Monthly KaCSFFS Meeting Sept. 15, 2012

Don't forget your Super Suit (capes optional)!

Our guest speaker is "Captain" Jaymes
Logan of the Geekvolution website.

Who: You, we hope!
What: KaCSFFS Monthly Meeting
When: September 15, 2012, from 6:30-9:30 p.m.
Where: Our usual, The Writers Place, 3607 Pennsylvania Ave., Kansas City, MO 64111
Why: Fun with Friends and Superheroes
How: With style and gusto, of course!

Super September
The September meeting theme of superheroes is a tip o' the hat to our guest speaker, Jaymes Logan.

A notable local expert on comics and Star Trek, Logan will speak about comics, and--if you wish--also his new book, geek video, Trek, and related topics. Come pre-loaded with questions!

"Captain Logan" is one of the two masterminds (along with the indispensable Vince) behind the Geekvolution website, your source for a new video every day, forums, blogs, items for sale, a master list of Superhero movies, and much more.

Logan's book will be available
for sale on Saturday night.

Logan's new book is The Girl with Seven Names, recently published by Argosy Press. There will be copies for sale at the meeting (as well as Geekvolution T-shirts). Bring cash or checks! A book description from the Geekvolution site tells us:

“Dr. Franklin Bryce is a therapist with an unusual specialty: helping people deal with the unfathomable realities of the Multiverse. Helena Kathryn is a woman with unusual problems: multiple personalities, incredible strength, and severe amnesia.

"When a bat-winged, dimension-hopping thief steals Franklin's greatest gift - his telepathy - his life starts to unravel. Returning to the humdrum cases of normal psychotherapy holds no thrill... until Helena comes to him for help discovering her true identity.

"Unable to resist the allure of a tantalizing new case, Franklin jumps back into the many worlds of the Multiverse with Helena in tow. Standing in their way are killer robots, insane hypnotherapists, and a slew of alien adversaries. Of course, all of these are nothing compared to the greatest threat of all: Helena herself!”

If you can't attend the meeting, but still want the book, it is available from Geekvolution (please make them your first choice, since this is buying from the author himself), or from KaCSFFS friend (and home of SF&F Literati) Barnes & Noble. It also is available from Amazon.

We bet you can do better than "Human Torch"
Marshmallows, when it comes to bringing Super Food!

Food Theme
As usual, we are asking you to bring creative food offerings--this time on a "Superheroes" Theme! Ask yourself, "What would a superhero eat?" Other than "Whatever s/he wants to," might it be "Caped Cupcakes"? Perhaps "Spidey Spaghetti," or "Wonder Woman Bread"?

Scour the web, wrack your brain, and channel you inner Super Chef, to nourish BOTH our bodies and our imaginations with Super Foods!

There WILL be voting--and certificates for the best Super Foods! (Consider the gauntlet to have been thrown).

Late Note! We backed a WINNER!!
Congratulations to 2012 ConQuesT Artist Guest of Honor Ursula Vernon for her HUGO AWARD!!! She won the category "Best Graphic Story" for Digger.

PHOTO CREDITS: We are indebted to Argosy Press for the photo of Jaymes Logan. Amazon provided the cover art for The Girl with 7 Names. And we really hope that Marvel agrees our satirical use of their Human Torch image, originally created by artist Adi Granov for the cover of Fantastic Four, vol. 4, 542 (Jan. 2007 Marvel Comics), accessed from Wikipedia, is "fair use"!

The Big Week is Here: ConQuesT 43!

Annual Event Runs May 25-27, 2012

ConQuesT panel discussions address many topics.

One of the longest-running science fiction conventions in North America, Kansas City's own ConQuesT returns for a 43rd year. Pre-registrations are now closed, but memberships and day passes will be available at the door.

This year's Guests of Honor will soon arrive, along with a large group of other authors, artists, Klingons, and fans of all kinds.  ConQuesT 43 includes a large Art Show, a Masquerade, Writers Workshop and other writing events, "ConQuesT Idol" evening entertainment, the Dealers' Room, Charity Auction to benefit About SF, a special Paranormal Romance programming track and guests, and special appearances by the Klingon Assault Group.

Mass Autographing Event at ConQuesT 42, in 2011.

Also not to be missed are the ConQuesT Zombie Olympics!

Author Guests of Honor are Sharon Lee and Steve Miller, authors of the much-loved Liaden Universe books. They were recently interviewed for the "Grasping for the Wind" Blog, by Bryan Thomas Schmidt.

The 2012 Art Show is bigger than 2011.

This year's Artist Guest of Honor is Ursula Vernon, a 2012 Hugo nominee and well-known artist. She also was interviewed in depth by Schmidt. Toastmistress for 2012 is Writer, professor, and longtime fan Susan Satterfield. She also was interviewed by Schmidt, as were the Con Chairpersons. Editor Gardner Dozois and Fencon's Tim Miller also plan to attend.

Many other guests also will be making appearances. See the Guests page and scroll down for a more complete list of authors and other special guests. The Art Show page includes a list of all pre-registered artists, with website links. We also have a varied group of dealers scheduled: check the Dealers' Room page for a detailed list.

This is part of the Dealers' Room in 2011.

The convention returns to the Crown Center location where it has been for the last two years, but the hotel is under new management. The former Hyatt is now the Sheraton Crown Center. Free parking can be found near the hotel, and more convenience is available for a price. For details on parking, see the convention website.

Even for the at-the-door price, ConQuesT 43 promises to be an excellent entertainment value for anyone who enjoys science fiction, fantasy, horror, Steampunk, or other aspects of our genre.  We hope to see you there!

PHOTO CREDITS: The images of the ConQuesT panel, mass autographing, and Dealers' Room are all by Keith Stokes, from the 2011 event. They were published online in the MidAmerican Fan Photo Archive. The photo of panels in the 2011 Art Show is by Ty Gephardt.

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.

Holiday Celebration Rescued!

KCin2016 Saves Christmas!

KCin2016 a (not-a) bid for the Worldcon in 2016 will be hosting the KaCSFFS meeting at 6:30 p.m., December 17 at The Writers Place.

We will be sharing Chocolate (Belgian! yum) and Cheese (Dutch!) and regaling you with tales of our adventures in Amsterdam.

This will be primarily a social hour type meeting, BYOB. and visit with us. Non- members are welcome. Please bring items that you wish to share with others for the party. Remember to bring your own drink and ice.

Don't forget to bring non-perishable food items for the KC Food Pantry! This is the third of three food drive collections. Let's show Kansas City that KaCSFFS cares!

Special Movie Promotion with SWAG!
Sarah Martin & Caitlin Higgins, of Allied-THA, will give a short presentation, hand out promo items, and take pictures of willing members holding the promo items for the film THE DARKEST HOUR

Give ConQuesT for Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, and/or the Solstice!

ConQuesT 43 memberships are still available at a good discount, and they would be a perfect fit for anyone who loves science fiction, fantasy, Steampunk or horror.

Use the handy form at right to reserve memberships for all your phannish friends NOW! You won't want to miss it!

Our newly-announced Guests of Honor are Sharon Lee and Steve Miller, authors of the famed Liaden Universe® books. (Check out the David Mattingly animation of their cover for Ghost Ship!).

Toastmaster is our own Susan Satterfield. Editor Guest of Honor is Gardner Dozois; Artist Guest of Honor is Ursula Vernon, and Fan Guest of Honor is Tim Miller, of FenCon fame.