Start gathering your treasures, and READ!

Just a couple of quick reminders: 
August is Swap-N-Shop Month.
The August KaCSFFS Meeting (set for Aug. 19, 2017) will once again feature a Swap-N-Shop event. Think of it as a community-wide garage sale for geeks.

Start collecting things to sell or swap now!

Moving to a new line of collectibles, or interested in cutting back on duplicates? Bring 'em to the meeting! You'll never find a more receptive group of potential buyers (and NO shipping costs)!

Culling your library? Box up those books! If your fellow KaXFEN don't buy them, you can donate them to the KaCSFFS Book Giveaway!

Bring games, models, art, gently-worn T-shirts, posters, geek-related hand crafts, jewelry, or anything else you think others in our tribe might enjoy.

Oh, and . . . bring along some extra cash, too. You never know when you might find unexpected treasure!

Are you reading Stupid Humans?
Take advantage of the opportunity from the Reviewers' Reading Circle, and get ready to ask reasonable questions during our live author interview with V. R. Craft, the author of the Summer Selection, Stupid Humans. 

The book is now available to members for free download as a reviewer's copy. We are featuring this book starting with the July meeting through the September meeting.

IMAGES: All the Swap-N-Shop photos on this web page are by Jan S. Gephardt, taken at the August 2015 KaCSFFS Swap-N-Shop event. The Stupid Humans book cover image is from Amazon. Many thanks to them!

SF Garage Sale at August KaCSFFS Meeting 8/15/15

What: Monthly KaCSFFS Meeting

Where: The Writers Place

3607 Pennsylvania Ave., Kansas City, MO 64111

When: Saturday, August 15, 2015

5:30 Board of Directors—open meeting

6:00 Doors open for setup and pre-meeting socializing.

7:00-9:30 The main event: Swap-N-Shop till we're all shopped out.

Food Theme: Food on a Stick!

After the sale: Please consider donating any leftover books to our Book Drive, and any other unsold genre items to our Charity Auction.

Science Fiction-Fantasy and Horror Swap-N-Shop!

We asked you last month to use this month's sale as a chance to go through your basement, attic, garage, closet, and the all the boxes of books and other items still hanging on since your last move, to collect some really GOOD STUFF that is genre-related, but that you no longer need/want/have room for. We hope your treasure-hunting has been fruitful!

We would love to see SF, Fantasy, Speculative, and/or Horror-Themed:

Books, Magazines

DVDs, VCR tapes

CDs, Audio books, Radio plays

T-shirts, ties, or other wearables

Toys, Models, Robots, Figurines

Ray-guns, light sabers, swords, etc.

Artwork, Posters, 

Games, Trading cards and collectibles

Tchotchkes of all descriptions 

Any Dues-paid member may bring their items to sell. All members and guests are welcome to come and buy. When the Writers' Place tables are all filled, you'll be on your own, so consider bringing your own portable tables. You're also on your own for easels and other vertical displays, unless you arrange to borrow Art Show panels.

How to borrow Art Show Panels: Call, text, or email Ty Gephardt, our Quartermaster (he's in your Member's Directory) by Thursday August 13, to request a pair of Art Show panels. 

Art Show Panels will be a pair of 2-ft-wide-by-six-foot-high metal grids, hinged in the middle so they fold out into a freestanding V-shape. Any seller may borrow one hinged pair (lights not included). 

If you need S-hooks, bulldog clips, or other Art Show hardware, please discuss that with Ty.

Food Theme: FOOD ON A STICK! 

Portable, low-mess, delicious treats are the order of the day at the Swap-N-Shop. Dazzle us with your versatility and yummy creativity!

IMAGES: Many thanks to Erin Underwood’s Blog “Underwords” for the photo of genre books in crates and boxes, and to the“Matt Bites” Blog for the images of food on a stick. The photos Robin Bailey's 2010 book-sales table at an earlier Swap-N-Shop event, and the example of what our Art Show panels look like are both courtesy of Jan S. Gephardt.

Advance notice! The August 15 Meeting will be a Swap-N-Shop event!

Get ready NOW for the Science Fiction-Fantasy and Horror 

Swap-N-Shop!

Here's a great excuse to get a jump on your "Fall Housecleaning!" (Of course you do that). 

Use the upcoming sale as incentive to go through your basement, attic, garage, closet, and the all the boxes of books and other items still hanging on since your last move, to collect some really GOOD STUFF that is genre-related, but that you no longer need/want/have room for. We hope your treasure-hunting is fruitful!

We would love to see SF, Fantasy, Speculative, and/or Horror-Themed:

Books, Magazines

DVDs, VCR tapes

CDs, Audio books, Radio plays

T-shirts, ties, or other wearables

Toys, Models, 

Robots, Figurines

Ray-guns, light sabers, swords, etc.

Artwork, Posters, 

Games, Trading cards and collectibles

Tchotchkes of all descriptions 

Any Dues-paid member may bring their items to sell. All members and guests are welcome to come and buy. When the Writers' Place tables are all filled, you'll be on your own, so consider bringing your own portable tables. You're also on your own for easels and other vertical displays, unless you arrange to borrow Art Show panels (see meeting post 8/9/15 for details).

After the sale: Please consider donating any leftover books to our Book Drive, and any other unsold genre items to our Charity Auction.

IMAGES: Many thanks to Erin Underwood’s Blog “Underwords” for the photo of genre books in crates. The photo Robin Bailey's 2010 book-sales table at an earlier Swap-N-Shop event is courtesy of Jan S. Gephardt. The photo of Star Trek trading cards is from eBay.

September 2013 KaCSFFS Meeting

Tonight: George R. R. Martin Program
Who: You, we hope!
What: Monthly KaCSFFS Meeting
When: BoD 5:30 p.m., General meeting 7:00 p.m. TONIGHT Sept. 21, 2013
Where: The Writers Place, 3607 Pennsylvania Ave., Kansas City, MO 64111
Why: Because it's fun and interesting! 
Food Theme: Cookies and Salad (NO broccoli; it's an exercise in futility)

GRRM in the Land of Enchantment:
Founding member Ken Keller (AKA Sir Kennos of Kayce) traveled to visit his friend George R. R. Martin in August, and we are the richer for it, tonight.  As Ken announced in a message on the KAXFEN list:

Jean Cocteau Cinema: Santa Fe's new/historic gem.

 

"I'll be presenting and narrating a photo show I shot in early August while visiting George and his wife Paris in Santa Fe, NM. I was in Santa Fe for the grand reopening of the Jean Cocteau Cinema, which George had purchased in early 2013 and then had completely refurbished.
 
"The first film shown at the theater was the classic Forbidden Planet, George's favorite science fiction film. One of the film's most famous stars was also in attendance at the theater' s sold-out first screening; many pictures were taken with this celebrity by everyone, including me.
 

George R. R. Martin

"I'll also be giving a photo tour of George's large office house, his personal working office, his astonishing collection of medieval miniatures and original art, and I'll have photos of most of his staff, too.
 

Melinda M. Snodgrass

"Concluding the show will be my and George's visit to SF writer Melinda Snodgrass' beautiful mountain vista custom home in the wilds of Santa Fe. Melinda is one of George's oldest friends and writing collaborators, having been his right-hand in the on-going (for 26 years!) Wild Cards series from Tor Books. Melinda has also worked in Hollywood on many of TV's science fiction and fantasy series, including Star Trek, The Next Generation, among others. Melinda is also a past Writer Guest of Honor here at ConQuesT."

Swap & Shop Tonight:
President Ty Gephardt has scheduled a Swap & Shop event tonight, in addition to Ken's presentation, and a general business meeting; however, we do not have an advance-list of anyone who may be bringing things to sell.  

Next Month: Halloween Costume Party!  

Photo Credits: the image of the Cocteau Cinema is from its website. The profile pic of George is from his "Not a Blog" on LiveJournal. The photo of Melinda M. Snodgrass is from her website.

An Indoor Garage Sale for All Things F&SF!

KaCSFFS Meeting Date Changed! 
Coming THIS SATURDAY!

   Due to a maintenance-related issue, our Writers Place location is not available on our usual third Saturday, so we have "traded weekends" with the Laser Rangers. 
   This means the meeting happens THIS SATURDAY, July 14.
   As usual, the General Meeting starts at 6:30 p.m. 
   There also is an open Board Meeting beginning at 5:30 p.m., at which the budget--and, we hope, bids for next year's ConQuesT hotel--will be discussed.


Summer Swap 'N' Shop

Robin Bailey sold books
at an April 2011 meeting.

   Now is the time to root through your library and collectibles: what can you part with, to make room for new things? Consider bringing SF & F-themed:

• Books
• Magazines
• Games
• Art for resale
• Music
• Collectibles
• Mugs, bowls, etc.
• Clothing
• Miscellany

Paula Murray and Corey Barber, at
the April 2011 Swap 'N' Shop

Once you've found some treasures that need new homes, remember to ALSO bring:

• Table/Display equipment (we can't count on using many of the Writers Place tables)
• Your own cash box (or whatever) and change (all transactions are between individuals)
• Bags for your customers' purchases (do you have extra plastic grocery bags to bring?)

Salad Days!

Unfortunately, no recipe came with this "T-Rex Fruit Salad"
photo, but we'd love to see you try something similar!

   The food theme for this meeting is SALADS. 

   No, don't make a face (well, maybe you could make one)! Get creative! Play with our food, and explore the wonderful range of possibilities that lie in fruit, vegetable, pasta, potato, and many other types of salads.

   We found a wide range of wonderful salad recipes at the Smitten Kitchen and Delicious Cooks websites, so you have no excuses not to bring something inspired!

   As ever, we will get competitive. We will vote on, and give recognition certificates for:

• Best-tasting salad
• Most creative (edible) salad

   One warning, though: KAXFEN DON'T EAT BROCCOLI. We know this from years of sad broccoli leftovers. So don't even try, okay??

PHOTO CREDITS: The Writers Place photo is from the Writers Place website. The two photos from the April 2011 Swap 'N' Shop were taken by Jan S. Gephardt. The T-Rex Fruit Salad photo is from the Buzz Feed website.