Last Chances and Important Votes! And Eggs.
See below for details about the April 21 Meeting. Also, the deadlines for a discounted
ConQuesT 43 membership are rapidly approaching! Don't miss out!
Get the Skinny on ConQuesT 43 Guests of Honor!
Bryan Thomas Schmidt launches a new interview series on the "
Grasping For The Wind" blog.
Ursula Vernon, the Artist Guest of Honor is his first interviewee. Scroll down for his publishing schedule and more!
Full Already?
If you're an artist interested in showing at ConQuesT, better get
registered! More details below!
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The usual day, the usual place--but not
your usual meeting! |
Where:
The Writers Place, 3607 Pennsylvania, Kansas City, MO.
When:
April 21, 2012. The General Meeting begins at
6:30 p.m. and runs till about 9:30.
Why: An important deadline, and some important decision-making, with a side of frivolity.
The important deadline we face is to buy ConQuesT 43 memberships in person by cash or check. All current members of KaCSFFS may buy their ConQuesT memberships at a discount, until May 15. But the last time you can do so without paying a fee to PayPal is at the April meeting! So if you haven't bought your membership yet, NOW is the time!
If you aren't a KaCSFFS member, you must pay the full pre-convention price. You can buy one at the meeting in person, or on the
ConQuesT website until May 15. After May 15, the only time anyone can buy a membership is at the door, for full price.
(BROAD HINT: if you
sign up to volunteer at the convention, you get a bonus discount!
So sign up to volunteer!)
The important decision-making will be reflected in our votes.
We first must vote for the contested office of Secretary of KaCSFFS. April is the start of our Fiscal Year, and as such is the "Annual Meeting" (In case you were wondering, March was the end of the Fiscal Year, and officially designated the "Fiscal Meeting," when everyone was supposed to renew their KaCSFFS memberships).
We have a Contested Race!
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Sherri Dean (L) seeks to replace incumbent Jeff Orth (R)
as KaCSFFS Secretary. |
Most of the self-nominees ran for their positions on the KaCSFFS Board of Directors unopposed, and thus were elected by acclamation. They are:
Diana Bailey, President (formerly Director, but the IRS code says she has to be Madame President now);
Cindy Norton, Treasurer;
Jan Gephardt, Communications Officer; and
Victoria L'Ecuyer, ConQuesT Chairperson for the planning year (2013, in this case; for those who don't know Victoria, we introduced her in an
earlier post).
But we must vote for Secretary. The candidates are
Jeff Orth (incumbent) and
Sherri Dean, bidding to return for a new term, after several years off. As noted in last month's meeting follow-up post, each candidate made a statement:
Jeff Orth (incumbent):
"Jeff is bad secretary. he will continue to be a bad secretary. Some body should kick his ass. Diana certainly would appreciate it."
Sherri Dean (challenger):
"I already did this [serve as Secretary] before, but . . . I could do it again if you like."
Hotly contested, as you can see. Now
you get to decide! (as long as you are a currently dues-paid member of KaCSFFS, that is).
Bylaws, too!
A
Provisional Draft of the Bylaws on the Kansas City Science Fiction and Fantasy Society, Inc. was presented to the membership at the March meeting, and has been placed in a file on the KAXFEN Group. It is the product of more than a year's work by the Bylaws Committee, and has been written to carefully align it with the rules governing 501(c)3 nonprofit organizations chartered in the state of Missouri, while at the same time retaining most of the previous practices of the Society.
At the April meeting we will cast a preliminary vote to ratify or reject this draft.
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"PugnoM" made a Dalek egg.
How creative can YOU be? |
And now for the Frivolity:
This month's food theme is Eggs--and let's have fun with them!
Yeah, yeah, we know--Easter's over, for those who follow Christian traditions. But all cultures enjoy eggs all year long. Not only are they delicious and full of protein, but they also are full of creative potential.
And as usual, we'll have a contest among those who bring egg-themed goodies. We will present
Certificates of Eggceptional Eggcellence to the winners in the following categories:
Eggstra Delicious: Foods made primarily from eggs. These will be judged for pleasing appearance and delicious taste. Please arrange for adequate refrigeration when necessary!
Eggcentricities: Egg-themed food that is
not primarily made from eggs (chocolates, cakes, or anything decorated to look like an egg, for example).
Must be edible.
Cre-egg-tive Minds at Play: Inspired by the tradition of Easter eggs made purely for display, these miniature sculptures, like the "Dalek egg" in the photo, are not meant to be eaten! Instead, they should be
looked at to be enjoyed. You don't have to use real eggs, if plastic eggs or similar egg-shaped materials would work better. Create a humorous character or situation, make something unlikely out of eggs, or whatever your imagination cooks up--and be sure to give your masterpiece an appropriate title!
Pick your category, and let's see who can
eggsterminate the competition!
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Ursula Vernon is a talented artist
and writer, soon to be our guest! |
Don't Miss Bryan Thomas Schmidt's Interview Series, either!
Ursula Vernon is our
now-Hugo-nominated(!!!) Artist Guest of Honor for
ConQuesT 43.
She and our own
Bryan Thomas Schmidt had a nice long chat recently, and he took the opportunity to ask questions about her work, her life, and her approaches to things.
It's all in his interview on the "
Grasping For The Wind" blog. The post went live April 19, and will remain
available even after Schmidt's next posts appear.
He has an interview with
ConQuesT writer Guests of Honor,
Steve Miller and Sharon Lee that is scheduled for
April 26.
It will be followed by an interview about
ConQuesT with Chairperson John Platt IV and KaCSFFS President Diana Bailey, scheduled for
May 3.
And Finally, An Important Announcement for ARTISTS, from the ConQuesT Art Show Director
As I write this, ALL of our vertical panel space for the
ConQuesT Art Show has technically been reserved, though some of those reservations are not yet final (payments pending). Reservations don't always work out, so if you still want to exhibit 2-D art, there's a good possibility that the first artists on our waiting list eventually will get space. Those who pay their registrations promptly get preference.
If you are an artist who exhibits prints
in the Print Shop, we still have room.
If you work in 3-D and can use table space, reservations are still open. All reservations must be received by
May 1, and all mailed-in art is due by
May 18.
IMAGE CREDITS: The photo of The Writers Place is from their website. The photo of Sherri Dean is her Profile Picture on Facebook. Jeff Orth's photo is also from Facebook, taken by Baron Dave Romm at this year's Minicon, 4/8/12, and posted on his Wall. The "Bylaws Book" image is from the A.J. Whittenberg Elementary School of Engineering "ByLaws/Standing Rules" page. The "Dalek Egg" is from PugnoM's Flickr page. The illustration of Ursula Vernon is by Ursula Vernon, and came from the ConQuesT Guests page. The thumbnail of vertical panels at the 2011 ConQuesT Art Show is a detail of a photo by Ty Gephardt.
