Hi Folks,
This note is going to be kind of short this month. As I mentioned a few months ago, I've had some personal projects to get taken care of, which are very close to completion but still taking up a fair bit of time. Should be finished by next month, however -- just in time for the holiday season. Another thing that I'm getting close to completion on is the process of getting Borderlands a building before our lease expires in 2021. For good and sufficient reasons, I'm probably not going to be able to go into great detail about that, even when I've got the path worked out, but I hope to have more to tell you next month or the month after. But, things are looking very positive over the long term.
I've also come to the conclusion that either setting up a non-profit or working with an existing non-profit to support the store and, on a larger scale, genre literature in the Bay Area is something that is very much in the cards. The time scale on that is still to be determined but is probably in the one-to- three-year range.
Overall, despite my absence at sponsor events, I've made some pretty big steps on the large-scale questions that have been in front of us this year. It's looking pretty rosy, all in all. Assuming, of course, that we continue to earn the absolutely vital support that you've given us over the past two years. Based on what I've heard from people, we're managing to do that but, if you think we're falling short, please do let me know.
It is still hard to get my mind around how much things have changed for the better at Borderlands because of our sponsors. But everyday, when I walk past the list of all your names on the wall, I'm reminded of what a remarkable thing we've accomplished.
Warmst Regards,
Alan
Hydrogen Version
1) Open Mic Night. Join us Friday, October 21st, for the next Sponsors' Open Mic Night.
2) Picnic in Golden Gate Park. October's Sponsor event is enjoying the great outdoors and San Francisco's actual summer time. We have reserved our own section of Golden Gate Park for food and fun on Saturday, October 22nd from noon to 4pm. Look for Table 17 in Lindley Meadow on the South side of JFK Drive. Guests, friends and children are welcome. If you're planning on coming, please let us know at sponsors@borderlands-books.com
3) World Fantasy Convention. Two events at this years convention in Ohio. A public party Friday night starting at eight and going 'til Midnight and a sponsors-only get together Saturday afternoon from three to five. I don't have the room number yet but I will by Friday afternoon (October 28th). You can email me for that info or just ask me when you see me at the convention.
If you'd like to come to the Saturday event, please RSVP directly to me at abeatts@borderlands-books.com.
4) Sponsor Social. Our next Sponsor Social (and last one of 2016) will be Saturday, the 12th of November, from 7:00 pm - 11:00 pm.
5) Mary Robinette Kowal's Whiskey Tasting will be on Friday, November 11th, at 8 pm. Space is limited and so please let us know if you'd like to attend by RSVPing to sponsors@borderlands-books.com. There will be a small fee of $25, payable at the door, to cover costs.
6) We'll be touring the offices of the Long Now Foundation at the Presidio in mid-December.
Osmium Version
1) Open Mic Night. The Sponsors' Open Mic is a quarterly tradition, and so we're doing it again on Friday, October 21st at 7:00 pm in the Cafe. If you just want to attend, you don't need to do anything except show up (although you might want to take advantage of your seat reservation privilege because it might be crowded).
However, if you want to read, you should get in touch with fellow sponsor Greg Roensch at gregroensch@gmail.com. He suggested the idea and he has been kind enough to take care of organizing the event. Participation will be open to writers of all levels (as long as they are sponsors), and also open to any type of writing, in any genre. All we ask is that you keep the reading short -- five minutes max. So, if you want to read, get in touch with Greg and he'll take care of the scheduling and so forth.
2) BBQ Picnic in Golden Gate Park. We are celebrating "Summer" in San Francisco by taking our October Sponsor event to Golden Gate Park, on Saturday, October 22nd from Noon to 4:00 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! And, since it's October in San Francisco, we have high hopes that we won't be shivering and shrouded in fog. We've reserved table #17 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 possibly 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 Scott (who's 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. If you're planning on coming, please let us know at sponsors@borderlands-books.com
3) World Fantasy Convention. We're doing two events at the World Fantasy Convention in Columbus, Ohio. On Friday evening at eight we'll be hosting a public party for all the convention attendees. We don't know the room number yet but we will by Friday afternoon. You can either find one of us (Jude and Scott will be there along with me) or drop me an email and we'll let you know the room number. Or, you can just ask around since the convention is small enough that most everyone will know about it by six or so. The party will go at least until Midnight if not later.
On Saturday afternoon from three to five, we'll be hosting a much, much smaller get-together for sponsors only (along with a few special guests). We'll be serving light snacks along with a selection of Scotch Whiskies. Again, I don't have the room number yet but, if you'd like to attend, please RSVP directly to me at abeatts@borderlands-books.com and I'll email you the room number on Friday. You're welcome to bring a guest if you wish but, other than that, this is a private event so please don't tell anyone else about it.
4) Our next Sponsor Social will be Saturday, the 12th of November, from 7:00 pm - 11:00 pm. In addition to the usual potluck, alcohol, and raffle prize merriment, we're hoping to finish the year on strong note. We're still finalizing our special guests, but among them will be a fantastic tarot reader <http://www.megstarotreadings.com/>! Meg will be offering short readings to our Sponsors in exchange for tips; you'll be able to sign up for a reading slot at the party. Meg specializes in readings for artists, writers, and other creative types, so we're really looking forward to it.
5) Mary Robinette Kowal's Whisky Tasting will be on Friday, November 11th, at 8 pm. Hugo Award winning author and Scotch Whisky aficionado, Mary Robinette Kowal will host a private tasting party sampling some of her favorite whiskies. Space is limited and so please let us know if you'd like to attend. There will be a small fee of $25, payable at the door, to cover the cost of whisky and snacks. Due to the limited number of spaces for this event (just 20 attendees), we will not be able to accommodate guests. If you would like to come, please RSVP to sponsors@borderlands-books.com
6) We'll be visiting the home of the Long Now Foundation at Fort Mason Center. A bit about them, from their website: "The Long Now Foundation was established in 01996 to develop the Clock <http://longnow.org/clock/> and Library <http://rosettaproject.org/> projects, as well as to become the seed of a very long-term cultural institution. The Long Now Foundation hopes to provide a counterpoint to today's accelerating culture and help make long-term thinking more common. [They] hope to foster responsibility in the framework of the next 10,000 years."
Visiting Borderlands sponsors will be able to see a model of the 10,000 Year Clock (you may have heard about it in Neal Stephenson's novel Anathem), hear about the Long Now's myriad projects, view their library, and grab a drink surrounded by mechanical wonders at The Interval, the Long Now's bar. We're grateful to sponsor Danielle Engelman, Long Now's Director of Programs, for arranging this visit. More info about the Foundation here: http://longnow.org/
All Best,
Alan
Useful links for sponsors:
Sponsors' Blog - http://borderlands-sponsors.blogspot.com
Sponsors' Twitter feed - @bl_sponsors
Event Live Stream channel - http://www.ustream.tv/channel/NLHFhn7KUjd
YouTube channel - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCgvLsi-6ZyU0fuY09DIAt3A
Google Event Calendar - https://calendar.google.com/calendar/embed?src=ud8v8s1cfutjemfeusiv72ubvo%40group.calendar.google.com&ctz=America/Los_Angeles
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