Annual Thanksgiving Feast set for November 21

What: KaCSFFS Thanksgiving Meeting

Where: The WritersPlace

3607 Pennsylvania Ave., Kansas City, MO 64111

When: Saturday, November 21, 2015

5:30 Board of Directors—open meeting

6:00 Doors open for setup and pre-meeting socializing.
6:30 Let the feasting begin!

Setting up tables and finding spots to sit.

Fandom meets Tradition

Over the decades the potluck KaCSFFS Thanksgiving Meeting has become one of the best-attended meetings of the year. (What can we say? SF fen love to eat!).

We all contribute to the meal.

Bring a salad, side, or dessert (there's a sign-up message on the KaCSFFS Google Group), and beverage of your choice. KaCSFFS provides turkey, as well as tableware, plates, cups, napkins, etc.

Let the feasting begin!

IMAGES: Many thanks to Ty Gephardt and Jan Gephardt for the photos from previous KaCSFFS Thanksgiving Meetings.

Creative Corner

Coming very soon! MONDAY Nov. 16!
Bryan Thomas Schmidt invites everyone to a reading and book launch for Mission: Tomorrow,inside the KU Student Union at Jayhawk Ink, 2nd Floor, 1301 Jayhawk Blvd., Lawrence, KS. 

Hugo-nominated Editor Schmidt, and authors James Gunn, Robin Wayne Bailey and Chris McKitterick will be reading selections from the new Baen hard sf anthology, and signing copies.

The event is scheduled for Monday, Nov. 16, from 5:30-7:45 p.m. Refreshments will be served. 

More News from Bryan Thomas Schmidt--and Friends

Robin Wayne Bailey

Bryan Thomas Schmidt and Robin Wayne Bailey are putting finishing touches on the anthology Little Green Men – Attack!, a humorous Science Fiction anthology for Baen Books. It will feature close encounter stories with a humorous twist and includes new stories from James Gunn, Mike Resnick, Elizabeth Moon, Esther Friesner, Selina Rosen, Seanan McGuire, Allen Steele, Jody Lynn Nye, and Kristine Kathryn Rusch, as well as Robin and Bryan and many others. It’s expected release date will be either late 2016 or early 2017.

Bryan Thomas Schmidt

Bryan Thomas Schmidt also sold a YA anthology, Decision Points, to WordFire Press publisher Kevin J. Anderson. The anthology includes new and reprint stories of science fiction, fantasy and horror that revolve around character choices.

A never-before anthologized “Ender” story by Orson Scott Card joins stories by Mike Resnick, Robert Silverberg, Steven Gould, Cory Doctorow, Lois McMaster Bujold, Jonathan Maberry, Alethea Kontis, Nnedi Okorafor, Robert J. Sawyer and KC-area writer K.D. McEntire, amongst others.

M.C. Chambers included in new Anthology

Author and KaCSFFS member M.C. Chambers has a new story in a just-released speculative fiction anthology from Hadley Rille Books, Ruins Excavation. 

It consists of 17 stories built around the theme "Women of Color Archaeologists excavate ruins across the world," and it is available as either an e-publication or as a paperback.

Her story, “Uno Por Cada,” is about an archeologist and her sister, a puppeteer, in conflict with a time-traveling slave trader.   

Mitchell Bentley, Artist and Thespian

The lovely and talented artist, our friend Mitch Bentley, has announced a new cover, plus two acting projects and an upcoming appearance in Kansas City. 

The cover art is for Posh Bytes: BeautyWorld Tales of Whimsey and Woe by C. Rose. The author has created a world wherein people wear electronic body suits that are programmable fashions - connected via web and neural implant, so one buys a new “dress” or even make-up program and they flick through their library of stuff to change what they wear or how they look. Rose bought all rights, so there will be one canvas, period. No prints.

He is in a play called Susquehanna to Freedom (not sci-fi/fantasy), written by Dr. Dorothy King, a professor at Penn State Harrisburg; she and Cathie McCormick (Mitch's wife) did the research for this together and traveled to several locations to gather information and go through archives.

John W. Jones Museum

This production is a fundraiser for the John W. Jones Museum in Elmira, NY. The story is about the underground railroad and how abolitionists and others helped slaves to freedom along the Susquehanna River. 

Mitch plays Dr. Howard Malcolm, the president of Lewisburg University (now Bucknell), in scene 5. The play is being performed in Elmira, NY. This is the 4th production of this play, which has been performed at several locations along the Susquehanna; Mitch has previously performed in two earlier production.

Mitch's 3rd full-length feature film and IMDB entry is also about to be released.The film is a comedy called Pretendagers, written and directed by Hal Cramer. He appears in the last ¼ or so of the film as the store owner, Stewart Eissen. He's not in the official trailer, but here it is: 

Mitch and KaCSFFS' own Sherri Dean are slated to be the Artist GOH and Author GOH respectively, at the KC Cosmic Expo, Feb. 13-14, 2016. Mitch's wife Cathie McCormick is the Fan GOH at this event.  

Randal Spangler Fantasy Art announces Holiday Open House

New print: "Tree of Enchantment"

Kansas City fantasy artist Randal Spangler will host his Annual Holiday Open House at his home on the first two weekends of December, on Dec. 5-6, 2015, and then again on Dec. 12-13. 

Hours for each of the Saturdays are 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., and on each of the Sundays from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Come enjoy the season with cookies, coffee, Christmas music, and a beautiful Christmas tree. 

There will be new artwork, older pieces, and some originals. You also might score some bargains among Randal's marked-down "travel worn" pieces that have been to several art fairs or Renaissance Festival booths en route to their new homes. For more information, please see his website.

New Print: "Adventures in Reading"

Ty Gephardt appears in a KC Steak Co. ad

Now airing on Time-Warner Cable channels, former KaCSFFS President and current member Ty Gephardt appears briefly in the ad "We Own the Fillet" by Kansas City Steak Company. Ty is represented by Hoffman International Model and Talent Agency of Leawood.

 

Late Updates!

Book Debut and Book-Signing, plus an additional Art Open House
The Curse of Jacob Tracy, the debut novel of Lawrence-based Holly Messinger that has been getting very positive advance reviews, becomes available for sale December 1, in bookstores and online. 

Holly will be signing copies from 2-4 p.m. December 13, 2015 at the Topeka, KS Barnes & Noble, 6130 SW 17th St., Topeka, KS.

Digital artist and jewelry designer Deb Pellicano has announced she will hold a Studio Open House and Art Sale December 13. Several prints and original jewelry will be available. Watch this blog for location and more details!

Two new elf-girl prints from Deb Pellicano

IMAGES: The cover for Mission: Tomorrow is courtesy of Bryan Thomas Schmidt. The photos of Bryan Thomas Schmidt and Robin Wayne Bailey are courtesy of the two authors, via this blog. 
The cover art for Ruins Excavation is courtesy of Hadley Rille Books. 
The cover for Posh Bytes is from Mitchell Bentley, and is used with permission from C. Rose. image of the Jones Museum is from the Elmira, NY Star-Gazette. The Pretendagers trailer is via YouTube. 

The header, "Tree of Enchantment," and "Adventures in Reading" images all are used with permission from Randal Spangler Fantasy Art.

The screen-grab of Ty's half-second of fame is courtesy of Ty Gephardt, and the "We Own The Fillet" video is via YouTube. 

The cover art for The Curse of Jacob Tracy was provided by Holly Messinger.
The two elf-girl print images were provided by Deb Pellicano.

Many thanks to all!

Laser Rangers 2015 November Meeting

Yearly Planning Session

Date: November 14, 2015
Time: 4:30pm
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: Cooperative
Food: Thanksgiving!
Costume: Formal Dining

To learn more, please visit our Facebook Event Page.

This is our planning meeting. There will only be one movie. Please stay afterwards to help us plan the next year!
 
Interstellar

(2014, 169 minutes) Directed by: Christopher Nolan

Starring: Matthew McConaughey, Anne Hathaway, Jessica Chastain, Bill Irwin, Ellen Burstyn, Michael Caine

In Earth's future, a global crop blight and second Dust Bowl are slowly rendering the planet uninhabitable. Professor Brand (Michael Caine), a brilliant NASA physicist, is working on plans to save mankind by transporting Earth's population to a new home via a wormhole. But first, Brand must send former NASA pilot Cooper (Matthew McConaughey) and a team of researchers through the wormhole and across the galaxy to find out which of three planets could be mankind's new home.-IMDB

Watch the trailer here!


~~~~~
After our first feature, please join us for a potluck dinner that will encompass our planning session for the next year. Bring something to share. It can follow the theme, or be something you prefer.
~~~~~



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!