It's Alive!
We are just weeks away from our one-day Foolscap (Saturday, August 19th) and we wanted to tell you some stuff about what we’ve got in store for both our in-person and online activities.
Auburn Community and Event Center
We are taking over the Auburn Community and Event Center for the day (Saturday, August 19th). They have so many features that will make this event so much fun: first, large open spaces for both the Commons and discussion rooms; second, a kitchen we can use and no food restrictions (more on this in a bit) for where and what we can serve; third, an intimate room already set up with a large screen tv and wired for Zoom so half of our panels/discussions will be online as well as in-person; fourth, an outdoor space we are going to use for food tables for those who want to spread out even more; and fifth, free parking!
Seriously, the space is large enough that we’re going to set up a “cafe” with indoor and outdoor seating, partitioned off from the Commons but with access. Food and drink can be carried anywhere but into the Zoom Room. There is a lobby with comfy seating. Restrooms are easy to find. And the whole place is on one level and completely accessible for everyone.
Our committee has been hard at work developing discussion topics. We will have two tracks from noon to ten pm so coming up with ideas has been fun—thankfully, some of our members have helped! Here are just a couple we have planned:
Panel Preview
Foolscap Book Club: Station Eleven. I Don't Read Science Fiction...
Bookclub theme: Genre books that can pass as "regular books." Are they in dicussion with genre books? Does it matter if they aren't?
Showing Darkness Clearly:
A lot of authors (Cherie Dimaline, Naomi Alderman, Sequoia Nagamatsu, ++) address psychological horror about social injustices (mass shooting, missing indigenous people, women's health restrictions) through their genre work -- dark magical realism, horror, fantasy, etc. What are some of the powerful examples? What are the strengths and pitfalls of tackling these topics this way?
Oh, and before I go, I wanted to encourage everyone to preregister online if possible. We will not be able to collect cash or checks onsite, so we request folks to pay in advance (set your price!) to make check in smoother. We can do online sales onsite, but it’s so much quicker to get your badge if you preregister!
We are getting more and more eager to see our Foolscap members in person, meet new Foolscappers, and wave to our virtual family on August 19th. Click that link below to get your membership now!
