Balticon & Maryland SF Update

[Dale Arnold]

BSFS ANNUAL PICNIC:

Will be at the  Patapsco Valley  State Park, Hollofield Area, Shelter #: 301, 8020 Baltimore National Pike (RT 40 W), Ellicott City, MD 21043 (NO RAIN DATE) NOON to DUSK (˜ 9 PM). BSFS provides charcoal grill, beverages, ice, snacks, bring your own meat for grill and bring potluck to share if you like. (Park fee for car entry) Map and park info flyer as pdf document at https://www.bsfs.org/images/bsfs-picnic-map-2022.pdf   If you have any questions you can email me da...@bsfs.org





Balticon 57 Recorded Panels Available Now to Balticon 57 Members: (you can still join)

Was there an awesome program you want to do over at Balticon 57? Or maybe there were two at the same time and you had to choose? Or maybe you missed the entire con due to family obligations or something. You're in luck!

Our amazing Video team* has finished processing all of the recorded panels and uploaded them for your enjoyment. To access them, sign in to VirtCon HQ through your personalized link, which was emailed to you before the con, or during the con when you registered, if you were registered as a Balticon 57 member this year. (See link below for how to join the convention as a virtual member if you do not already have a Balticon 57 attending or virtual membership and how to get to the virtual con site).  All recordings will be available until July 15, 2023. Please do not share your personalized link with other people - we are still offering virtual only memberships! To log in or buy a virtual membership to Balticon 57 go to https://virtcon.balticon.org/

* In case you're wondering, the "team" is Eric "Dr. G" Fleischer, who managed to process every one of those videos by himself in less than a week (Thank you, Dr. G!)

 



Note: BSFS Building Events will open back for the June 10th BSFS and Balticon Meetings and then close the Building for the rest of June and July for the Building Upgrade Project. (Summer is always slow anyway and on-line only items and meetings that can be by Zoom continue) We will open things back up in-person as soon as possible in August.

Speculative Poetry Workshop by Zoom:
A monthly writer's workshop for SF and Fantasy and Speculative authors of poetry held every Third Thursday of each month at 7:00 PM. Near term this would mean 06/15/2023. By Zoom only (only use this zoom link for Poetry Workshop, for other zoom meetings use proper links below) at https://us06web.zoom.us/j/82344040646?pwd=eFdCQlZmL29KSVYzYUZXdE1EK3Q1UT09
Meeting ID: 823 4404 0646 Passcode: 365968



Book Club Meeting at BSFS:

Our next Book Club meeting will be held June 24, 2023 at 6:00 PM. Featured Book: Citizen of the Galaxy by Robert A. Heinlein. In-person at the BSFS annual picnic held at the Patapsico Valley State Park. No Zoom as in park and internet not available. July Book Discussion will be by Zoom only.



Film Night at BSFS: Not held till we get Building open in August.



Sunday Tabletop Role-Playing Game Event at Online:

Our next Tabletop Role-Playing Game Event is on June 25, 2023 from 1:00 PM to 5:00 PM. On Discord only at https://discord.gg/5U3s2YzPzQ To participate by Discord you do need to register for Discord if you have never done so before, but the process is fairly easy. . You are welcome if you love Tabletop RPG's. We will be running for all levels and will have premade characters available. We will run as many games as we have players to fill. For more details contact mike at bsfs dot org




Anime Social at BSFS:

The Normal next date in June we will all be at the BSFS annual picnic held at the Patapsico Valley State Park so join us there instead. Anime Social will be off in June, July and back in August due to BSFS Building upgrades. For more details email anime at bsfs dot org




Thursday Night Alphabet Soup Board Gaming at BSFS:

On hiatus till August or maybe September and then returning to a Sunday afternoon schedule. For info email matthewsands at bsfs dot org  




Balticon Planning and BSFS Business Meetings:

These meetings this month will be in-person and teleconference by Zoom. Come on down and meet in person! We encourage vaccination, and a mask but your choice. (If you have symptoms please attend by zoom) To attend by Zoom using your computer use link https://us06web.zoom.us/j/88616075406?pwd=YmF1aDhPZzVYR2NjdzBYdGZ0aStpZz09
Passcode: 930363
Meeting ID: 886 1607 5406 Or iPhone one-tap : US: +13017158592,,97614691479#,,,,*463191# or +19292056099,,97614691479#,,,,*463191# Or Telephone: Dial(for higher quality, dial a number based on your current location): US: +1 301 715 8592 US (Washington DC), +1 312 626 6799 US (Chicago), +1 929 205 6099 US (New York), +1 253 215 8782 US (Tacoma), +1 346 248 7799 US (Houston), +1 669 900 6833 US (San Jose)
Meeting ID: 886 1607 5406 Passcode: 930363
International numbers available: https://zoom.us/u/ac59gxWAiW
To attend in person see our directions page at https://www.bsfs.org/bsfsdrct.htm

The Baltimore Science Fiction Society business and discussion meeting will be held at 8:30pm on June 10, 2023. Drop on by in-person or on Zoom to share ideas, watch us warp traditional parliamentary rules, hang out etc., see above. Volunteers after the meeting can help move some stuff to clear out the areas the contractors will be upgrading in the building soon.

The Balticon 57 Review and Balticon 58 Planning Meeting next held June 10, 2023 at 7:00 PM. Drop by in-person or on Zoom and share your ideas about how to improve the next and future Balticons. (or volunteer)




Charm City Spec Reading Series in June:

The next Charm City Spec is fast upon us! Please mark your calendars and plan to gather at 6:30 pm, FridayJune 16, 2023 in the garden behind The Ivy Bookshop for a full night of brilliant speculative authors including Marianne Kirby, Tom Doyle, Vera Kurian, Sarah Avery, J. R. Dawson. Directions and info about The Ivy Bookshop at https://www.theivybookshop.com  There will be door prizes, beverages, panel Q&A and conversation with the authors, a mass signing, friends old and new!
Biographies of the authors and info about their recent activities are being posted on the Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/CharmCitySpec/




Writers Circle at BSFS:

BSFS sponsors a Writing Circle 6:30-8:30pm usually meets every secocond and fourth Thursday of the month by zoom on June 8, 2023 and June 22, 2023. Participants prefer to stay on zoom for now. This is a SF and Fantasy focused writing group. If you write check it out. This is a recurring meeting so any Writer's Circle meeting use: Join Zoom Meeting at https://zoom.us/j/91064908740?pwd=TENjZ25HenRNOHhtcHFaRlZnOGE3dz09
Meeting ID: 910 6490 8740 Passcode: 805110 (see Zoom phone numbers above for dial in at need)
For more info contact BSFSEvents at BSFS dot org

Shoreleave Media Con Returns to Hunt Valley:

The 43rd annual Shore Leave convention returns July 7 - 9, 2023 returns to the Delta Hotels Baltimore in Hunt Valley, Maryland for a con with SF TV and Movie focused con. See Trek, Galactica, Stargate, Orville actors and programming. See https://www.shore-leave.com for all the details of this great con.

Live Performance of Parable of the Sower:

The Octavia E. Butler’s novel Parable of the Sower has been adapted as a live theatrical production by
Toshi Reagon & Bernice Johnson Reagon with music & lyrics by Toshi Reagon & Bernice Johnson Reagon and will be performed at The Music Center at Strathmore, 5301 Tuckerman Lane, North Bethesda, MD 20852-3385. Performances at June 28, 2023, 8pm; June 29, 2023, 8pm; June 30, 2023, 8pm; July 1, 2023, 4pm.  Tickets $38-$98. For more information see https://www.strathmore.org/events-tickets/in-the-music-center/octavia-e-butler-s-parable-of-the-sower/





Concert from Baltimore Gamers Symphony Orchestra Online:

The full May 2023 concert by the Baltimore Gamers Symphony Orchestra is now online featuring wonderful modern orchestral music taken from video game inspiration. Yes, that is BSFS’s Maria Thompson playing center left. Check it out at: https://www.youtube.com/@BaltimoreGSO/




Balticon 57 Hall Costume Contest Winner:

Congratulations to Tanaya Shadmehr, the winner of the Balticon 57 Hall Costume Contest, for her costume “Mrs. Peacock”!  You can see her costume as picture 1 in the Baltimore Banner article which has a link just below this item.




Balticon 57 in the News:

The local news site The Baltimore Banner ran a positive story on Balticon 57 in the 5/30/2023 edition, with photos… check it out at:
https://www.thebaltimorebanner.com/culture/arts/photos-welcome-all-aliens-to-balticon-4AABAKPIOVD53B677WCCSDCHPA/