January 19 KaCSFFS Meeting CANCELED

The January 2019 meeting of the Kansas City Science Fiction and Fantasy Society has been canceled due to adverse weather. 

We said our mournful goodbyes to The Writers Place in December. The KaCSFFS Board continues to search for a suitable new regular venue. As we moved into the "week of," questions still hung over us about where we could meet.

Time grew short, and the weather forecast for Saturday kept growing more dire. If the snow didn't get us, the temperatures were poised for a major plunge.

KaXFEN come from all over our metro area. We have members in the Northland, members in Raymore, MO, members in Independence, MO, and members in Lawrence, KS. 

We want ALL of you to stay safe and warm, out of snowdrifts, off of the black ice, and snug in a warm place. So the Board has decided to CANCEL Saturday's meeting.

Let's all hope for better weather in February.

We already have a plan for Feb. 16, 2019!

We're still looking for a venue, but the planned program is our annual look back at the best and worst of the past year in science fiction, fantasy, horror, and speculative fiction on TV. Once again our knowledgeable discussion leaders will be Carol Doms and Ken Keller. This annual review of the previous year has become a highlight. Don't miss it!

But wait! There'll be chili, too!

Yes, the February meeting will see the return of our annual Chili Cook-Off. Break out your best chili recipes, your favorite sides and/or toppers, and plan to share them. Keep watching this blog and our Facebook Page, for the latest details.

IMAGES: Many thanks to Vermont Public Radio, for the "colorful question marks" illustration; to KSHB Kansas City Channel 41 for the 7-day Weather Forecast image, featuring a 100% chance of snow on Saturday, Jan. 19; to Destination Kansas City, for the multi-county, two-state map of the Kansas City metropolitan area; and to SYFY Wire for the retro TV image.

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! 

Games and Valentine Food for February's Meeting!

What: Monthly KaCSFFS Meeting
When: Saturday, February 18, 2017
6:00-Start setting up
7:00-Brief business meeting (if needed), then play tabletop games and socialize
9:30-End of meeting
Where: The Writers Place, 3607 Pennsylvania Ave., Kansas City, MO 64111
Food Theme: Valentine-Style foods

Games, games, games
Bring your favorite tabletop games to share! SF or fantasy themes and family-friendly preferred, but if you think we'll enjoy it, bring it in! The Writers Place has tables on three different levels for a variety of playing places.

We won't have as many games as the MidAmericon II Gaming Department had, but there are a lot of tabletop games to enjoy. Bring your favorites to share Saturday!

Valentine-style foods
February has been our traditional "chocolate month," but not everyone likes (or can eat) chocolate, so think outside the box. This event also is not couples-only, so we welcome any heart-warming expression of edible love for your fellow KaXFEN!

Please bring a variety of food to share your KaXFEN love! This was our table in February 2012.

IMAGES: Many thanks to Jan S. Gephardt, who took both images. If you wish to use them, please include an attribution and a link back to this page.

Glimpses from MAC 2

Wandering around Bartle Hall at MidAmericon II . . .

Headed to Registration . . . (Bartle Hall)

Wonderful Art Deco entrance at Municipal Audidorium, near the access to parking.

The gaming area was closing down last night when I took this photo, but it's been a lively place.

IMAGES: All images were photographed by Jan S. Gephardt in Bartle Hall or the Municipal Auditorium during MidAmericon II in Kansas City, MO.

Plan ahead for Star Wars Day at MidAmericon II

MidAmeriCon II is pleased to announce that

it will be celebrating Star Wars with special guests, programming and exhibits on Friday, August 19, 2016.

MidAmeriCon II’s “Star Wars Day” will take place exactly forty years after the first MidAmeriCon hosted just the third public presentation to be made about a then-little-known upcoming movie. 

Charles Lippincott, Gary Kurtz, and
Mark Hamill in 1976.

Nine months before the May 1977 release which changed the world of cinema forever, advertising publicity supervisor Charles Lippincott presented the Worldcon members with a slide show promoting Star Wars: Episode IV, A New Hope. This was followed by a Q&A session where Charles was joined by actor Mark Hamill and producer Gary Kurtz.

MidAmeriCon II is delighted to announce that Charles Lippincott and Gary Kurtz will once more be attending a Kansas City Worldcon to talk about the Star Wars phenomenon, along with Alan Dean Foster, who ghost-wrote the original Star Wars novelization (and more recently, wrote the novelization of Star Wars: The Force Awakens).

During the afternoon of August 19, Charles, Gary, and Alan will take part in a panel and Q&A session to discuss the marketing of Star Wars. In the evening, Charles will recreate the original MidAmeriCon slide presentation and participate in a further Q&A session. There will also be an opportunity
to watch a contemporary video of the original 1976 Q&A session.

These events will provide a unique insight into the way that Star Wars was presented and talked about before it became the worldwide phenomenon we know today.

Charles Lippincott will also be re-creating the associated special exhibit which was presented in 1976 at MidAmeriCon. This will use a combination of reproductions alongside original, contemporary props and other materials associated with the film.

The Star Wars events and exhibit will be open to all MidAmeriCon II attendees, subject to room capacity. Single day memberships for Friday, August 19, are available for $70 from the MidAmeriCon II website. Full, five-day adult memberships are available for $210.

IMAGES: Many thanks to MidAmericon II for its logo and the photo of Lippincott, Kurtz, and Hamill in 1976, and to Wikimedia Commons for the image of the original movie poster by Tom Jung.

Come to Our 45th Anniversary Meeting July 16!

What: 45th Anniversary KaCSFFS Meeting

Where: The Writers Place

3607 Pennsylvania Ave., Kansas City, MO 64111

When: Saturday, July 16, 2016

6:00 Meeting Begins!

6:30 Latest time the meeting will end. Program begins!

Food Theme: Birthday Party Food!

This meeting is the 45th Anniversary of KaCSFFS! We were organized in July 1971. Help us celebrate with an awesome KaCSFFS Birthday Party! Please bring your memorabilia, photos, and stories to share. 

Meet at The Writers Place, and bring birthday party-worthy treats, snacks, and hors d'oeuvres to share. KaCSFFS will provide a cake (half chocolate, half white), as well as the usual table service, plates, napkins, etc.

Fun Fannish History Discussion
One of our Founders, Ken Keller, will lead a discussion (we're still working on lining up other "early members" to talk with him) about the history of the club, with a special emphasis on funny or interesting stories. If you have photos, memorabilia, or your own fun stories, please bring them!

A FREE Reading Opportunity for KaCSFFS Members!
In response to recent, generous offers from several authors, KaCSFFS is starting a new program for dues-paid members. These authors have authorized us to share free e-book downloads or PDFs with our dues-paid members (via the KaXFEN list). 

We will announce who is the "author of the month" on the blog and at our monthly meeting, then follow up at the following meeting with a break-out group discussion of the book and a brainstorming session for writing short reviews. The "catch" is that if you download the book, you agree to consider writing a review. 

Our first cooperating author is Keith Shaw, of iPulpFiction. The link will go live on the KaXFEN list after the July 16 meeting, and it will be available until our September 17 meeting. The extra month was needed because our August meeting happens in the middle of MidAmericon II (right here in Kansas City!), and we aren't sure how many KaXFEN will be able to attend. Keith has offered to speak with us via Skype or FaceTime at the September follow-up event (we plan to take him up on the offer!), so we'll get to interact with him, ask questions, etc.

IMAGES: Many thanks to Zazzle for the 45th “Sapphire Anniversary” heart-and-ribbon image we used for the banner, to the "Females' Corner" website for the birthday candles image, and to iPulpFiction for the use of its "beaming fiction" logo.