A Classic "Journey" for SF & F Literati, March 23, 2015

Date: March 23, 2015-7:00 p.m.

Title: Journey to the Center of the Earth

Author: Jules Verne This author passed away in 1905, so he doesn’t have an author website; however he does have a Wikipedia page.

Publisher: This novel is a classic, first published in 1864 by Pierre Jules Hetzel

Available from: Fine booksellers, including Barnes & Noble

Meeting Location: Barnes & Noble #2352, 2^nd Floor
11323 W 95th Street, Overland Park, KS 66214

Overview from Barnes & Noble:

Journey to the Center of the Earth, by Jules Verne, is part of the Barnes & Noble Classics series, which offers quality editions at affordable prices to the student and the general reader, including new scholarship, thoughtful design, and pages of carefully crafted extras. 

Plot overview from Wikipedia:

[Journey to the Interior of the Earth is a classic 1864 science fiction novel by Jules Verne.]

The story involves German professor Otto Lidenbrock who believes there are volcanic tubes going toward the centre of the Earth. He, his nephew Axel, and their guide Hans descend into the Icelandic volcano Snæfellsjökull, encountering many adventures, including prehistoric animals and natural hazards, before eventually coming to the surface again in southern Italy, at the Stromboli volcano.

From a scientific point of view, this story has not aged quite as well as other Verne stories, since most of his ideas about what the interior of the Earth contains have since been disproved, but it still manages to captivate audiences when regarded as a classic fantasy novel.

Preview for Next Month:

April 27: The Lives of Tao by Wesley Chu
May 18: Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson

IMAGES: Many thanks to the North American Jules Verne Society, for the Journey to the Center of the earth cover image. And many thanks to Wesley Chu for the book cover art for The Lives of Tao.

March Meeting: Remember how Books went to War--and pay our Dues

What: March 2015 KaCSFFS Meeting (#515)

Where: The Writers Place

3607 Pennsylvania Ave., Kansas City, MO 64111

When: Saturday, March 21, 2015

5:30 Board of Directors meeting (open to all members)

6:00 Doors open for setup and pre-meeting socializing; this is a good time to find Cricket Beebe and pay dues. 

6:30 Short business meeting/announcements

7:00 Program begins: William McCullough on World War II's Armed Services Editions, a publishing program for GIs.

After the Program Eat, mingle, and talk (another great time to pay dues, too) till 9:30 or so. 

Time to pay our Dues!

March means annual KaCSFFS dues of $25.00 per person are due for the 2015/2016 time period. Please see KaCSFFS treasurer Earline (Cricket) Beebe with your cash or checks. Thanks!

The all-important Food and Drink:

We encourage members to bring food samplings and other treats, even beverages, for everyone to enjoy. There is no special food theme this month--just bring something to share!

Quick Business:

To start the evening, the club's monthly business meeting will include member announcements and updates for upcoming KC area events. 

Especially remember:

March is the FINAL MONTH to self-nominate for a position on the Board of Directors! Elections will be held in April.

The deadline for funding Speculations KC's Kickstarter campaign is rushing toward us rapidly--and we haven't made our goal! 

Please help support this historic KaCSFFS Press project!

Many sf titles were published among the ASEs

Saturday's program: 

A special presentation by longtime KaCSFFS member (and former ConQuesT chair) William McCullough on the unique Armed Services Editions (ASEs) of WWII. More than 1300 book titles were published exclusively for those serving in various military branches. Both fiction and non-fiction, including science fiction, fantasy, and horror, was published. William will outline the history of these unique special editions and draw the connection to the mass-market paperback revolution that followed the war. William will also have available from his large collection a table full of actual ASE's that you can look through.

Party on!

Following the meeting, please join members for post-meeting food and discussion; we now have a choice between two nearby, open-late restaurants (details at the meeting). See everyone on Saturday!

IMAGES: Many thanks to The Writers Place for the image of our meeting place. The cover simulation (not exactly how it will look) for Speculations KC is from the project's Kickstarter page. The ASE edition of The Time Machine is from a blog devoted to the book.

KC Horror Book Club March 2014 Meeting

Pretty Little Dead Girls: A Novel of Murder and Whimsy

By Mercedes M. Yardley

Details:
Date and Time: March 22, 2015 (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 and grab some food too.

"Run, Star Girl." Bryony Adams is destined to be murdered, but fortunately Fate has terrible marksmanship. In order to survive, she must run as far and as fast as she can. After arriving in Seattle, Bryony befriends a tortured musician, a market fish-thrower, and a starry-eyed hero who is secretly a serial killer bent on fulfilling Bryony’s dark destiny.

-Ragnarok Publication & Earline Beebe

Check the Facebook Event Page for more information.

Please contact Earline Beebe for more information on the Facebook event page.
Image from: Ragnarok Publication. Published by Ragnarok Publications.

KC Horror Book Club March 2014 Meeting

MOVED TO MARCH 22!!

Pretty Little Dead Girls: A Novel of Murder and Whimsy

By Mercedes M. Yardley

Details:
Date and Time: March 22, 2015 (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 and grab some food too.

"Run, Star Girl." Bryony Adams is destined to be murdered, but fortunately Fate has terrible marksmanship. In order to survive, she must run as far and as fast as she can. After arriving in Seattle, Bryony befriends a tortured musician, a market fish-thrower, and a starry-eyed hero who is secretly a serial killer bent on fulfilling Bryony’s dark destiny.

-Ragnarok Publication & Earline Beebe

Check the Facebook Event Page for more information.

Please contact Earline Beebe for more information on the Facebook event page.
Image from: Ragnarok Publication. Published by Ragnarok Publications.

Laser Rangers 2015 March Meeting

Visionary Machines

Date: March 14, 2015
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: CAPTAIN NAME
Food: Italian
Costume: Flight Suit, Leisure Suit

To learn more, please visit our Facebook Event Page.

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

Tucker: The Man and His Dream

(1988, 110 minutes) Directed by: Francis Ford Coppola

Starring: Jeff Bridges, Joan Allen, Martin Landau, Frederic Forrest, Mako, Dean Stockwell

Obsessed with cars since childhood, inventor Preston Tucker (Jeff Bridges) has his first successful auto design partnership in the 1930s and designs a successful gun turret for World War II use. With those achievements under his belt, Tucker is determined to create a futuristic car for the masses: the Tucker Torpedo. However, his dreams are challenged by Detroit's auto manufacturers, production problems and accusations of stock fraud, and he is forced to defend his dream and honesty in court.-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!
The Spirit of St. Louis

(1957, 135 minutes) Directed by: Billy Wilder

Starring: James Stewart

This lauded biopic follows legendary pilot Charles Lindbergh (James Stewart) as he makes his historic solo transatlantic flight from New York to Paris. The film details earlier events in Lindbergh's aerial career, including his stints as a stunt pilot and a flight instructor, but it focuses largely on his dangerous journey over the Atlantic Ocean in his signature monoplane, the Spirit of St. Louis. Battling the elements and sleep deprivation, Lindbergh struggles to make a safe landing in France.-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!

And the Winners Are . . . Chili Follow-up

We had a good crowd and a strong collection of contenders at this year's Chili Cookoff. We had a lot of qualified voters, and all of our contestants had supporters.

Here are the winners who emerged. Jan Gephardt gave out the certificates:

Melissa Fischer captured "Best in Show" honors.

Ron Davis--Club's Choice--had a photobomber.

Davis promptly dealt with the photobomber.

Mary C. Chambers received the "Most Creative" award.

IMAGES: All photos are by Ty Gephardt, and used with his permission.

SF & F Literati Meet February 23, 2015

Come with ideas for the next group of four selections!

Date: February 23, 2015-7:00 p.m.

Title: The Rapture of the Nerds

Author: Cory Doctorow and Charles Stross

Publisher: Tom Doherty Associates LLC

Available from: Fine booksellers, including Barnes & Noble

Meeting Location: Barnes & Noble #2352, 2^nd Floor
11323 W 95th Street, Overland Park, KS 66214

Overview from Barnes & Noble:

“Welcome to the fractured future, at the dusk of the twenty-first century.

"Earth has a population of roughly a billion hominids. For the most part, they are happy with their lot. Those who are unhappy have emigrated, joining the swarming densethinker clades that fog the inner solar system with a dust of molecular machinery so thick that it obscures the sun. 

"The splintery metaconsciousness of the solar system has largely sworn off its pre-post-human cousins dirtside, but its minds sometimes wander…and when that happens, it casually spams Earth’s networks with plans for cataclysmically disruptive technologies that emulsify whole industries, cultures, and spiritual systems. A sane species would ignore these get-evolved-quick schemes, but there’s always someone who’ll take a bite from the forbidden apple.

"So until the overminds bore of stirring Earth’s anthill, there’s Tech Jury Service: random humans, selected arbitrarily, charged with assessing dozens of new inventions and ruling on whether to let them loose. Young Huw, a technophobic, misanthropic Welshman, has been selected for the latest jury, a task he does his best to perform despite an itchy technovirus, the apathy of the proletariat, and a couple of truly awful moments on bathroom floors.

"Rapture of the Nerds is a brilliant collaboration by Cory Doctorow and Charles Stross, two of the defining personalities of post-cyberpunk science fiction."

IMAGE CREDIT: The cover image for The Rapture of the Nerds is from Amazon. 

Fight the Chill with Chili at the February Meeting 2/21/15

We dodged a Weather Bullet! The Meeting is on!

The February KaCSFFS meeting (#514) will happen! We have a full evening planned.

Chili with cornbread

What:   February 2015 KaCSFFS Meeting

Where: The Writers Place

3607 Pennsylvania Ave., Kansas City, MO 64111

When: Saturday, February 21, 2015

5:30 Open Board of Directors meeting.
6:00 Doors open for setup and pre-meeting socializing. 

6:30 Start of Annual Chili Contest

7:00 Program begins.

After the Program “Chili break” to vote and have a brief business meeting. Winners will be announced, and certificates presented, at the end of the meeting.

Annual KaCSFFS Chili Contest (+More)

Chili Mac

Cook up your favorite chili recipe and bring it to share. Our enthusiastic tasters will have a chance to enjoy a tasty winter treat, and vote for their favorites.

We also encourage everyone to bring tasty side items that compliment Chili: your favorite Cornbread. Or Macaroni & Cheese for Chili Mac? Salad or slaw? Fruit? Desserts are always in order, too!

The KaCSFFS treasury is providing Ball Park-brand all beef hot dogs, buns, and shredded cheddar cheese for Chili Dogs.

Chili Dog

KaCSFFS also will provide plastic bowls, plates, plastic-ware, napkins and paper towels from our stash of party supplies.

Enjoy a Dramatic Reading for our Program
Saturday's program: Twice-past SFWFA president Robin Wayne Bailey will give a dramatic reading of his latest science fiction short story, "Tombaugh Station."

Robin Wayne Bailey gives a dramatic reading in 2013

It will be published this fall in Bryan Thomas Schmidt's latest original short stories anthology Mission: Tomorrow, from Baen Books.

Business Meeting 

After Robin's reading, there will be a "chili break," voting, and then the club's monthly business meeting. 

Remember:

February is the first month for Board of Directors self-nominations. The only person who can nominate you is yourself. So step right up!

Other business:

Member announcements

KC area events updates,

Presentation of Chili Certificates!

IMAGES: Many thanks to The Heritage Cook for the image of chili with cornbread, to WikiHow for the chili mac photo, and to SheKnows for the chili dog image. The photo of Robin W. Bailey doing a dramatic reading is from a Facebook album of an event at Prospero's Books in 2013.