KC Horror Book Club May 2014 Meeting

DOUBLE FEATURE!

High Octane Damnation & Burden Kansas

By Brett Williams & Alan Ryker (respectively)

Details:
Date and Time: May 11, 2013 (Sunday) from noon to 1:30.
Location: The Green Room Burgers and Beer
Address: 4010 Pennsylvania Avenue, Suite D, Kansas City, MO.
Event Notes: 

High Octane Damnation  
By Brett Williams

"Comet Press publishes horror, suspense, and dark crime, so I was thrilled when they wanted to publish High Octane Damnation, especially since they appear to be gunning for the growing niche of hardcore horror/dark crime. High Octane Damnation certainly fits the bill, with its intense chase scenes, gut-wrenching violence, and diabolical revenge sequences. Of course no work of fiction that pays tribute to the grindhouse car flicks I grew up watching as a kid would be complete without the prerequisite sexy women thrown in for good measure. All of which adds up to a fun novella I’m sure readers will enjoy.

"If the gritty cover art revs your engine (great job, Comet Press!), them I’m sure you’ll want to uncap a cold beer and climb into the passenger seat with me, ’cause all hell is about to break loose on the road to High Octane Damnation."

-Brett Williams from his blog.


Burden Kansas
By Alan Ryker
Vampires are not sexy or sensitive. Hungry, bloody and stinking of the grave, they hunt the dry Kansas plains, taking what they want until they cross rancher Keith Harris. Keith is a damaged man who's always made the hard decisions others couldn't. As the two forces battle for survival, the lines between man and monster begin to blur. How much of a community's burden of sin can one man take on before becoming a monster himself? With Burden Kansas, Alan Ryker provides a contemporary novella of vampire horror written in the minimal voice of the western. Burden Kansas is more entertaining, disturbing and thought-provoking than you thought a vampire western could be.
-Sucker Punch Press.

Event description and write up by Earline Beebe.

Check the Facebook Event Page for more information.

Please contact Earline Beebe for more information on the Facebook event page.
Image from: SITE. Published by PUBLISHER.

Laser Rangers 2014 May Meeting

30's Serials the Way they Should Have Been

Date: May 10, 2014
Time: 4:50pm
Location: David Sooby’s home theater with 51-inch Samsung HDTV, a 5.1 Surround Sound Dolby Digital sound system, a full set of audiophile-grade speakers, and upgraded seating for about 15 people without crowding.
Captain Laser: Ken K. & Jaymes L.
Food: 30s
Costume: Diesel Punk

To learn more, please visit our Facebook Event Page.

Short features will be shown before each feature. Don't miss them!

The Rocketeer

(1991, 108 minuets) Directed by: Joe Johnston

Starring: Billy Campbell, Jennifer Connelly, Alan Arkin, Timothy Dalton, Paul Sorvino, Tiny Ron Taylor

A young pilot stumbles onto a prototype jetpack that allows him to become a high flying masked hero. -IMDB

Watch the trailer here!







~~~~~
After the first feature, please join us for a potluck dinner. Bring something to share. It can follow the theme, or be something you prefer.
~~~~~

Feature Presentation!
Sky Captain & The World of Tomorrow

(2004, 106 minuets) Directed by: Kerry Conran

Starring: Gwyneth Paltrow, Jude Law, Angelina Jolie

After New York City receives a series of attacks from giant flying robots, a reporter teams up with a pilot in search of their origin, as well as the reason for the disappearances of famous scientists around the world. -IMDB

Watch the trailer here!












The home of the Laser Rangers is located about four miles north of the Kansas Speedway, NW of the intersection of I-70 and I-435 on the Kansas side of the Greater Kansas City area.

IMAGE CREDITS: The information for all of these shows come from the invaluable IMDB. The movie posters come from Wikipedia or the movie's respected distributors. 

The movie screen frame image used for the Laser Rangers contact information is courtesy of Psychology Today Online. Many thanks to these websites!

New Officers Elected!

The KaCSFFS Public has Spoken

Logo designed by Ken Keller.

Three new officers were elected to the KaCSFFS Board of Directors at the April 2014 meeting, held April 19, 2014.

ConQuesT Chair for 2015
Kristina Hiner is still on the Board, but in a new position: she moves from Secretary to 2015 ConQuesT Convention Chair. She is currently the Vice-Chair of the 2014 ConQuesT.

Communications Officer
Jan S. Gephardt remains Communications Officer.

Earline "Cricket" Beebe

Treasurer
Our new Treasurer is Earline "Cricket" Beebe. She is a previous KaCSFFS Director, but not (as erroneously reported in the April 18 2014 blog post) a past treasurer. She has a professional background in accounting and tax analysis. She also has a long history
in fandom.  She has been president of the KC Horror Club, as well as KaCSFFS.

Keri O'Brien

Secretary 
Keri O'Brien is our new secretary.  She is a talented graphic designer who won the recent ConQuesT Logo Contest, and has been active on the ConQuesT Convention Committee for several years, as well as the Kansas City in 2016 Worldcon bid.

Ken Keller

President
Not for the first time, KaCSFFS can look forward to a new year with Ken Keller at our helm.  This is Ken's fourth time as Director/President of KaCSFFS.  He also was one of its founders, and was the chairperson of the 1976 Midamericon Worldcon in Kansas City. Ken has been a fixture in SF fandom for decades.  He also is a graphic designer, publisher, and connoisseur of fannish collectibles.

IMAGE CREDITS: Many thanks to Keith Stokes's Midamericon Fan Photo Archive for the images of Earline (at Lonstarcon, the Texas Worldcon) and Ken (at the 2007 ConQuesT). The image of Keri is her Facebook profile photo.  Thanks, Keri! 

Three Contested Elections April 19!

Don't Miss the April Meeting!

What: Annual KaCSFFS Officer Elections Meeting
Where: The Writers Place,

3607 Pennsylvania Ave., Kansas City, MO 64111

When: April 19, 2014

Board of Directors Meeting: 5:30 p.m. (open to all members)

Monthly Business Meeting: 7:00 p.m.

It's been a while since we had this many contested elections! Unfortunately, the Communications Officer was moving a household from California to Texas and Kansas City when she otherwise would have been posting an Absentee Ballot, and I apologize!

Thus, the ONLY way to vote is to come in person, and be a dues-paid member!

You still may pay for your membership in person at the meeting, or you may purchase your membership online, using the button at right.  Current President Ty Gephardt will be there with pre-printed membership cards for those who have already paid their membership fees in time to get on the Treasurer's list. He also will have blank cards to fill out, and the laminating machine at the meeting.

And the Nominees Are . . . 

For President of KaCSFFS, April 2014-April 2015: 

Ty Gephardt*, incumbent since 2013

Ken Keller, challenger (founder and previously a Director [when it was called that])

For Secretary of KaCSFFS, April 2014-April 2015:

Ty Gephardt*

Keri O'Brien

*Please note the Bylaws specifically prohibit a person from holding more than one office on the Board of Directors at the same time.  If Ty is elected to one office, he must remove himself from the race for the other office.

For Treasurer of KaCSFFS, April 2014-April 2015:

Cindy Norton, incumbent since 2009

Earline "Cricket" Beebe, (also previously a Treasurer)  

Two other nominees are running unopposed:

For Communications Officer of KaCSFFS, April 2014-April 2015:

Jan S. Gephardt, incumbent since 2011

For Chairperson of ConQuesT 46 (the 2015 convention), to serve on the Board of Directors April 2014-April 2015:

Kristina Hiner, currently vice-chair of the 2014 convention. 

Members, the fate of KaCSFFS is in your hands!

Come vote on Saturday!

KC Horror Book Club April 2014 Meeting

The Terror

By Dan Simmons

Details:
Date and Time: April 13, 2013 (Sunday) from noon to 1:30.
Location: The Green Room Burgers and Beer
Address: 4010 Pennsylvania Avenue, Suite D, Kansas City, MO.
Event Notes: 

Come and discuss The Terror and grab some food too.

The men on board HMS Terror have every expectation of triumph. As part of the 1845 Franklin Expedition, the first steam-powered vessels ever to search for the legendary Northwest Passage, they are as scientifically supported an enterprise as has ever set forth. As they enter a second summer in the Arctic Circle without a thaw, though, they are stranded in a nightmarish landscape of encroaching ice and darkness. Endlessly cold, with diminishing rations, 126 men fight to survive with poisonous food, a dwindling supply of coal, and ships buckling in the grip of crushing ice. But their real enemy is far more terrifying. There is something out there in the frigid darkness: an unseen predator stalking their ship, a monstrous terror constantly clawing to get in.When the expedition's leader, Sir John Franklin, meets a terrible death, Captain Francis Crozier takes command and leads his surviving crewmen on a last, desperate attempt to flee south across the ice. With them travels an Inuit woman who cannot speak and who may be the key to survival, or the harbinger of their deaths. But as another winter approaches, as scurvy and starvation grow more terrible, and as the terror on the ice stalks them southward, Crozier and his men begin to fear that there is no escape. The Terror swells with the heart-stopping suspense and heroic adventure that have won Dan Simmons praise as "a writer who not only makes big promises but keeps them" (Seattle Post-Intelligencer). With a haunting and constantly surprising story based on actual historical events, The Terror is a novel that will chill you to your core.

-Little, Brown and Company & Earline Beebe

Check the Facebook Event Page for more information.

Please contact Earline Beebe for more information on the Facebook event page.
Image from: SITE. Published by Little, Brown and Company.

Laser Rangers 2014 April Meeting (Part 2)

Game of Thrones: Season 3 (Part 2)

Date: April 26, 2014
Time: 4:50pm
Location: David Sooby’s home theater with 51-inch Samsung HDTV, a 5.1 Surround Sound Dolby Digital sound system, a full set of audiophile-grade speakers, and upgraded seating for about 15 people without crowding.
Captain Laser: Ken K.
Food: See Inn at the Crossroads for ideas. (Also, Sausages, hot dogs, bratwursts, franks, etc.)  
Costume: Dark Ages

To learn more, please visit our Facebook Event Page.

Short features will be shown before each feature. Don't miss them!

Episodes 6-8

(2013,) Directed by: Alik Sakharov (ep6), Michelle MacLaren (ep7 & 8)

Starring: See the whole list here

Wait for Ken's Update-SITE
Watch the Episode 6 Recap!
Watch the Episode 7 Recap!
Watch the Episode 8 Recap!

~~~~~
During our break, please join us for a potluck dinner. Bring something to share. It can follow the theme, or be something you prefer.
~~~~~


Episodes 9 & 10

(2013) Directed by: David Nutter (ep9 & 9),

Starring: Starring: See the whole list here

Wait for Ken's Update-SITE

Watch the Episode 9 Recap!
Watch the Episode 10 Recap!




The home of the Laser Rangers is located about four miles north of the Kansas Speedway, NW of the intersection of I-70 and I-435 on the Kansas side of the Greater Kansas City area.

IMAGE CREDITS: The information for all of these shows come from the invaluable IMDB. The movie posters come from Wikipedia or the movie's respected distributors. 

The movie screen frame image used for the Laser Rangers contact information is courtesy of Psychology Today Online. Many thanks to these websites!

Laser Rangers 2014 April Meeting

Game of Thrones: Season 3 (Part 1)

Date: April 12, 2014
EARLIER Time: 3:45pm (Start at 4pm)
Location: David Sooby’s home theater with 51-inch Samsung HDTV, a 5.1 Surround Sound Dolby Digital sound system, a full set of audiophile-grade speakers, and upgraded seating for about 15 people without crowding.
Captain Laser: Ken K.
Food: See Inn at the Crossroads for ideas.
Costume: Dark Ages

To learn more, please visit our Facebook Event Page.

Short features will be shown before each feature. Don't miss them!

Episodes 1-3

(2013,) Directed by: Daniel Minahan (ep. 1), Daniel Minahan (ep. 2), David Benioff (ep. 3)

Starring: See the whole list here

Wait for Ken's Update-SITE
Watch the Episode 1 Recap!
Watch the Episode 2 Recap!
Watch the Episode 3 Recap!

~~~~~
During our break, please join us for a potluck dinner. Bring something to share. It can follow the theme, or be something you prefer.
~~~~~

Episodes 4 & 5

(2013) Directed by: Alex Graves (ep. 4 & 5)

Starring: Starring: See the whole list here

Wait for Ken's Update-SITE

Watch the Episode 4 Recap!
Watch the Episode 5 Recap!



The home of the Laser Rangers is located about four miles north of the Kansas Speedway, NW of the intersection of I-70 and I-435 on the Kansas side of the Greater Kansas City area.

IMAGE CREDITS: The information for all of these shows come from the invaluable IMDB. The movie posters come from Wikipedia or the movie's respected distributors. 

The movie screen frame image used for the Laser Rangers contact information is courtesy of Psychology Today Online. Many thanks to these websites!

Extremely important meeting March 22 2014!!

The March Meeting is Massive!  
Please note that this post has been updated from the version first published (nominations).

The meeting will be held at our usual venue!

What:
March KaCSFFS Meeting
Where:

The Writers Place, 

3607 Pennsylvania Ave.

Kansas City, MO 64111

When: 
Saturday, March 22, 2014
Open Board meeting: 5:30 p.m.
KaCSFFS Business meeting: 7:00 p.m.

March is massive for two big reasons:
1. Dues are Due!
This is the month when all memberships come up for renewal. Only dues-paid members can vote or run for office, so for your nomination to be valid or your vote to count, you have to be a current, dues-paid member!

Membership-processing in 2013: D.J. Bailey & Cindy Norton

If you wish to chair a department for the ConQuesT annual Science Fiction Convention, you also must be a dues-paid KaCSFFS member, as well as a member of the convention.

KaCSFFS members with current membership cards are also entitled to valuable discounts at several fine Kansas City-area merchants. Watch for an upcoming announcement of a new Page tab that will describe currently-offered member discounts!

Annual membership dues are $25 per person, when paid via check or cash, and $27 (includes a processing fee) when paid via PayPal, which will take a credit card.  The online option is immediately accessible at right in the sidebar.  Pay with cash or check (payable to KaCSFFS) in person at the meeting, or mail your check to:

KaCSFFS 

P.O. Box 34413

North Kansas City, MO 64116

2. Nominate NOW!
The only person who can nominate you is you!  Only one current BoD member has announced the intention to self-nominate to continue serving in her current office. All KaCSFFS Board of Directors positions are open for change or renewal, so we need one or more self-nominations for all positions.  Please consider whether you would like to serve in any of these positions:
President:
No self-nominations yet.
Secretary:
Keri O'Brien
Treasurer:
No self-nominations yet.
Communications Officer:
Jan S. Gephardt
ConQuesT Chair (2015 convention):
Kristina Hiner

Please note that the KaCSFFS BoD also is seeking a person willing to be appointed to the responsible-but-non-voting position of Registered Agent.

WHAT DO THEY DO? 
For a listing of the responsibilities that come with each office, please go the the KAXFEN Yahoo Group (available to all dues-paid members), access the Files tab, and open the 2012 Bylaws to Article III-Board of Directors.

Plan now to attend the April Meeting!
All current, dues-paid members are eligible to vote ONCE for their choice of Board nominees in contested positions.  Vote either in person at the April meeting, or in advance of the April meeting by mail for contested positions. Once we have a slate of nominees, we will update the Absentee Ballot form on this blog's Absentee Ballot Page (see link at right) to reflect any current, contested election.

Please note that the April meeting is once again on our regular day, the third Saturday of the month (in this case April 19, 2014), BoD at 5:30, full club at 7:00 p.m.

IMAGE CREDITS: The image of The Writers Place is from the Writers Place website. The photo of then-President Diana Bailey and Treasurer Cindy Norton processing memberships in 2013 is by Jan S. Gephardt, and may be used without alteration for the price of a link back and attribution.

KC Horror Book Club March 2014 Meeting

The German

By Lee Thomas

Details:
Date and Time: March 9, 2013 (Sunday) from noon to 1:30.
Location: The Green Room Burgers and Beer
Address: 4010 Pennsylvania Avenue, Suite D, Kansas City, MO.
Event Notes: 

Come and discuss The German and grab some food too.

At the height of World War II, a killer preys on the young men of a quiet Texas town. The murders are calculated, vicious, and they are just beginning. Sheriff Tom Rabbit and his men are baffled and the community he serves is terrified of the monster lurking their streets. The only clues the killer leaves behind are painted snuffboxes containing notes written in German. As the panic builds all eyes turn toward a quiet man with secrets of his own.

Ernst Lang fled Germany in 1934. Once a brute, a soldier, a leader of the Nazi party, he has renounced aggression and embraces a peaceful obscurity. But Lang is haunted by an impossible past. He remembers his own execution and the extremes of sex and violence that led to it. He remembers the men he led into battle, the men he seduced, and the men who betrayed him. But are these the memories of a man given a second life, or the delusions of a lunatic?

-Lethe Press & Earline Beebe

Check the Facebook Event Page for more information.

Please contact Earline Beebe for more information on the Facebook event page.
Image from: SITE. Published by Lethe Press.

Laser Rangers 2014 March Meeting

Oy-vey: A Jewish State!

Date: March 8, 2014
Time: 4:50pm
Location: David Sooby’s home theater with 51-inch Samsung HDTV, a 5.1 Surround Sound Dolby Digital sound system, a full set of audiophile-grade speakers, and upgraded seating for about 15 people without crowding.
Captain Laser: Tim K.
Food: Kosher/Mideastern
Costume: Whatever feels appropriate.

To learn more, please visit our Facebook Event Page.

Short features will be shown before each feature. Don't miss them!

The Chosen

(1981, 108 minutes) Directed by: Jeremy Kagan

Starring: Maximilian Schell, Rod Steiger, Robby Benson, Barry Miller, Hildy Brooks

In 1944, in Brooklyn, to Jewish kids become friends. One is from a very conservative family, and the other is more liberal. The issues of importance of tradition, parental expectations and the formation of Israel cause constant friction. -IMDB

Watch the trailer here!







~~~~~
After the first feature, please join us for a potluck dinner. Bring something to share. It can follow the theme, or be something you prefer.
~~~~~

Feature Presentation!
Cast a Giant Shadow

(1966, 146 minutes) Directed by: Melville Shavelson

Starring: Kirk Douglas, Senta Berger, Stathis Giallelis, James Donald, Yul Brynner, Frank Sinatra, John Wayne, Angie Dickinson, Chaim Topol, and Michael Hordern

An American Army officer is recruited by the yet to exist Israel to help them form an army. He is disturbed by this sudden appeal to his jewish roots. Each of Israel's Arab neighbors has vowed to invade the poorly prepared country as soon as partition is granted. He is made commander of the Israeli forces just before the war begins. - Written by John Vogel -IMDB

No trailer since YouTube has a lot of video clips. No spoilers all. Thanks.






The home of the Laser Rangers is located about four miles north of the Kansas Speedway, NW of the intersection of I-70 and I-435 on the Kansas side of the Greater Kansas City area.

IMAGE CREDITS: The information for all of these shows come from the invaluable IMDB. The movie posters come from Wikipedia or the movie's respected distributors. 

The movie screen frame image used for the Laser Rangers contact information is courtesy of Psychology Today Online. Many thanks to these websites!