SF&F Literati Meet August 25, 2014

Alien Artifact
TITLE: Existence
AUTHOR: David Brin
WHERE:  
Barnes & Noble #2352 at Oak Park Mall
11393 W. 95th St., Overland Park, KS 66214
On 2nd floor by the windows.
WHEN:  
Monday, August 25, 2014, 7:00 p.m.
AVAILABLE FROM: Barnes & Nobles and other fine booksellers. 

Overview from Barnes & Noble:

Bestselling, award-winning futurist David Brin returns to globe-spanning, high concept SF with Existence.

Gerald Livingston is an orbital garbage collector. For a hundred years, people have been abandoning things in space, and someone has to clean it up. But there’ something spinning a little bit higher than he expects, something that isn’t on the decades’ old orbital maps. An hour after he grabs it and brings it in, rumors fill Earth’s infomesh about an “alien artifact.”

Thrown into the maelstrom of worldwide shared experience, the Artifact is a game-changer. A message in a bottle; an alien capsule that wants to communicate. The world reacts as humans always do: with fear and hope and selfishness and love and violence. And insatiable curiosity. 

Don't miss next month:
TITLE: Graceling
AUTHOR: Kristin Cashore
WHERE:  
Barnes & Noble #2352 at Oak Park Mall
11393 W. 95th St., Overland Park, KS 66214
On 2nd floor by the windows.
WHEN:  
Monday, September 22, 2014, 7:00 p.m.
AVAILABLE FROM: Barnes & Nobles and other fine booksellers. 

Overview from Barnes & Noble:

Kristin Cashore’s best-selling, award-winning fantasy Graceling tells the story of the vulnerable yet strong Katsa, a smart, beautiful teenager who lives in a world where selected people are given a Grace, a special talent that can be anything from dancing to swimming. Katsa’s is killing. As the king’s niece, she is forced to use her extreme skills as his thug. Along the way, Katsa must learn to decipher the true nature of her Grace . . . and how to put it to good use. A thrilling, action-packed fantasy adventure (and steamy romance!) that will resonate deeply with adolescents trying to find their way in the world.

Awards: Winner of the Mythopoeic Fantasy Award for Children's Literature, winner of the SIBA Book Award/YA, Indies Choice Book Award Honor Book, ALA Best Book for Young Adults, 2008 Publishers Weekly Best Book of the Year, 2008 School Library Journal Best Book of the Year, Amazon.com’s Best Books of 2008, 2008 Booklist Editors’ Choice, Booklist’s 2008 Top Ten First Novels for Youth, 2009 Amelia Bloomer List, BCCB 2009 Blue Ribbon List

Don’t miss the sequel Fire, also a New York Times bestseller and ALA Best Book for Young Adults, winner of the 2010 Cybil for YA Fantasy/Sci Fi and the Amelia Elizabeth Walden Award.

IMAGE CREDITS: The cover image for Existence came from MacMillan, the book's publisher. The image for Graceling came from GoodReads.

Saturday 8/16/14 Meeting to Feature an Interview and SURPRISE Food

Eat Dessert First: 
Program, then Business Meeting
What: Monthly KaCSFFS Meeting
Where: Our usual venue: The Writer's Place, 3607 Pennsylvania, Kansas, City, MO 64111.
When: Saturday, August 16, 2014
Time: Doors open 6:30 pm; Meeting starts 7:00 pm. till 9:30 or whenever
August Theme: Switch-it-Around Saturday
August Food Theme: SURPRISE Food
That is, members' choice--please surprise us--bring your favorite end-of-summer treats, snacks, and beverages to share with everyone.

Program: Member Interview Series Spotlights Ty Gephardt

Our August program will be another in President Ken Keller's series of KaCSFFS member interviews designed to introduce newer members to people in the club and to give everyone greater insights into some of their fellow kaxfen (be sure to ask questions)! This month I'll be interviewing 2nd-generation KaCSFFS member Ty Gephardt, our immediate past president, who's also the son of longtime club member and current officer Jan Gephardt.

Business Meeting:
Our monthly business meeting will follow, with Old and New business, and then by general member announcements . . . but this month with several new twists.

Communications Officer Jan Gephardt will be running the meeting, President Ken Keller will be giving the Treasurer' s report, and former President Ty Gephardt will be acting as the club's secretary.

Why you ask? Partially just to mix things up a bit (so we're not so boring and predictable).

Partially because three of the club officers aren't available to be at this month's meeting. They're busy with KC in 2016 business!

After-Party:
After the meeting, for those interested, everyone is invited to go over to nearby Sosa's 39th Street Diner for post-meeting food and discussion. Don't forget your membership card! Good for a discount at Sosa's! 

IMAGE CREDITS: The "Eat Dessert First" Cat photo is from Tobi's Pinterest Board, "Furry Friends." Many thanks to William Tienken for the photo of Ty Gephardt in a typical pose, taken in late 2012.  The logo for the Kansas City in 2016 bid is from their website.

KC Horror Book Club August 2014 Meeting

Red Moon

By Benjamin Percy

Details:
Date and Time: August 9, 2013 (Saturday) 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 Red Moon and grab some food too.

"They live among us.

"They are our neighbors, our mothers, our lovers.

"They change.

"When government agents kick down Claire Forrester's front door and murder her parents, Claire realizes just how different she is.

"Patrick Gamble was nothing special until the day he got on a plane and hours later stepped off it, the only passenger left alive, a hero.

"Chase Williams has sworn to protect the people of the United States from the menace in their midst, but he is becoming the very thing he has promised to destroy.

"So far, the threat has been controlled by laws and violence and drugs. But the night of the red moon is coming, when an unrecognizable world will emerge...and the battle for humanity will begin."

-PUBLISHERS & 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 August Meeting

Spy vs. Spy

Date: August 9, 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: Jaymes L.
Food: Spy Food
Costume: Suave

To learn more, please visit our Facebook Event Page.

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

Danger: Diabolik

(1968, 105 minuets) Directed by: Mario Bava

Starring: John Phillip Law, Marisa Mell, Michel Piccoli, and Terry-Thomas

Fey super-thief Diabolik runs around stealing jewels, gold, murdering innocent people, and being a nuisance to the government of a generic European country. -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!
Skyfall

(2012, 143 minuets) Directed by: Sam Mendes

Starring: Daniel Craig, Javier Bardem, Ralph Fiennes, Naomie Harris, Bérénice Marlohe, Albert Finney, and Judi Dench

Bond's loyalty to M is tested when her past comes back to haunt her. Whilst MI6 comes under attack, 007 must track down and destroy the threat, no matter how personal the cost. -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!

Creative Corner

Picacio's Inkpot!

Creative Corner is a monthly column in which we report on developments amongst our creative brethren who are associated with, or friends of KaCSFFS. 

In July 2014, Bryan Thomas Schmidt attended DetCon1, the National Science Fiction Convention in Detroit and the KC in 2016 party which won best party. Jeff Orth and Ruth Lichtwardt did a great job. Good to see them there.

Best Party at DetCon1 for KC in 2016!

Past ConQuest Artist GOH John Picacio won the 2014 Inkpot Award and San Diego ComicCon this week for achievement in science fiction and fantasy art. More details on his blog.

Air Capitol Comic Con 11/16

Also, two local Wichita cons are looking for authors and panelists and might be of interest: Air Capitol Comic Con, Nov. 16,  and the Emerald City Steampunk Expo, Nov. 21-23.  Those are coming up fast.

Bryan Thomas Schmidt

This convention runs the weekend of 11/21-23/14

More news is coming soon. Please send your news about attending conventions, book signings or appearances, publications or other sales, art shows, or other creative-business updates to "Creative Corner" editor Bryan Thomas Schmidt.

IMAGE CREDITS: Thanks and CONGRATULATIONS to John Picacio for the image of his Inkpot Award.  Read his fun account about receiving it on his blog.  Thanks to the KC in 2016 website for their logo and motto. The Air Capitol Comic Con image is from the convention's website opening page.  The Emerald City Steampunk Expo logo is from their website's masthead.  The photo of editor Bryan Thomas Schmidt is from his website's bio page.