Hi Everyone,
I hope you've been enjoying your summer. We've been having a bit of fun around here (rearranging the rare book section, moving some shelves around and so on) and I've been getting a chance to do some work around the house. For me it's mostly been paint prep, which I don't enjoy very much. My place hasn't been very much maintained since it was built in 1923 and so there has been a lot of work to do. But, it's not at all as bad as the store was when we moved in (not to mention, my place is much smaller than the shop), so I should not be complaining.
We're getting ready to swing into the Fall and the start of the school year. That doesn't affect things at the bookstore much but, in the cafe, it means a complete schedule overhaul. Thankfully that's more Z'ev's problem than mine. I'm very lucky in the folks who work with me.
Going over the schedule at the cafe has made it clear that we need some more staff there. We've two staffers leaving for college and so, we're hiring. If any of you know anyone who might be interested in an exciting (or, at the very least, interesting) job at the cafe, please ask them to get in touch. Scheduling is pretty well suited to someone in school. That includes high-school students, who we're quite happy to work with. Plus, no experience is needed.
The final advantage of working in the cafe -- the cafe staff are the first people we turn to when we're looking for bookstore staff. So it's a great way to get into working at the bookstore. Interested parties should send me a cover letter and resume to abeatts@borderlands-books.com.
Other than that, we're getting ready for the Fall and we've got some very neat events planned for the later part of the year. We're also working on the event schedule for next year. I know it might be a little premature but, based on what I've been hearing from you all and how well things went this year, I feel pretty confident that we'll make our sponsorship goals for 2017. So, we might as well start the planning now for the fun and games -- right now here are some of the things we're thinking about: a scavenger hunt at the store (including the creepy, creepy basement), tours of both the SF Center for the Book <https://www.sfcb.org> and The Arion Press <http://www.arionpress.com>, a sing-along showing of Buffy, The Musical, a roller skating trip to The Church of Eight Wheels <http://www.churchof8wheels.com>, and much more interesting stuff.
Have a good August and I'll look forward to seeing you around the shop!
All Best,
Alan
Upcoming Events:
The Sgian Dubh Version
1) Don Herron is offering our sponsors a mashup of his famous literary Dashiell Hammett and Fritz Leiber walking tours for the reduced rate of $10 per person on Sunday, August 28th at 1:00pm. Guests are welcome and pre-payment will be necessary; please RSVP as soon as you can. http://www.donherron.com/the-tour/
2) Game Night at the Cafe, Sunday, September 25th from 7 pm to 10 pm - Join fellow sponsors & "game" staff for chess, Cards Against Humanity, Scrabble, Pictionary, or whatever other board games you'd like to bring to play! Guests are very welcome.
3) We're having a BBQ potluck at Golden Gate Park on Saturday, October 22nd from Noon to 4 pm. This is at table #17, Lindley Meadow. Guests are welcome and, per Rec and Parks, no glass bottles please.
4) Whisky Tasting with Mary Robinette Kowal, November, day and time to be determined. We unfortunately cannot allow guests for this event. This was delayed a bit because Mary Robinette's book and tour were delayed by the publisher.
5) The Fall Sponsor Social, last one for the year, will take place on November 12th from 7 pm to 11 pm.
6) Tour of The Long Now Foundation, early December, day and time to be determined. We'll take a visit to their office / cafe and hear about their current projects and long, long, long term plans. http://longnow.org/
The Claymore Version
1) Hammett / Leiber Walking Tour, Sunday, August 28th at 1 pm - Don Herron has been giving a Dashiell Hammett walking tour since 1977. When the World Fantasy Convention was in town in 2009, I arranged a special tour for a bunch of our guests. They said it was the high point of their visit to SF (after the bookstore, of course). Don is also quite knowledgeable about Fritz Leiber's work and so he's agreed to do a custom tour for us that is a mix of Hammett and Leiber material. http://www.donherron.com/the-tour/
Don's also giving us a reduced rate of only $10 per person, as long as we get at least fifteen people to come. I doubt that will be a problem, especially since guests are welcome. Like the event a few months ago, we're going to request payment in advance. Guests are welcome and please do RSVP as soon as you can. We'll be meeting on Market Street near 4th Street and you'll get exact details when you RSVP.
If you're not familiar with Hammett or Leiber, I've got some reading suggestions for you: The Continental Op by Dashiell Hammett, The Maltese Falcon also by Hammett, and Our Lady of Darkness by Fritz Leiber. Or, if you're super short on time, you should just watch The Maltese Falcon (1941), starring Humphrey Bogart <http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0033870/>.
2) Game Night at the Cafe, Sunday, September 25th from 7 pm to 10 pm - Join fellow sponsors & "game" staff for chess, Cards Against Humanity, Scrabble, Pictionary, or whatever other board games you'd like to bring to play! Please bring games that have a usual play-cycle of less than 3 hours, so probably NOT Monopoly, Seven Ages, Arkham Horror, or The Longest Day (that's the Normandy Invasion strategy game that takes an average of 90 hours to play). Are you a secret Balderdash champion? Kick butt at Connect 4? Here's your chance to shine! We'll have adult beverages (after eight pm), iced tea and lemonade on offer, but feel free to bring your favorite beverage to share. Also, you're welcome to bring food if you wish -- the cafe will be shutting down at eight. And, please feel free to invite your friends along, there really isn't any limit to the number of folks we can accommodate and the more the merrier.
3) BBQ at Golden Gate Park, Saturday, October 22nd from Noon to 4 pm - (Note - Jude wanted me to say that we'll be "chillin' and grillin'," but I refused). We're actually leaving the store and venturing into the outside world for a potluck cookout in Golden Gate Park! And, since it's October, it'll be at the height of San Francisco Summer time. We've reserved table #17 (the one nearest the bathrooms) at Lindley Meadow. Directions are at the link below, but the short version is that Lindley Meadow is on the south side of JFK Drive, across from the 30th Avenue and Fulton Street entrance in Golden Gate Park. (At 30th Avenue and JFK, there is a sign for Lindley Meadow.) http://sfrecpark.org/destination/golden-gate-park/ggp-lindley-meadow-picnic-area/.
Bring something to put on the grill or something to share as a side; bring your picnic blanket and a frisbee, and probably a jacket for unpredictable summer weather. Wine and beer are fine to bring but, please, no liquor and no glass, per the Park's request. We'll playing some improv acting games led by our sponsor liaison Scott (who is a professional actor) and his husband Ian (as with almost everything we do, participation is encouraged but never required). Friends and guests (including children) are super welcome so please do bring 'em along.
4) Whisky Tasting with Mary Robinette Kowal, November, day and time to be determined - Last year Mary Robinette Kowal hosted a Scotch Whisky tasting that was a huge success. The problem was we only had space for a third of the people who wanted to attend. Thankfully, she's going to be back in town this year and said she'd love a return engagement. There will be a small charge for the event (to offset the cost of drinks and such) and due to the limited number of participants, it will not be possible to bring a guest. The month for the event has changed twice and you may be wondering why -- Mary's book was delayed, therefore delaying her tour and this event. But, the tour is getting scheduled now and so we should have a firm date by the next newsletter. We (and Mary) appreciate your patience.
5) Fall Sponsor Social, Saturday, November 12th from 7 pm to 11 pm - It's coming. The last social of 2016. We're still setting up our beverage and retail guests but I promise it'll be a party and a half. Not to mention a great chance to get some early Christmas shopping done. More details next month.
6) Tour of The Long Now Foundation, early December, day and time to be determined - If you read Anathem by Neal Stephenson, the idea of a clock designed to keep time for 10,000 years isn't a shock. But did you know that one is being built right now? And that clock was the inspiration for Stephenson's book, not the other way around? That is just one of the projects that The Long Now Foundation is working on. We'll take a visit to their office / cafe and hear about their current projects and long, long, long term plans. http://longnow.org/
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