Hi All,
I wish I had time to write something clever for this note but . . . I'm so tired. As you'll see in the store newsletter, it was quite a weekend and I'm still a bit shattered. I'll truly make an effort to be smart and clever next month.
But, speaking of next month -- I'm wondering, are you coming to the World Science Fiction convention? I'd love to have a general idea of how many of us will be there. So, if you're coming, reply to this note and let me know?
Also, sponsor social is _this_ Saturday. As usual, RSVPs are appreciated but not required.
All Best,
Alan
A Question from Z'ev, the cafe manager
Hey Sponsors! In our quest to have more edibles in the Cafe, we will be trying out some sandwiches. Can you let us know which THREE of these choices you'd most like to see us have on the menu experimentally? We appreciate your advice and feedback so just reply to this email with your thoughts.
1) Smoked Salmon: salmon, cream cheese, capers, red onions, tomatoes
2) Veggie: mozarrela cheese, cucumber, tomato, red onion, avocado
3) Ham & Cheese: smoked ham, swiss cheese
4) Salami & Cheese: sliced salami, cheddar cheese
5) BCT / BAT (analogous to BLT): bacon, cucumber or avocado, tomato
6) Turkey & Pesto: turkey, pesto, tomato, red onion, cucumber
Micro version:
(1) Saturday, July 14th, 7:00 pm - 11:00 pm -- Mark your calendars for our summer Sponsor Social.
(2) Sunday, July 29th, 5:00 pm -7:00 pm - The Sponsors' Open Mic night is back!
(3) Thursday, August 16th - Sponsor Party at WorldCon 76 in San Jose; exact location and time to be determined. We are looking for sponsors that may be interested in helping host our hospitality room. Please contact Scott by replying to this email if you are interested.
(4) Saturday, September 22nd, 12 noon - 3:00 pm - Borderlands Picnic, details forthcoming.
(5) Saturday, October 6th, 7:00pm - 11:00pm -- Fall Sponsor Social.
Macro version:
(1) Saturday, July 14th, 7:00pm - 11:00pm -- Mark your calendars for our summer Sponsor Social. Come join us for our quarterly social gathering as we share our favorite foods, sip on delicious drinks and hope we have a winning raffle ticket! We have some extra-neat stuff to raffle off this time, including some special signed books courtesy of sponsor Keith B in Ireland, a stunning goblet from sponsors Marie M and Jay W, and a Really Weird Thing from sponsor Seanan M! Feel free to bring any food or drink that is easily shared and we'll enjoy each others' company and hear the latest and greatest on the transformation of the new bookstore space.
And, we have a really special treat for you this time. Our retail guest will be Sponsor Cole Harkness. Cole runs American Fencing Supply and is in the process of moving his shop. I asked him a few weeks ago if he'd turned up some stuff that had been cluttering the corners of his shop. He said yes and I suggested that he could bring it down to the social to sell. He, being the guy that he is, said that he'd rather than the proceeds go to a charity. So, all the proceeds will be going to benefit the Locus Foundation.
And, wow, is he bringing some neat pointy pieces of metal. Among the amazing things he'll have available are a 1920's Italian police saber with a great temper and a unusually sharp tip, several (likely decorative) Indian weapons from the 19th century, and a WWII US folding pilot's survival machete with is just as cool as an iceberg and I might have to grab for myownself, but that's just scratching the surface. One of the REALLY extraordinary items is a German 2-handed sword with Flamberge blade which was forged in Austria, before the first World War -- it was made for theatrical use and was in the armory of the Met Opera in New York (!).
But, to my mind, the undoubted standout item is a "Talhoffer" (two handed sword), made by Maestro Oscar Kolombatovich in his La Garita forge in Spain -- Maestro K made weapons that were historically accurate at a time when such things were rare. He himself was larger than life; the Fencing Master for West Point and the Met Opera in New York. He made most of the weapons used by the best fight-choreographer in the world, William Hobbs (the 70's "Three Musketeer" movies, "Cyrano" with Depardieu, etc). A weapon like this was used by Rutger Hauer in "Flesh + Blood". Kolombatovich is to my mind the greatest swordmaster and choreographer of the 20th century and this sword is really a piece of history. Even if you're not in the market for a sword or knife, looking at them and chatting with Cole about 'em is a treat you won't get very often.
As always, it's a pot-luck and BYOB situation so bring something to share in either the food or refreshment department and plan on having fun, talking books, and hanging out with the best group of people in SF. We hope you'll join us for a grand party!
(2) Sunday, August 5th, 5:00 pm -7:00 pm - The Sponsors' Open Mic has been on hiatus for a while, but we're bringing it back! The next open mic is scheduled for Sunday, July 29th, at 5pm 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 Louis Evans at evans.louis@gmail.com, who has been kind enough to organize this 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 Louis and he'll take care of the scheduling and so forth.
(3) Thursday, August 16th - Sponsor Party at WorldCon 76. We are in the process of locating a nice, quiet, off-site bar-and-grill type establishment to kick off our weekend at WorldCon in San Jose. If you have any suggestions, please feel free to forward to Scott at scox@borderlands-books.com.
Also, we are looking for sponsors who might like to help host our hospitality room. And, we're possibly looking for some sponsors who would like to help out at our table. If you've ever thought it would be fun to be a bookseller for a day, you should let us know. If you're interested in either of those things, please reply to this email and let us know (and, if you've gotten in touch with us already, don't worry -- we're sorting out The Plan and we'll be in touch soon). (If you are interested in attending WorldCon 76 itself, you may purchase your membership here: https://www.worldcon76.org/membership/how-to-register)
(4) Saturday, September 22nd, 12 noon - 3:00 pm - Borderlands Picnic, details forthcoming.
(5) Saturday, October 6th, 7:00 pm - 11:00pm -- Fall Sponsor Social. Join us for our final social of the year and get a head-start on your holiday shopping!
