Don't miss the APRIL 30 DEADLINE! (that's this Sunday)!

ConQuesT 48 is coming sooner than you think--your chance to register online before the convention ends April 30, 2017!

What's so great about ConQuesT? Well, we must be doing something right, to have put on 47 of them previously . . . but let's look at the offerings. We have four headliner guests (more about them below), lots of other professional artists, writers, and others, plus multiple programming track and special events run by experienced fans who know how to keep it fun and smooth for everyone.

Our Guests of Honor

Robert J. Sawyer and Hominids-inspired friend

Robert J. Sawyer - Author GoH
Toronto-based Robert J. Sawyer has won the best-novel Hugo Award (for Hominids), and has twelve other Hugo nominations to his credit. He’s also won the best-novel Nebula Award (for The Terminal Experiment), the John W. Campbell Memorial Award (for Mindscan), plus numerous other awards around the world.

In 2016 he was named to the Order of Canada, the highest civilian honor bestowed by the Canadian government. His 23 novels include  the #1 Locus bestsellers Calculating God, Triggers, and the May KC SF&F Literati selection, Quantum Night. The ABC TV series FlashForward was based on his novel of the same name, and he was one of the scriptwriters for that series.

Jonathan Maberry in his natural habitat

Jonathan Maberry - Toastmaster
Jonathan Maberry is a New York Times best-selling novelist, five-time Bram Stoker Award winner, and comic book writer. He writes the Joe Ledger thrillers, the Rot & Ruin series, the Nightsiders series, the Dead of Night series, as well as standalone novels in multiple genres. He's also edited many anthologies, including The X-Files, Scary Out There, Out Of Tune, and V-Wars.

He is the founder of the Writers Coffeehouse, and the co-founder of The Liars Club. He was a featured expert on the History Channel documentary,  Zombies:  A Living History, and a regular expert on the TV series True Monsters. He is one third of the very popular and mildly weird Three Guys With Beards pop-culture podcast. Jonathan lives in Del Mar, California, with his wife, Sara Jo.

Rachael Mayo - Artist GoH
Rachael Mayo is a fantasy and SF artist who prefers traditional art media. She specializes in mixed media (this can include watercolor, colored pencil, paint pens, ink, acrylic, and shiny objects). She likes to create creatures with eye-searingly bright color schemes.

Rachael mostly takes private commissions or works on personal projects. She occasionally creates book covers or interior illustrations, primarily with small press publishers. She also has published Dragon Adventure, a coloring book of her art, and sells her work to the public at science-fiction/fantasy convention art shows around the country. She earned a bachelor’s degree in illustration from University of Central Missouri in 1999, but by day she works as a systems administrator who enjoys tormenting unsuspecting mainframes. She spends most hours outside of her day job producing art. She lives in Kansas City, Missouri.

A recent Rachael Mayo, the "Skittles Explosion" version of Turquoise Conjunction Digicolor 2

Zac Zacarola - Fan GoH

Zac Zacarola and a wall of Ziggy's West swords.

A familiar face in the convention dealer’s room at the Ziggy’s West table, Zac first took interest in science fiction when he discovered “all those B movies” as a kid. His favorite is still the original The Day the Earth Stood Still. “Then, Star Trek came along,” he said. While studying chemistry at West Virginia University, he associated with Monongamoot, WVU’s SciFi club, met Jo, who was involved with MonCon III, and “thanks to her, I’ve attended a number of SciFi conventions which I may not have otherwise attended, including four WorldCons.” 

For more than 35 years, Zac was an analytical chemist in the nuclear power industry. “Talk about SciFi comin' to life!” he says. Since 2008, he’s worked on the environmental side of things, including the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) and groundwater protection. Zac specialized in corrosion control and metallurgy, which he now applies to the fine merchandise of Ziggy’s West, a business which has existed since 1987.

Other Highlights

ConQuesT Art Show 

One of the largest and best-quality science fiction convention art shows in the region, the ConQuesT Art Show maintains its high quality through its system of jurying artists in, then doing everything possible to make sure those artists sell as well as possible. Show attendees enjoy 2D and 3D artwork by top fantasy and science fiction artists from all over North America.

This is just one corner of a recent ConQuesT Art Show display.

ConQuesT Dealers' Room

Our Dealers' Room offers a wide variety of wares, from Ziggy's swords and other metallic wonders, through fiber arts and costumes, jewelry, 2D and 3D artwork, an array of books, videos, comics, games, gaming supplies, and related sundries. And don't forget the buttons, bumper stickers, and T-shirts! 

A view of the ConQuesT 46 Dealers' Room

The Story-in-A-Bag Contest is fun for all ages.

Story-In-A-Bag, Writers' Workshop, and Writing Programming Track

There's plenty of programming for, and involving, writers at all points in their career. Seasoned pros and famous writers conduct panels on many aspects of speculative literature, the writing craft, and the business of being a writer. A writers' workshop offers one-on-one critique services to writers seeking to improve their skills, and the ever-popular Story-In-A-Bag Contest offers a fun creative challenge for story-spinners of all ages and skill levels.

IMAGES: The ConQuesT 48 banner image was created by Jan S. Gephardt for convention-promotional purposes; it features a logo design by Keri O'Brien and a photo of the lobby of our convention hotel, the Sheraton Kansas City Hotel at Crown Center, which provided the photo. 

The photo of Robert J. Sawyer with the Neanderthal skull is by Carolyn Clink, and was provided by Sawyer's website. The photo of Jonathan Maberry in his office is from Jessica Lawlor's interview with him. The photo of Rachael Mayo is from the ConQuesT 48 website, and her Turquoise Conjunction Digicolor 2 is from her DeviantART Gallery. The photo of Zac Zacarola, by Chris Moose Mendolia, is also from the ConQuesT 48 website. 

The photo of part of the ConQuesT Art Show from the KaCSFFS Blog post “What Makes the ConQuesT Art Show So Great?” by David Sooby. The Dealers' Room photo is from the indispensable Midamerican Fan Photo Archive of Keith Stokes. The photo of the bags from a recent past Story-in-A-Bag Contest is from the ConQuesT 48 website.

Caution! Deadlines are closer than they appear!

Here's a friendly reminder from ConQuesT, our friendly regional science fiction convention:

If you have made the intelligent decision to attend ConQuesT 47, Kansas City's longest-running regional science fiction convention on Memorial Day Weekend, then you should note several deadlines are fast approaching!

You'll thank yourself in May, for acting on these deadlines now!

IMAGES: Many thanks to Prep Scholar for the "warning" sign, and to ConQuesT for the "ConQuesT Prime" header and the deadline schedule.

ConQuesT 46 Preview #2

By David Sooby
What Makes the ConQuesT Art Show So Great?
Let's admit it: ConQuesT attendees are totally and completely spoiled in having such a wonderful Art Show every year. Active fans who attend many conventions have been heard to remark that even some recent WorldCons have had art shows not much bigger than ours. We are also spoiled in having such a wide variety of art: Not just paintings and prints, but three dimensional art such as sculptures, jewelry, ceramics, and science fiction and fantasy knives and swords.

This is only one small part of last year's ConQuesT Art Show.

So how does a medium-sized, local/regional convention like ConQuesT create such a wonderful Art Show year after year? We interviewed Mike Neely, the current Art Show department head, to find out.

As with all the high profile attractions at ConQuesT, the Art Show is very much a team effort. Mike was a staff member under the former Art Show department head, Jan Gephardt, for three years, before taking the mantle of department head last year. Mike is continuing the tradition of excellence established by Jan and her predecessors. Mike is ably assisted by a team which includes his wife, Kat Gibb.

This is a wider view of last year's show.

ConQuest has a juried Art Show. An artist who has never displayed at ConQuesT must submit a sample of his art. Mike and his select jury of artists look over the submissions, and decide whether the art is – or is not – of sufficient quality to be shown at ConQuesT. Submissions can be made either by e-mailing Mike digital pictures of the art, or else by pointing to the artist's website.

Of course, being selective about what art to display wouldn't work if there were not a plethora of submissions to choose from! Last year the Art Show displayed 20 different artists' work, including two which were new to ConQuesT. Mike and his team are hardworking advocates for the artists, and last year every artist but one made sales.

One advantage for artists at ConQuesT is that the convention does not take a percentage of sales. There are fees for displaying art; $10 for a 2' x 6' panel, and $5 for half a table. “Print Shop” spaces at reduced rates are also available for bins of prints.

Peri Charlifu ("Dr. Who Udon Bowl" shown)
will show art in 2015.

Last year, Mike brought the Art Show record-keeping and payment system into the 21st Century. (Hooray!) All records are now electronic, and receipts are printed via computer, whereas previously they had been hand-written. Credit card payments can be made via PayPal “triangle.” 

This is a vast improvement over the previous method, which was to send buyers to Registration to make the credit card payment and then bring a receipt back to the Art Show. Another big advantage of all-electronic records is that it greatly speeds up Mike's ability to get payments out to the artists, and unsold art mailed back. All that was accomplished within about two to three weeks after the previous ConQuesT. We're sure our artists were both surprised and pleased to receive such prompt service.

David Lee Pancake was last year's Artist Guest of Honor. He's already promised his work will return in 2015.

It's a bit early for Mike to know just what artists will be displaying at ConQuesT 2015, but he already has commitments from David Lee Pancake and Peri Charlifu. You can see photos of some of their work on this page. We look forward to seeing what will be displayed by both new (to ConQuesT) artists and returning favorites at the Art Show next year!

IMAGE CREDITS: The photo of part of the 2014 ConQuesT Art Show at the top of the Page is from the ConQuesT Art Show page on the ConQuesT website. The 2014 wider room-view is by Keith Stokes, from the Midamerican Fan Photo Archive, Art Show and Dealers' Room page 1. The "Dr Who Udon Bowl" by Peri Charlifu is from Charlifu's Aegean Goods Facebook Page. The image of David Lee Pancake's display from 2014 is by Keith Stokes, from the Midamerican Fan Photo Archive, Art Show and Dealers' Room page 2.

ConQuesT 45

Join us in Kansas City, May 23-25, 2014
ConQuesT 45 marks another milestone for one of the longest-running sf conventions in the U.S.  Come to Kansas City in May to see why we've remained strong for so long!

We have a great Hotel!
ConQuesT 45 is moving to a new hotel, the Kansas City Marriott Downtown.  We chose this site for its excellent facilities, adequate size, and reasonable price.  We believe our members will enjoy this jewel of the Kansas City downtown.

The special ConQuesT room rate includes bookings from May 22-26, 2014. Get all the details on our website!


We have great Guests coming!

Glen Cook

Our Guest of Honor lineup promises to be a strong group: A beloved veteran writer, a gifted actor/entertainer, an award-winning artist, and a pair of devoted fans who have left an indelible mark on the wardrobes of sf/fantasy fans everywhere.

Read more about them on our Guests page.

Author GoH Glen Cook is best known for for his The Black Company fantasy series, Garrett P.I. series, and Dread Empire series.

Tadao Tomomatsu

Toastmaster Tadao Tomomatsu was such an awesome Fan Guest at ConQuesT 42, we jumped at the opportunity to invite him back as TM! Tadao is a talented actor, comedian, and entertainer. You might remember him as Mr. Shake-Hands Man, or as a detective in the Heroes episode "Don't Look Back."

Artist Guest David Lee Pancake has been delighting art lovers at the ConQuesT Art Show for several years, so we were delighted when he accepted our invitation to be our Artist Guest. Best known for resin sculptures that feature amazing detail and textures, and for unique jewelry designs, we think you'll find the man behind the artwork equally interesting.

 

 

 

 

 

 

L-ctr: Sculptural artworks Thorn and Splinter by David Lee Pancake (pictured at R)

Ray and Barb VanTilburg

Many of our readers probably own T-shirts produced by our Fan Guests, Raymond and Barbara VanTilburg. They've been creating some of fandom's favorite shirts since 1990, and distributing them through their company OffWorld Designs. 

There's way more to Ray and Barb than T-shirts, however.  Enjoy getting to meet "the rest of them" at ConQuesT 45! 

We have Great Get-Yours-Now Membership Rates!
Regular Adult Memberships are only $30, now through Dec. 31.  Only $25 with a Military I.D., and $15 for children ages 6-12. Order online now!

IMAGE CREDITS: All photos except the two sculptures by David Lee Pancake are from the ConQuesT website.  The images of "Thorn" and "Splinter" are courtesy of David Lee Pancake, and available for sale via his online store. They were originally released for use on the ConQuesT Art Show Facebook page, when Pancake was the featured Artist of the Week.

ConQuesT 44 runs May 24-26, 2013!

We hope you're in Kansas City Today!

ConQuesT 44, one of the longest-running general science fiction conventions in the United States, starts today at the Holiday Inn Express CoCo Key Resort in Kansas City, MO.  
The convention runs May 24-26, 2013.
Author GoH is Patrick Rothfuss
Fan GoH is Chris Garcia
Toastmistress is Patricia Wrede
Artist GoH is John Picacio
Editor GoH is Teresa Neilsen Hayden
Comics GoH is John Kovalic

ConQuesT also is blessed with a large group of additional guests and panelists who are well known in the fields of writing, art, music, science, and many other areas of expertise, including George R.R. Martin, Robin Wayne Bailey, Mitchell Bentley, Dell Harris, Lee Killough, Selina Rosen, and many others (scroll to the bottom of the Guests page for a partial listing).  

ConQuesT also has an excellent Art Show, Dealers Room, a respected Writers Workshop, and an annual Masquerade, as well as many other popular events.

If you have access to Facebook, please post images from this year's ConQuesT that you'd like to share, on our KaCSFFS Page.  More information about ConQuesT 44 and the ConQuesT Art Show also are available on Facebook.

IMAGE: is this year's ConQuesT 44 logo, courtesy of the ConQuesT website.

Announcements and April Meeting

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!

Important! Don't Miss the April Meeting!

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!

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.

"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!

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.