Caution! Deadlines are closer than they appear!

Here's a friendly reminder from ConQuesT, our friendly regional science fiction convention:

If you have made the intelligent decision to attend ConQuesT 47, Kansas City's longest-running regional science fiction convention on Memorial Day Weekend, then you should note several deadlines are fast approaching!

You'll thank yourself in May, for acting on these deadlines now!

IMAGES: Many thanks to Prep Scholar for the "warning" sign, and to ConQuesT for the "ConQuesT Prime" header and the deadline schedule.

ConQuesT 45

Join us in Kansas City, May 23-25, 2014
ConQuesT 45 marks another milestone for one of the longest-running sf conventions in the U.S.  Come to Kansas City in May to see why we've remained strong for so long!

We have a great Hotel!
ConQuesT 45 is moving to a new hotel, the Kansas City Marriott Downtown.  We chose this site for its excellent facilities, adequate size, and reasonable price.  We believe our members will enjoy this jewel of the Kansas City downtown.

The special ConQuesT room rate includes bookings from May 22-26, 2014. Get all the details on our website!


We have great Guests coming!

Glen Cook

Our Guest of Honor lineup promises to be a strong group: A beloved veteran writer, a gifted actor/entertainer, an award-winning artist, and a pair of devoted fans who have left an indelible mark on the wardrobes of sf/fantasy fans everywhere.

Read more about them on our Guests page.

Author GoH Glen Cook is best known for for his The Black Company fantasy series, Garrett P.I. series, and Dread Empire series.

Tadao Tomomatsu

Toastmaster Tadao Tomomatsu was such an awesome Fan Guest at ConQuesT 42, we jumped at the opportunity to invite him back as TM! Tadao is a talented actor, comedian, and entertainer. You might remember him as Mr. Shake-Hands Man, or as a detective in the Heroes episode "Don't Look Back."

Artist Guest David Lee Pancake has been delighting art lovers at the ConQuesT Art Show for several years, so we were delighted when he accepted our invitation to be our Artist Guest. Best known for resin sculptures that feature amazing detail and textures, and for unique jewelry designs, we think you'll find the man behind the artwork equally interesting.

 

 

 

 

 

 

L-ctr: Sculptural artworks Thorn and Splinter by David Lee Pancake (pictured at R)

Ray and Barb VanTilburg

Many of our readers probably own T-shirts produced by our Fan Guests, Raymond and Barbara VanTilburg. They've been creating some of fandom's favorite shirts since 1990, and distributing them through their company OffWorld Designs. 

There's way more to Ray and Barb than T-shirts, however.  Enjoy getting to meet "the rest of them" at ConQuesT 45! 

We have Great Get-Yours-Now Membership Rates!
Regular Adult Memberships are only $30, now through Dec. 31.  Only $25 with a Military I.D., and $15 for children ages 6-12. Order online now!

IMAGE CREDITS: All photos except the two sculptures by David Lee Pancake are from the ConQuesT website.  The images of "Thorn" and "Splinter" are courtesy of David Lee Pancake, and available for sale via his online store. They were originally released for use on the ConQuesT Art Show Facebook page, when Pancake was the featured Artist of the Week.

ConQuesT 44 runs May 24-26, 2013!

We hope you're in Kansas City Today!

ConQuesT 44, one of the longest-running general science fiction conventions in the United States, starts today at the Holiday Inn Express CoCo Key Resort in Kansas City, MO.  
The convention runs May 24-26, 2013.
Author GoH is Patrick Rothfuss
Fan GoH is Chris Garcia
Toastmistress is Patricia Wrede
Artist GoH is John Picacio
Editor GoH is Teresa Neilsen Hayden
Comics GoH is John Kovalic

ConQuesT also is blessed with a large group of additional guests and panelists who are well known in the fields of writing, art, music, science, and many other areas of expertise, including George R.R. Martin, Robin Wayne Bailey, Mitchell Bentley, Dell Harris, Lee Killough, Selina Rosen, and many others (scroll to the bottom of the Guests page for a partial listing).  

ConQuesT also has an excellent Art Show, Dealers Room, a respected Writers Workshop, and an annual Masquerade, as well as many other popular events.

If you have access to Facebook, please post images from this year's ConQuesT that you'd like to share, on our KaCSFFS Page.  More information about ConQuesT 44 and the ConQuesT Art Show also are available on Facebook.

IMAGE: is this year's ConQuesT 44 logo, courtesy of the ConQuesT website.

KaCSFFS Meeting Today!

Unusual FOURTH-Saturday KaCSFFS Meeting set for April 27, 2013:

The Writers Place

What time:  

Open Board Meeting: 5:30 p.m.

General Meeting: 6:30 p.m.

Where: 

The Writers Place,  3607 Pennsylvania Ave., Kansas City, MO 6411

What's going on there:

Joining KaCSFFS, Buying ConQuesT Memberships, Eating, Socializing, and, most importantly, VOTING!

Have you cast your vote yet?

What will the voters say?
Absentee voting has been completed, but the main, in-person election has yet to be held. You must be a current dues-paid member to vote. Current, dues-paid members are those whose membership is good through March 2014.

For full details on the nominees, please review the earlier post, "We have a Contested Election!"

Time is also running out to reserve a ConQuesT 44 hotel room!

Holiday Inn Express CoCo Key Hotel/Resort.

There are still a few rooms left in the ConQuesT hotel block, book now before the discount rate of $85/night expires on May 1st. Make sure to enter the event group code SFS when booking to lock in the ConQuesT room rate. It's very likely there may not be room availability after the deadline due to Royals games happening right across I-70 in the Truman Sports Complex.

PHOTO CREDITS: The image of The Writers Place is from their website. The ballot box graphic is from 'The Nev Filter" blog. The photo of the Holiday Inn Express CoCo Key, where ConQuesT 44 will be held, is from the hotel's website.