GeekGirlCon Blog

April 2014 Geek About Town

April is just around the corner and we’ve got some geeky activities for you! Keep on reading for a month full of geekery!

Wednesday, April 2: Books on Tap

At 7:30 pm on the first Wednesday of each month, join us for “Books on Tap”, literary pub trivia, team and word games (21 and over only).

Thursday, April 3: Burke Trivia Night at College Inn Pub

The Burke Museum presents a monthly pub quiz for science buffs, culture gurus, and museum lovers. Bring your friends to the College Inn Pub and test your knowledge of the natural world. Compete with other teams for drink vouchers and other prizes.

 Saturday, April 5: International Tabletop Day

International TableTop Day is a celebration for ALL the fans of tabletop gaming, board games, card games, RPGs… if it’s a game of any sort, it counts! Come together in a global celebration where you can participate in a common purpose of spending time together and having fun.

GeekGirlCon will be hanging out all day long with our friends at Card Kingdom. Bring a game to play or check out a title from the hundreds that Card Kingdom has on tap. Staffers will be there with some of our amazing Special Agents to run games for as long as they will allow us (translation: from noon until close). As a bonus, Andy from the The 8 Hour Gamer has promised to run RPGs all day long. Andy successfully ran RPGs for our last two conventions and his table was always packed with gamers of all skill sets.

TTD 2013 was a huge success. There were over 3,100 gaming events in 64 countries worldwide, including every state and province in North America and every continent on the planet! Researchers in Antarctica were playing games too. For one day, let us all come together, put down our worries and play more games to make International TableTop Day 2014 even bigger!

 Saturday, April 5: Seattle Astronomical Society Star Parties

The SAS organizes monthly star parties at Green Lake and Paramount Park which are free and open to the public. People of all ages and background, including children, are welcome. These events offer to all the opportunity for telescopic viewing of sky objects as well as educational interaction of experienced.

 Saturday, April 5: Judith Skillman

Kick off National Poetry Month by joining us for a reading, discussion and signing with award-winning American poet Judith Skillman.

 Monday, April 7: Seattle BioMed Seminar: Pamela Bjorkman, Ph.D.

As part of our Global Infectious Disease Seminar Series, we are pleased to announce a presentation by Pamela Bjorkman, Ph.D., “Structure-based design of improved passive immunotherapy reagents for HIV treatment and/or prevention”.

 Wednesday, April 9: SEAWear: Seattle’s Wearable Tech and Biohacking Meetup

This is a group for anyone interested in wearable technology, biohacking/biosensors, and meeting others who are passionate about learning and building within this space. This is for big thinkers and driven creators, so technical and non-technical types are equally welcome. I started this group for other innovators, hackers, and entrepreneurs who are interested in pushing current technologies to better track and optimize ourselves and the changing world around us.

 Wednesday, April 9: Kate Ascher, The Evolution of Transportation

Recent months have seen the Ports of Tacoma and Seattle sharing information in an unprecedented manner which could potentially change the face of sea transportation in the Puget Sound. In her newest book, Columbia University’s Kate Ascher explains the policies, practices and basic mechanics of transportation via ocean, roadways and the sky.

 Friday, April 11: Youth Speaks Seattle Grand Slam

Spoken word, immense creativity, and aspiring young artists. These are the characteristics of a poetry slam. In the culmination of the 2014 season, Arts Corps presents the annual Youth Speaks Seattle Grand Slam. A group of 12 finalists will compete one last time in a showcase of the next generation of Seattle poets. The finalists will perform all-original works of love, loss, resistance, and survival. Five talented poets will emerge from this judged competition, moving on to represent Seattle at the 2014 International Brave New Voices Festival in Philadelphia. The event is hosted by Grammy Award-winner and YSS alum Hollis Wong-Wear. Youth Speaks is a collective for young aspiring poets which offers mentoring programs, year-long slams, open mic nights, and workshops in local schools.

 Tuesday, April 15:  LUNAFEST.

Incredibly diverse in style and content, LUNAFEST is united by a common thread of exceptional storytelling – by, for and about women. Join LUNA Bar + Reel Grrls for the Seattle premiere of LUNAFEST, a festival of nine inspiring short films by women filmmakers, for women, and help support Reel Grrls and Breast Cancer Fund (100% of proceeds go back to them!!!). This fun-filled night will kick off with a reception, complete with bites from Grim’s + Po Dog, drinks from CLIF Family Winery + Hilliard Beer, blow outs from Gene Juarez Salon + Spa and lots of other fun surprises! Nine inspiring films will follow –They will compel discussion, make you laugh, tug at your heartstrings and motivate you to make a difference in your community. We’ll top it off the evening with a (jam-packed) goodie bag for you to take home. Ticket prices include two drink tickets, bites and a goodie bag full of treats from our sponsors! This is an all-ages show and boys are welcome too!

 Wednesday, April 16: Why Selfies? Why Introverts? Why now?

For the first time ever, Bumbershoot’s popular Words & Ideas series “Why This? Why That? Why Now?” premieres outside of the festival. Do selfies communicate the purest depiction of the present? Are introverts the next evolution of pop idol? Hosted by Bumbershoot moderator John Roderick, the evening will highlight current cultural trends, as well as announce the 2014 Theatre, Spectacles, Visual Arts, and Words & Ideas programming. Occurring every Labor Day Weekend, Bumbershoot celebrates the diversity of music, dance, theatre, literature, visual arts, and other creative programming happening locally, nationally, and internationally.

 Thursday, April 17: An Evening with Gillian Flynn

Marriage can be a real killer. One of the most critically acclaimed suspense writers of our time, New York Timesbestseller Gillian Flynn, takes that statement to its darkest place in her most recent novel, Gone Girl, about a marriage gone terribly, terribly wrong. As the Washington Post proclaimed, Flynn’s work “draws you in and keeps you reading with the force of a pure but nasty addiction.” In addition to Gone Girl, Flynn has written Sharp Objects (2007) and Dark Places (2010).

 Thursday, April 17 – Sunday, April 20: Norwescon

Norwescon is the Pacific Northwest’s Premiere Science Fiction and Fantasy Convention and one of the largest regional Science Fiction and Fantasy conventions in the United States. While maintaining a primarily literary focus, Norwescon is large enough to provide a venue for many of the other aspects of Science Fiction and Fantasy and the interests of its fans such as anime, costuming, art, gaming, and much, much more.

 Saturday, April 19: Seattle Poetry Slam Presents Seattle Grand Slam

The power of language shines in this yearly poetry showcase featuring some of the best slam poets around. Artists come together on a weekly basis for these judged poetry slams, and the top eight from this year will come together for the Grand Slam at Town Hall. Poets must perform all-original work, stay within a time limit, and refrain from using props or costumes. Highly entertaining, this diverse array of slammers and topics make this a can’t-miss competition.

Monday, April 21: Act Submissions for Fussy Cloud Puppet Slam Volume 8

It’s Spring! Time for another volume of the Fussy Cloud Puppet Slam. We are seeking adult puppet pieces up to 8 minutes long. (“adult” as in “not for children”; “blue” material is acceptable but not required.) Whether you are new to puppetry or have performed at our slam before, we invite you to submit. Whether you have a finished piece to debut, an idea to workshop, or a puppet classic, we want to hear from you! Fussy Cloud is a place to be creative, quirky and experimental.  Show info: Fussy Cloud Puppet Slam Volume 8, When: Saturday, May 31 at 8:00 pm, Where: Theatre Puget Sound’s Theatre4, 305 Harrison St Seattle, WA 98109 If you would be interested in participating please provide us with the following information: Description of your piece (story line, type of puppets used, how many puppeteers, general mood, etc); Approx. Length; Video link (if possible); Performance photos (attach to email). Please send all information and inquiries to: fussycloudpuppetslam@gmail.com

Thursday, April 24: Starships and Sorcery Book Club

Bellevue Bookstore: Reading Cherie Priest’s Boneshaker

Thursday, April 24: STEM: Science Uncorked

Come learn about the other “stem” education at Science Uncorked. Enjoy an evening sampling some of Washington’s finest wines while exploring the science straight from the vine. Find out why wine glasses come in different shapes and sizes. Learn about the chemistry of wine. Discover the proper technique for smelling your wine before tasting. And enjoy delicious appetizers paired perfectly with various wine selections.

Monday, April 28: Annette Lu: A Feminist’s Fight for Taiwan

Annette Lu’s powerful memoir tells Taiwan’s political history through her personal story, from impoverished beginnings as a shopkeeper’s daughter to her eventual election as Vice President of Taiwan. Surviving cancer and imprisonment, Lu became the first female Vice President of Taiwan in 2000, the signal achievement in her quest for gender equality, human, rights, and political reform.

Do you have a geeky event to plug? Email Shubz Blalack. We are happy to feature events outside of the Seattle Metro area!

 Please note: GeekGirlCon reserves the right to approve or deny any event submissions. All submissions must be in alignment with GeekGirlCon’s Mission Statement.

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