It's our birthday party! Saturday, 7/15/2017

What: Monthly KaCSFFS Meeting
Where: The Writers Place, 3607 Pennsylvania Ave., Kansas City, MO 64111
When: Saturday, July 15, 2017, 6:00 p.m.
Food Theme: Birthday Cake! (or bring ice cream)

It's our birthday!

The first-ever meeting of the Kansas City Science Fiction and Fantasy Society was held in July, 1971--and 46 years later we're celebrating all over again with a birthday cake bakeoff.

Can you bake a tasty birthday cake? Decorate one with creative flair? Show us your cake chops on Saturday! We'll have a short business meeting, then a cake tasting, and take votes for favorites.

Requerdos de Puerto Rico
While the votes are being tallied, Ty and Jan Gephardt will share photos and memories from the 2017 North American Science Fiction Convention (NASFiC), NorthAmeriCon '17.

It was held this year in San Juan, Puerto Rico, a bid that won because of votes cast last August at MidAmeriCon II, our own Kansas City Worldcon.

IMAGES: The "birthday cake parade" consists of cake images courtesy of Expat Living (a Singaporean birthday cake); Konditor Meister (an adult's birthday cake); and Virtual University Social Network's VU Help (the cake with twisted candles). The aerial view of the Sheraton Puerto Rico Hotel & Casino is courtesy of the hotel's website. Many thanks to all! 

Have you achieved Radiance yet? You have TWO WEEKS.

In about two weeks, it'll be too late! If you're still deciding whether to read Catherynne M. Valente's book Radiance, the July selection of the Kansas City SF & F Literati, perhaps this overview from meeting host Barnes & Noble Booksellers will help:

"Radiance is a decopunk pulp SF alt-history space opera mystery set in a Hollywood-and solar system-very different from our own, from Catherynne M. Valente, the phenomenal talent behind the New York Times bestselling The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making.

"Severin Unck's father is a famous director of Gothic romances in an alternate 1986, in which talking movies are still a daring innovation due to the patent-hoarding Edison family.

"Rebelling against her father's films of passion, intrigue, and spirits from beyond, Severin starts making documentaries, traveling through space and investigating the levitator cults of Neptune and the lawless saloons of Mars. For this is not our solar system, but one drawn from classic science fiction in which all the planets are inhabited and we travel through space on beautiful rockets. Severin is a realist in a fantastic universe.

"But her latest film, which investigates the disappearance of a diving colony on a watery Venus populated by island-sized alien creatures, will be her last. Though her crew limps home to earth and her story is preserved by the colony's last survivor, Severin will never return.

"Told using techniques from reality TV, classic film, gossip magazines, and meta-fictional narrative, Radiance is a solar system-spanning story of love, exploration, family, loss, quantum physics, and silent film."

Several copies of each month's selection are normally available through the Johnson County Library or Mid-Continent Public Library. It's also available from meeting host Barnes & Noble Booksellers, Amazon, and Kansas City's own Rainy Day Books.

The meeting will be held on the second floor of the Oak Park Barnes & Noble Booksellers in Overland Park, KS, at 7:00 p.m. the evening of Monday, July 24, 2017. Everyone is welcome to come, even if they haven't read the book.

IMAGE: Many thanks to Amazon.com for the cover image.

Laser Rangers 2017 July Meeting

Laser Rangers Brothers and Blu-Ray Bailey presents
"The Greatest Shows On Earth"
or
"Lions, Acrobats, and Clowns, Oh My!"

July 8, 2017: July 8, 2017
4:30: 4:15pm
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: Tracy M.
Food: Carnival
Costume: Carnival

To learn more, please visit our Facebook Event Page.

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

Water for Elephants

(2011, 120 minutes) Directed by: Francis Lawrence

Starring: Reese Witherspoon, Robert Pattinson, Christoph Waltz, Hal Holbrook

Set in the 1930s, a former veterinary student takes a job in a traveling circus and falls in love with the ringmaster's wife. -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!
Cirque du Soleil: Worlds Away

(2012, 91 minutes) Directed by: Andrew Adamson

Starring: Erica Linz, Igor Zaripov, Gareth Hopkins, Lutz Halbhubner, John Clarke, and many more!

Mia, a young woman in a small American Midwestern town, goes to a traveling carnival one evening, where she is urged by a silent clown to visit the carnival's circus and see the Aerialist, the show's star attraction. She is entranced by the Aerialist, but during his act he misses a catch and falls to the ground. She rushes to help him, but then the ground beneath them gives way and they fall into the dreamlike world of Cirque du Soleil. Separated, they travel through the different tent worlds trying to find each other, interacting with the strange and wonderful performers and performances of Cirque du Soleil. -Wikipedia

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!

It would sort of make sense

Beware! It's Fannish Friday . . . 

IMAGE: Many thanks to ETS only for this image.

Radiant idea: Why not order or reserve it now?

The next Kansas City SF&F Literati meeting will be July 24, 2017. That gives you four weeks to round up a copy of the July selection, Catherynne M. Valente's book Radiance, and read it.

Several copies of each month's selection are normally available through the Johnson County Library or Mid-Continent Public Library. It's also available from meeting host Barnes & Noble Booksellers, Amazon, and Kansas City's own Rainy Day Books.

The Barnes & Noble overview describes the novel as "a decopunk pulp SF alt-history space opera mystery set in a Hollywood-and solar system-very different from our own."

Kirkus Reviews listed it as a starred review. "...descriptions are lush and striking, her worlds reveling in the dreamiest of nods to classic science fiction, where alien planets are full of life and easily reachable... A heady, strange, and beautifully written novel about how stories give form to worlds."

The meeting will be held on the second floor of the Oak Park Barnes & Noble Booksellers in Overland Park, KS, at 7:00 p.m. the evening of Monday, July 24, 2017. Everyone is welcome to come, even if they haven't read the book.

IMAGE: Many thanks to Amazon.com for the cover image.

Remember: SF&F Literati meet Monday, June 26!

Date: Monday, June 26, 2017, at 7:00 p.m.
Title: Last Call at the Nightshade Lounge
Author: Paul Krueger
Available from: Fine Booksellers, including Barnes & Noble
Meeting Location: Barnes & Noble #2352, 2nd Floor, 11323 W. 95th Street, Overland Park, KS 66214

NOTE: All are welcome to the meeting, whether you’ve read the book or not.

The June selection stirs up a potent brew of troubles for a freshly-graduated millennial who's taken a bartending job that lands her among a secret society of bartenders who fight demons with alcohol-magic.

What do reviewers say about Paul Krueger's debut novel?

“Krueger’s enjoyable light contemporary fantasy novel will satisfy fans of bars and bartenders…the winning main characters and the occasional histories of the drinks provide plenty of fun.”—Publishers Weekly 

“…one of the most fun urban fantasies that I have ever read, with a sharp, kick-ass heroine who faces demons, a pushy mom, a possibly unrequited love interest and a plot to take over the world. You know you should be reading this with a tall, cool glass of your favorite libation close at hand.” –San Diego Union Tribune

“The main character makes this book great, as the voice and insight are believable and fun. This book will appeal to a wide range of sf fans as the rest of the cast is believable and the hidden world of tremens (demonlike creatures) is great.”—Booklist

IMAGE: Many thanks to Amazon.com for the Last Call cover image.

Enjoy them while they're small:

Happy Fathers Day from KaCSFFS! 

IMAGE: Many thanks to ETS Only for this image.

It's picnic time! Saturday June 17, 2017

When: Saturday, June 17, 2017--Setup begins at 5:30 p.m.; plan to eat 6:30-7:00 p.m.
Where: The Writers Place, 3607 Pennsylvania Avenue, Kansas City, MO 64111
Bring: Beverage of your choice, plus a side dish to share (members can sign up on the KaXFEN email list!)

It's the Annual KaCSFFS Picnic
Our traditional evening of gathering to share food, play tabletop games and eat or distribute all the ConQuesT Con Suite leftovers while they're still fresh is upon us!

Join us for an indoor-outdoor event that accommodates all abilities and respiratory capabilities. KaCSFFS provides hotdogs, hamburgers, veggie burgers, condiments, ConQuesT Con Suite leftovers, and table service. Please bring your own beverages and a side dish to share (there's a sign-up on the KaXFEN email list for members).

But WAIT! There's more!
Reviewers' Reading Circle Summer Selection

We'll kick off our new summer Reviewers' Reading Circle selection, Stupid Humans, by V. R. Craft. This is the program's first humorous selection.

What's it about? "What if all the intelligent humans abandoned Earth... and we're what's left? Samantha is a journalist who travels through the wormhole to New Atlantis and discovers that embarrassing reality when she meets the People, humanity's more intelligent--and smugly superior--distant relatives. Unfortunately, thanks to humanity's penchant for fighting, a Human/People conflict is brewing. She could almost forget she's not on Earth, except the People have tails and don't slap idiot warning labels on everything . . . "

KaCSFFS' Reviewers' Reading Circle program offers free downloadable copies of current books by lesser-known and emerging authors, available to dues-paid KaCSFFS members via links provided through the email KaXFEN list. Members may download the selection as a review copy during the two-month period following the first announcement. Read some or all of it, and if you choose, write a short review.

At the July 15, 2017 meeting, we'll have a live author interview with V. R. Craft via Skype or FaceTime, to discuss the book and answer questions. The selection will remain available through our August meeting.

KantCon presentation

There also will be a presentation about KantCon, the annual gaming convention, to be held July 14-16, 2017, in Overland Park, KS. It features lots of different gaming possibilities and a costume contest.

For more information, please come to our presentation at the meeting! You can also learn more at their website. Get some fun glimpses of their events at the KantCon gallery.

Dare we mention it? Membership cards!
As promised, new, 2017-18 KaCSFFS membership cards will be available for all dues-paid members, on a laminate-while-you-wait basis. Show your card for a discount at Prospero's Books!

IMAGES: The "KaCSFFS Picnic" header was made for this event by Jan S. Gephardt, based on a photo taken in 2015 by Jan S. Gephardt. The Stupid Humans header is from V. R. Craft's Stellar Sarcasm website, the Stupid Humans book cover image is from Amazon, and the KantCon header and gaming dragon logo are from their website. Many thanks to all!

Not quite last call yet: you have TWO WEEKS!

Have you started Paul Kreuger's Last Call at the Nightshade Lounge yet? Still considering whether to read it or not? It's the June featured selection for the Kansas City SF & F Literati.

They'll meet to discuss it in about two weeks, on Monday, June 26, 2017, at 7:00 p.m. on the 2nd floor of the Oak Park Barnes & Noble Booksellers in Overland Park, KS.

What's the book about? The website of location host Barnes & Noble offers this overview:

"In this sharp and funny urban fantasy novel, booze is magic, demons are real, and millennial Bailey Chen joins a band of monster-fighting Chicago bartenders instead of finding a 'real' post-college job.

"Bailey Chen is fresh out of college with all the usual new-adult demons: no cash, no job offers, and an awkward relationship with Zane, the old friend she kinda-sorta hooked up with during high school.

"But when Zane introduces Bailey to his monster-fighting bartender friends, her demons become a lot more literal. It turns out that evil creatures stalk the city streets after hours, and they can be hunted only with the help of magically mixed cocktails: vodka grants super-strength, whiskey offers the power of telekinesis, and rum lets its drinker fire blasts of elemental energy. But will all these powers be enough for Bailey to halt a mysterious rash of gruesome deaths? And what will she do when the safety of a 'real world' job beckons?

"Perfect for fans of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World, and grown-up readers of Harry Potter. Includes 14 recipes from a book of ancient cocktail lore."

A limited number of copies are available through the Johnson County Library or Mid-Continent Public Library. It's also available from meeting host Barnes & Noble Booksellers,  Amazon, or our local Kansas City bookseller, Rainy Day Books.

IMAGE: Many thanks to Amazon for this book cover image.

Picnic in the park with . . . ?

Beware! It's Fannish Friday . . . 

IMAGE: Many thanks to ETS Only for this image.