x May Geek About Town! | GeekGirlCon

May Geek About Town!

What’s happening in Seattle in May? Read below to find out!

 

Sunday, May 1: GeekGirlCon ’16 Early Bird Pricing closes!

Hurry! Get your GeekGirlCon tickets at their super-duper low price before early bird pricing closes! It’s a screaming deal!

 

Sunday, May 1: Asian Pacific Islander Heritage Month Celebration

11:45am-5:00pm, Seattle Center Armory

Free admission!

Explore and experience the cultural roots of the Asian-Pacific Islands through live performances, visual arts, hands-on activities, games, and a lively marketplace. The festival launches Asian-Pacific Islander Heritage Month in Seattle with spectacular dances, youth drill teams, drumming, martial arts, and artists from around the state.

Plus our fan-favorite Hum Bow Contest with local celebrities and API Community displays and enjoy children’s activities! This is guaranteed to rock your heritage!

 

Tuesday, May 3: GeekGirlCon’s giveBIG campaign!

On May 3, GeekGirlCon will team up with The Seattle Foundation for an online fundraising extravaganza! Anything donated to our organization will be matched from a pool of stretch funds. If you’re an information enthusiast, we made it easy for you, click here to read more.WebBanner-1200x420_0X-WebBanner

Saturday, May 7: Original Stories Celebrating Motherhood

1:30pm, Downstairs at Town Hall Seattle

Tickets $18 (advance) or $20 (at the door). 10% of proceeds benefit the Greater Seattle Bureau of Fearless Ideas

The old adage “Listen to your mother” comes to life this year (the day before Mother’s Day) in a storytelling event focused on motherhood. Are you a mom? Do you want to be a mom? Did you or do you have a mom? Seattle-area writers and bloggers will share their original stories about the beauty and challenges of motherhood in what’s sure to be a heartwarming, yet hilarious celebration of all things mothers. Their mission? To celebrate and validate mothering “through giving voice to motherhood—in all its complexity, diversity, and humor.”

 

Saturday, May 7: Rat City Rollergirls presents The Hitditch Cup!

Doors 4:30pm, first whistle 5:30pm, The Rat’s Nest, 19022 Aurora Ave N., Shoreline, WA

Tickets $20, kids 12 and under $15

The Rat City Roller Girls are creating something MAGICAL you won’t want to miss!!

Hitditch Cup will include skaters from Rat City being sorted into different houses! The skaters have no idea what house they will be sorted to!! This bout will not be any ordinary bout – the audience can cast spells on the skaters and officials! Some will help the team, some will hinder them, but all will be entertaining!! Who will win the House Cup? That’s up to you!
Hitditch

Thursday, May 12 – Sunday, May 15: Translations Seattle Transgender Film Festival

SIFF Cinema Egyptian, 801 E. Pine Street, Seattle

Festival passes $80, or check out tickets and schedule here.

This year’s festival is a constellation of shining stars and stellar stories.

OPENING NIGHT! MAJOR!
A love letter to the revolutionary Miss Major Griffin-Gracy, who has fought for the rights of trans women of color since Stonewall.

MAJOR! official trailer from StormMiguel Florez on Vimeo.

BEING TRANSPARENT: A CONVERSATION
Get the inside scoop on the award-winning show Transparent from cast member Alexandra Billings, co-producer Rhys Ernst, and director Silas Howard!

Closing Night! SUITED
The Sundance hit about a company that makes custom suits for gender-nonconforming folks, embodying the simultaneous simplicity and complexity of living bravely in our own skin.

These are just a few of the highlights in the constellation of international films, special guests, and live events that form this year’s festival.

 

Friday, May 13: GeekGirlCon Board Game Night at Wayward Coffeehouse!

7:00pm-10:45pm, Wayward Coffeehouse, 6417 Roosevelt Way NE, Seattle, WA

Do you love board games and enjoy teaching others how to play? Explore the board/card game hobby and meet folks happy to teach you their favorite board games! Come and play with folks who love playing games. And the best part about the GeekGirlCon game nights with our friends at Wayward? They are absolutely FREE with no cover charge!

Our group is inclusive and totally newbie-friendly. We play a wide range of modern board and card games as well as some classics. You might find CodenamesLove LetterSplendorKing of TokyoVöluspáslashAlien FrontiersLocke & KeyCoup,TokaidoSuperfightThe ResistanceColt ExpressSkull and RosesSettlers of Catan7 WondersToc Toc WoodmanFLUXX, and many more!

Bring a game with you or just bring yourself. Join GeekGirlCon staffers, make some new friends, play some games, and enjoy some delicious organic, fair trade, and shade-grown coffee.

 

Saturday, May 14: Shoreline STEM Festival and Science Fair

10:00am-2:00pm, Shoreline Community College, 16101 Greenwood Avenue North, Shoreline, WA

Free admission!

The Shoreline STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) Festival is a one day extravaganza for the Shoreline community with a K-12 student science fair, hands-on STEM fun, robotics demonstrations, and more!

 

Sunday, May 15: The Gauntlet invitational charity board game tournament 

12:00-9:00pm, Mox Boarding House, 13310 Bel-Red Rd, Bellevue, WA 98005

Free admission!

The Gauntlet is an annual board game charity tournament, hosted by our in-house charitable giving program, ENGAGE. 20 teams of 4, from local games industry studios and community groups, will compete in an all-day event for the benefit of YouthCare, a Seattle-area non-profit that works with homeless youth, to help them get off the streets and preparing for life. Teams will have raised funds for YouthCare in the 6 weeks leading up to the tournament.

GeekGirlCon came fourth out of twenty teams, who collectively raised $93,000 for Hopelink! We were proud to raise money to pay for 1056 meals for a family of four! Support us in our challenge by donating here.

Last year's GeekGirlCon Gauntlet team! Photo: Kristine Hassell

Last year’s GeekGirlCon Gauntlet team! Photo: Kristine Hassell

Sunday, May 15-Monday, May 16: Hedgebrook Women Playwrights Festival

4:00pm, Whidbey Island Center for the Arts (Sunday), $5 suggested donation

7:00pm Seattle Repertory Theater (Monday), $15

The annual Hedgebrook Women Playwrights Festival (HWPF) celebrates the work of women writing for the theatre. Since the festival’s inauguration in 1998, HWPF has supported the work of an impressive array of women playwrights and served an important role in the development of new plays by women.

The festival begins with a “pre-retreat” weekend, in which the playwrights have the opportunity to get to know one another, hear each other’s plays read aloud, and share responses with an intimate group of theatre professionals in a relaxed, convivial atmosphere. This is followed by a two-week retreat at Hedgebrook, where each playwright has her own private cottage, a dramaturg on-call, and the opportunity to work in Hedgebrook’s unique combination of solitude and community. The retreat is capped off with public presentations of excerpts from each play.

Participation in the Hedgebrook Women Playwrights Festival is by invitation in collaboration with partner theatres from around the country. In recognition of the fact that fewer than 20% of the plays produced each year on US stages are by women, Hedgebrook is partnering with theatres who show their commitment to women playwrights through commissions, development and production opportunities. In this way, Hedgebrook forges opportunities for women playwrights to deepen their relationships with theatres and is becoming a major pipeline for plays by women to move from creation to development and production.

 

Monday, May 16: Where did all the feminists go? Andi Zeisler with Amelia Bonow

7:30pm (doors 6:30pm), Downstairs at Town Hall Seattle

Tickets $5

In the past, the word feminism was taboo for many, but now, even Taylor Swift calls herself a feminist—and, according to Bitch magazine founder Andi Zeisler, that’s a huge problem. We Were Feminists Once is her ode to the true days of feminism. In a moderated conversation with Amelia Bonow (#Shoutyourabortion), she’ll give a historical and political overview of the term, and explain why the movement sold out. Zeisler argues that young women today pick and choose which aspects of feminism to support, to the detriment of more important issues (like reproductive rights). From the Spice Girls to the Bechdel test and even low-fat yogurt, Zeisler will shatter notions of current “marketplace feminism” and offer her advice on how to solve this problem.

 

Tuesday, May 17: We Are Seattle – Stories from Families, Immigrants, Refugees, and the Agnecies that Serve them

5:30pm-7:30pm, The Seattle Public Library, 1000 4th Ave, Seattle

Free admission!

What is it like to be an immigrant or refugee in Seattle? How do we address their needs and celebrate their strengths? How have world events and national politics impacted our communities? Join us to share your perspective, hear from our panel, and explore images of Seattle’s changing populations.

Free to attend. RSVP to hanann@nhwa.org or 206-461-8430 X 2096

Featuring Broadcast Journalist Enrique Cerna as moderator. Light Refreshments provided. Interpretation available upon request.

 

Tuesday, May 17: All Geeks, All Games at Mox Boarding House!

6:00pm-10:00pm, Mox Boarding House, 13310 BelRed Rd, Bellevue, WA

Our All Geeks, All Games events are growing in popularity! Join GeekGirlCon and Mox Boarding House in Bellevue and help us continue to expand our community of diverse and inclusive gamers to the East Side!

Help us fill that beautiful Tournament Room with folks enjoying our favorite games in a safe and accepting atmosphere. Why mess with the headache of traffic when you can come and play games with us instead.

Staff from both organizations will be on hand to help facilitate gameplay for the shy to the extroverted, from the expert strategist to the board game neophyte. With a huge lending library of games on hand, there will be something for everyone!

As an added bonus, if you play a board game from their library and love it, you can buy a fresh copy for 20% off! How cool is that?!

 

Wednesday, May 18: I’m coming out: Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity in the US

7:30pm, Kane Hall 130, UW Campus

Professor Marieka M. Klawitter explores the triumphs and setbacks in the struggle for LGBTQ equality, and how attitudes, acceptance and the law have impacted life for families and in the workplace in the decades following the Stonewall riots.

 

Star Trek

Friday, May 20: Star Trek Landing Party

7:30pm-11:00pm, EMP museum

Tickets $36 ($29 members, $22 youth ages 5-17)

All ages, 21+ bars with ID

Step aboard the U.S.S. Enterprise for the world premiere of Star Trek: Exploring New Worlds.

Set course to EMP for an evening commemorating 50 years of Star Trek with activities to delight fans of every generation:

  • Enjoy a special Q&A with Guests of Honor Denise Crosby (Tasha Yar) and Brent Spiner (Data)
    •Dance to Star Trek and space-inspired music with DJ SassyBlack (THEESatisfaction), DJ Kate, and DJ Hans
    •Take the captain’s seat in the Star Trek command chair photo op
    •Navigate your way through Starfleet Academy with an interactive game
    •Test your Star Trek knowledge with trivia by Geeks Who Drink
    •Explore the final frontier in UW’s state-of-the-art mobile planetarium
    •Plus, tabletop gaming, a free play pinball area, pop-up nail salon by Julep, and food and drink specials all night!

Costumes in tribute to your favorite characters from the Star Trek universe are encouraged. Costume parade and impressions contest will take place!

Plus, be among the first to visit Star Trek: Exploring New Worlds and get an up-close look at more than 100 artifacts and props from the five Star Trek television series, spin-offs, and films, including set pieces from the original series like Captain Kirk’s command chair and the navigation console (on display for the first time to the public); Kirk, Spock, Uhura, and McCoy original series costumes; and the 6-foot U.S.S. Enterprise filming model from Star Trek: The Next Generation.

 

Friday, May 20-Sunday, May 22: Vortext, hosted by the Hedgebrook Institute

Whidbey Institute, Whidbey Island

General registration $950

VORTEXT is an extraordinary weekend salon at the famed Whidbey Institute, led by renowned women writers.

The program, now in its fifth year, gives writers the opportunity to connect in diverse and powerful small-group workshops. Writers also enjoy dynamic keynotes and discussions about opportunities and challenges for women who write, as well as several open mics over the course of the weekend.

Join us to share meals, conversation and community in a stunningly beautiful setting.

 

Saturday, May 21: Star Trek Educator Workshop

9:00am-12:00pm, EMP Museum

Tickets+ $15

This morning event will serve as an introduction to Star Trek: Exploring New Worlds.

Led by teaching artist Ali el-Gassier, you will leave with a dynamic structure to approach teaching creative narrative, and a step-by-step approach for supporting students in successful oral presentations in any subject area. This event includes an exclusive exhibition tour led by EMP Curator Brooks Peck.

 

Wednesday, May 25: Lindy West: Shrill: Notes from a Loud Woman

7:30pm (doors 6:30pm), Great Hall, Town Hall Seattle

Tickets $5

In the digital age, online persecution has become commonplace. In particular, being a woman (especially an outspoken woman) can be difficult on the internet. Enter Seattle writer Lindy West. Two years ago, her confrontation with a particularly nasty internet troll became a model for fighting back via technology. Her memoir Shrill discusses this  and other stories from her life. She’ll share her thoughts on Shout Your Abortion!, being a fat woman, being loud, being a feminist, Planned Parenthood, and more in this first Seattle event for her book. Not just for fans of Lindy (although, you’ll probably want to come, too) this event is for anyone interested in having their own opinions in the age of the internet.

 

Friday, May 27: GeekGirlCon Board Game Night at Wayward Coffeehouse!

7:00pm-10:45pm, Wayward Coffeehouse, 6417 Roosevelt Way NE, Seattle, WA

Do you love board games and enjoy teaching others how to play? Explore the board/card game hobby and meet folks happy to teach you their favorite board games! Come and play with folks who love playing games. And the best part about the GeekGirlCon game nights with our friends at Wayward? They are absolutely FREE with no cover charge!

Our group is inclusive and totally newbie-friendly. We play a wide range of modern board and card games as well as some classics. You might find CodenamesLove LetterSplendorKing of TokyoVöluspáslashAlien FrontiersLocke & KeyCoup,TokaidoSuperfightThe ResistanceColt ExpressSkull and RosesSettlers of Catan7 WondersToc Toc WoodmanFLUXX, and many more!

Bring a game with you or just bring yourself. Join GeekGirlCon staffers, make some new friends, play some games, and enjoy some delicious organic, fair trade, and shade-grown coffee.

 

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JC Lau
“Rock On!”

JC Lau

Previously disguised as a college professor and family lawyer, JC Lau is an Australian video game journalist and writer living in Seattle.

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