an amazing group of steampunk friends, Trinkets and the Provisions team collects food and toiletries donated by fellow congoers and distributes them to local pantries. Previous collections have taken place at several Midwestern steampunk conventions, including Motor City Steam Con in metro Detroit and Geneva Steam in Delavan, Wis.
Madame Askew and The Grand Arbiter 