The Tiptree Bake Sale is on! Ruth Leibig is running the traditional Tiptree bake sale on Saturday at 3:00pm in the con suite. Bring your baked goods to the con suite on Friday and Saturday, bring your money to buy some of the delicious treats we’ll have available. Proceeds support the James Tiptree, Jr. Award, an annual literary prize for science fiction or fantasy that expands or explores our understanding of gender. The 2013 winner and books of honor have just been announced.

Need directions to get to the con? They’re up on the website now!

There is still one Con or Bust sponsored membership/banquet ticket left.

See you at the convention!

AN ADDITION TO THE WRITERS WORKSHOP
Cliff Winnig will be joining David Levine and Rachel Holmen as critiquers for the workshop. His short fiction appears in many places, including the forthcoming When The Hero Comes Home 2 (Dragon Moon Press) and The Aether Age: Helios (Hadley Rille Books). He is a graduate of the Clarion Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Workshop.

OVERLAPPING INTERESTS
Stitches West, a fiber experience for knitters and crocheters, will be taking place in nearby Santa Clara, CA, over the same weekend as Potlatch. They start a little earlier than we do, so some of our knitting members might find this a rewarding way to pass the pre-con hours on Friday. http://www.knittinguniverse.com/WEST

HOTEL RESERVATIONS DEADLINE FEB. 6TH
The Sainte Claire Hotel is beautiful and it’s in a great location in downtown San Jose. You’re going to want to stay there. The deadline for reserving a room is this Thursday, February 6th. Reservation information is at http://www.potlatch-sf.org/hotel/.

T-SHIRT DESIGN
Freddie Baer has created a fabulous T-shirt design for Potlatch 23. Check it out: http://www.potlatch-sf.org/posts/potlatch-23-t-shirt-design/. Quantities will be limited, so if you want one (you really do want one, this is superb art), you can pre-order it at http://www.potlatch-sf.org/registration/.

MEMBERSHIPS
Join now to participate in the discussion! Potlatch 23 memberships are $50. Youth memberships are $25. Children 6 and under may attend free. The banquet brunch on Sunday morning is $25. And you can order a T-shirt for pick up at the con. http://www.potlatch-sf.org/registration/.

TIME TO VOTE ON PROGRAM IDEAS:

There are thirteen excellent ideas for programs, suggested by the members of the convention, and now it’s time to pick your favorites. We have time for seven or eight program items, though if more topics get a lot of votes then we’ll try to squeeze those in as well.

We also hope you’ll participate in the program by volunteering to speak or moderate a panel. But no matter what, please let us know what you’d like to see. The deadline for voting is January 31st.

http://www.potlatch-sf.org/program-survey/

LOCAL MUSEUMS:

Here’s a taste of the many museums located near the convention.

The Tech Museum of Innovation
201 S. Market (1 block north of the hotel)
Open daily
Special exhibit: “Star Wars: The Exhibition”
408-294-8324, www.thetech.org
(Discount for Potlatch members on admissions to the museum gallery, the Star Wars exhibit (priced separately), and the gallery/IMAX combo. Just show your Potlatch membership badge to the cashier.)

San Jose Museum of Art
110 S. Market (2 blocks north)
Closed Monday
Special exhibits: “Around the Table: food, creativity, community” and “What’s Your Angle?”
408-271-6840, www.sjmusart.org

San Jose Museum of Quilts and Textiles
520 S. First (3 blocks south)
Open Wednesday-Sunday
Special exhibits: “Metamorphosis: Clothing and Identity” and “Tasty, too!”
408-971-0323, www.sjquiltmuseum.org

San Jose Institute of Contemporary Art
560 S. First (3 blocks south)
Open Tuesday-Saturday
Special exhibit: “Toriawase”
408-283-8155, www.sjca.org

Children’s Discovery Museum
180 Woz Way (2 1/2 blocks south and west)
closed Monday
Special exhibit: “Imagination Playground”
408-298-5437, www.cdm.org

Japanese American Museum
535 N. First (1 1/4 miles, on light rail)
Open Thursday-Sunday, 12-4 PM only
Sunday, 5 pm: photojournalist Darrell Miho speaks on recovery in Japan’s disaster areas
408-294-3138, www.jamsj.org

For the complete list, please go here: http://www.potlatch-sf.org/local-museums/

MEMBERSHIPS:

Join now to participate in the discussion! Potlatch 23 memberships are $50. Youth memberships are $25. Children 6 and under may attend free. The banquet brunch on Sunday morning is $25. And you can order a T-shirt for pick up at the con. http://www.potlatch-sf.org/registration/.

HOTEL:

The Sainte Claire Hotel is beautiful and it’s in a great location in downtown San Jose. You’re going to want to stay there. Reservation information is at http://www.potlatch-sf.org/hotel/.

BANQUET:
Potlatch will have a banquet brunch on Sunday morning, catered by Il Fornaio. They do a really good brunch. Banquet tickets are only $25 at http://www.potlatch-sf.org/registration/.

POTLATCH PARTY AT FOOLSCAP 2014:
Last year, Potlatch 22 was held in conjunction with Foolscap 2013. It was fun. This year, I’m coming back to Foolscap and hosting a Potlatch party. Foolscap 2014 is January 31st – February 2nd. in Redmond, Washington. Check out http://foolscapcon.org/ for info. I hope to see you there!

BECOME A MEMBER:

Join now to participate in the discussion! Potlatch 23 memberships are $50. Youth memberships are $25. Children 6 and under may attend free. The banquet brunch on Sunday morning is $25. And you can order a T-shirt for pick up at the con. .

GET A ROOM!

The Sainte Claire Hotel is beautiful and it’s in a great location in downtown San Jose. You’re going to want to stay there. Reservation information is at .

BANQUET:

Potlatch will have a banquet brunch on Sunday morning, catered by Il Fornaio. They do a really good brunch. Banquet tickets are only $25 at .

POTLATCH PARTY AT FOOLSCAP 2014:

Last year, Potlatch 22 was held in conjunction with Foolscap 2013. It was fun. This year, I’m coming back to Foolscap and hosting a Potlatch party. Foolscap 2014 is January 31st – February 2nd. in Redmond, Washington. Check out for info. I hope to see you there! – Tom Becker

PROGRAM:

Right now, we are actively soliciting ideas for the program. Please go to the Program Ideas page at and suggest topics.

Potlatch is coming up soon. Here is the program timeline: The deadline for getting in program ideas is Friday, January 24th. Starting on Saturday the 25th you can vote on program ideas and suggest panelists (including yourself). Voting will close on Friday, January 31st. Then there will be one week for the panelists to finalize their program topics. Their deadline for getting their final descriptions into the program book is Friday, February 7th.

Now is the time to get involved! If you’d like to be on the program, please let everyone know that you’ll be attending. The simplest and best way to do that is to join. Memberships are still only $50 at . They will be higher at the con.

THE SHOW MUST GO ON (nearby entertainment):

If Potlatch is not quite enough for you, downtown San Jose is full of
theatrical events. Here’s a list of the shows performing downtown while the convention is going on. Check their websites for performance times, ticket prices, and other details.

California Theatre
345 S. First (just around the corner & down the block from the hotel)
“Madama Butterfly” by Giacomo Puccini
Opera San Jose
408-437-4450, www.operasj.org

San Jose Stage Company
490 S. First (2 1/2 blocks south)
“The Threepenny Opera” by Bertolt Brecht and Kurt Weill
408-283-7142, www.thestage.org

City Lights Theater Company
529 S. Second (3 blocks south & east)
“The Smell of the Kill” by Michele Lowe
408-295-4200, www.cltc.org

San Jose Repertory Theatre
101 Paseo de San Antonio (3 blocks east & north)
“R. Buckminster Fuller: The History (and Mystery) of the Universe” by D.W.
Jacobs
408-367-7255, www.sjrep.com

Olinder Theatre
848 E. William St. (1 1/2 miles)
“Educating Rita” by Willy Russell
Northside Theatre Company
408-288-7820, www.northsidetheatre.com

Hoover Theatre
1635 Park Ave. (2 1/4 miles)
“The Whipping Man” by Matthew Lopez
Renegade Theatre Experiment
408-493-0783, www.renegadetheatre.com

And here’s some musical concerts going on downtown over the weekend. This
does not include night clubs, dance clubs, etc., with which the neighborhood is also well-supplied.

Civic Auditorium
135 W. San Carlos (1/2 block from the hotel)
The Pixies, plus Best Coast
Saturday, 7 pm
408-792-4111, www.sanjosetheaters.org

Erna Gulabyan, piano
Le Petit Trianon, 72 N. Fifth (9 blocks from the hotel)
Sunday, 1:30 pm

Civic Auditorium
In the Mood: 1940s Big Band Musical Revue
Sunday, 3 pm
408-792-4111, www.sanjosetheaters.org

Theatre on San Pedro Square
29 N. San Pedro (5 1/2 blocks north & west)
Nineteen Jazz Orchestra
Sunday, 8 pm
408-679-2330, www.tabardtheatre.org/TOSPS/

WRITERS WORKSHOP

The workshop is open to all speculative fiction writers, regardless of experience. It’s a place to get feedback on your writing and decide what you need to work on next. You’ll have the chance to hear a professional writer critique your work, along with several of your peers. Critiques will be done in a round-robin Clarion West style. This workshop style allows all the participants to read and critique everyone’s work.

Hugo-winner David D. Levine has volunteered to be the guest professional for our workshop.

Please submit a 2,000 to 8,000 word story in .rtf or .doc format to workshop@potlatch-sf.org by midnight PST on February 1, 2014. You may send your story ahead of time. Formatting for your story should follow the guidelines at http://www.sfwa.org/writing/vonda/vonda.htm

The stories will be rounded up and emailed to the participants. Please let me know if you would prefer hard copy mailings. Please bring hard copy notes or marked-up manuscripts to the workshop.

The workshop will be held Saturday during the lunch break. Lunch will be provided. Please let me know of any dietary restrictions.

Check the website (http://www.potlatch-sf.org/workshop/) for updates as the convention approaches. To attend the workshop, you must purchase a membership to Potlatch.

Any questions? Send them to Jude-Marie Green at workshop@potlatch-sf.org

CLARION WEST AUCTION:

The Clarion West Auction will be held on Saturday evening from 8-10 pm. Auction proceeds benefit the Clarion West Scholarship Fund and directly assist in developing the talent of aspiring writers. Your donations help create an amusing and profitable event. Your bids at the silent and voice auction gain you possession of odd, unusual, or entertaining artifacts. If you are attending Potlatch, you may send a photograph and description of your donations via email to auction@potlatch-sf.org. Donations may be delivered at the convention. If you are not attending Potlatch but would like to send a donation, you may ship it to:

Dawn Plaskon
1474 Avila Court
Hayward, CA 94544

SEE YOU IN SAN JOSE!

A Taste of the Potlatch 23 Restaurant Guide

Our hotel, the Sainte Claire, at Market and San Carlos is right in the middle of downtown San Jose. There’s literally well over a hundred restaurants within easy walking distance. Here’s just the ones actually on the same, not over-large, city block as the hotel and right across the street from that block. All restaurants are open for lunch and dinner seven days, except as noted.
– David Bratman

Il Fornaio, 302 S. Market (at San Carlos)
408-271-3366, www.ilfornaio.com
Opens at 7 AM (8 on weekends), late nights to 11 PM (12 on weekends)
In the hotel. IN it. A good, basic, neo-Italian restaurant absolutely worth dining at if you’re in the area, so you’re in luck. The entrees are relatively light and not too large; the pasta is distinctly al dente, giving weight to the meal. Prices are moderately high for the breed, but commensurate with quality. The breakfast menu dishes are American, though with Italian names, particularly outstanding for their potatoes. Usually uncrowded.

Original Joe’s, 301 S. First (at San Carlos)
408-292-7030, www.originaljoes.com
Also late nights to 1 AM
Italian steakhouse, so old-school that it makes other old-school places look new. Even the decor is straight out of the 1950s. The typical meal here is a huge hunk of meat, probably full o’ cholesterol, plainly and simply cooked without fancy seasonings or sauces. You know it’s an Italian restaurant because there’s a side of pasta. You have to like this kind of stuff, but it does what it does excellently: good pasta, amazing hamburgers, a classic Joe’s Special, and there are salads and veggies. And the service has sixty years of experience at being fast and efficient, even when the crowds are spilling out the doors.

Caffe Frascati, 315 S. First (btwn San Carlos & San Salvador)
408-287-0400, www.caffefrascati.com
Opens 7:30 AM, 8 on weekends, late nights on weekends to midnight Here’s your neighborhood coffee vendor. Also serves light breakfasts (stuff on a bagel or muffin), and paninis and salads for lunch.

Pho 69, 321 S. First (btwn San Carlos & San Salvador)
408-289-8521, www.pho69noodle.com
Closed Sunday
Gourmet Vietnamese pho restaurant. Cool modern decor, semi-industrial instead of old lunch counter. Small menu, with only one size bowl (large, with a price to match). High-quality meats, nothing fatty, oddly sweet broth. This is pho for yuppies, not Vietnamese street food.

The Blue Chip, 325 S. First #190 (downstairs, between San Carlos & San Salvador)
408-971-2898, no functioning web site
Sports bar that, almost absent-mindedly, serves cheesesteak sandwiches (also burgers, chicken sandwiches, pizza, etc.) from a kitchen in the back. The cheesesteak is large enough, but dull tasting, which it never is in Philly, and the only cheese option is Cheez Whiz. Slow service.
Note: Just outside the entrance is a small place called AJ’s Hot Dogs. Whenever I come by here at lunchtime, the lights are on but nobody’s home.

Cafe Stritch, 374 S. First (between San Carlos & San Salvador)
408-280-6161, www.cafestritch.com
Dinner only, closed Mon-Tues, late nights to 2 AM Wed-Sat
Jazz club with an extensive menu, pour-over filtered coffee and espresso drinks, and a full bar. It is a good place to go for drinks or a casual dinner. Order food at the counter and it is brought to your table. Live jazz every night. The menu is a mix of comfort food and soul food. Good options for vegetarians and vegans as well as seafood and meat eaters. (review by TB)

Subway Sandwiches, 360 S. Market (between San Carlos and San Salvador)
408-297-5676, www.subway.com
Opens 7 AM

Arcadia, 100 W. San Carlos (in the Marriott, at Market)
408-278-4555, www.michaelmina.net
Opens at 6:30 AM, closed Sunday dinner
Modern American steakhouse by celebrity chef Michael Mina. High-end restaurant specializing in classic dishes with a contemporary twist. Best known for the duck fat fries served complimentary at dinner.
The Marriott also has a bar, the Tanq, and a counter serving coffee, pastries, and packaged snacks, the Corner Market Kitchen.

Near the corner of First and San Salvador are several lounges/bars/dance clubs/etc., mostly only open evenings, some of which also serve food, but you’ll have to check them out for yourself:

The Metropolitan, 349 S. First, www.themetsj.com
The Swinging Hookah, 386 S. First, 408-298-4824, www.theswinginghookah.com
Motif, 389 S. First, 408-279-1888, www.motiflounge.com
Agenda, 399 S. First, 408-287-3991, www.agendalounge.com
Single Barrel, 43 W. San Salvador, 408-792-7356, www.singlebarrelsj.com

BOOK OF HONOR:

The Potlatch 23 committee is pleased to announce the Book of Honor the members have chosen is The City and the City by China Miéville. This book was nominated by Blackfeather Tanfur.

The results are at http://www.potlatch-sf.org/book-of-honor-vote/

PROGRAM:

The Potlatch program committee has always depended on members suggesting program ideas and volunteering to be on the program. And we’ve always known that we can count on having a great audience that will add new dimensions to the program. This time, we’re doing direct to the source. The Potlatch 23 Program will be created by the members of the convention. The idea is to combine the best attributes of a conference where everyone has a say in creating the program and a traditional convention with carefully selected topics and well-prepared participants.

Potlatch has a single track of programming. It will run from Friday evening on February 21st through Sunday, February 23rd. There are standard program items: Opening Ceremonies, the Book of Honor panel, the Clarion West Benefit Auction and the Banquet. That leaves only seven or eight program slots that need to be filled.

Right now we are actively soliciting ideas for the program. Please stop by the Program Ideas page and suggest topics. The program needs to be finalized by February 7th, two weeks before the convention, so it can go into the printed Program Book. Please join in!

See http://www.potlatch-sf.org/program-ideas/

CON OR BUST:

Con or Bust helps people of color/non-white people attend SFF conventions. A Potlatch member generously donated two Potlatch memberships to Con or Bust and another member donated two banquet tickets to go with them. If you are a person of color and could use some help in order to attend Potlatch, please contact Con or Bust (http://con-or-bust.org/request-assistance/) for assistance. We would really like to see the donated memberships and banquet tickets be used.

If you are a fan of any color who would like to promote diversity, science fiction, and diversity in science fiction, please consider supporting Con or Bust. Hint: They have some really cool t-shirts.

See http://con-or-bust.org/

WRITERS WORKSHOP
The workshop is open to all speculative fiction writers, regardless of experience. It’s a place to get feedback on your writing and decide what you need to work on next. You’ll have the chance to hear a professional writer critique your work, along with several of your peers. Critiques will be done in a round-robin Clarion West style. This workshop style allows all the participants to read and critique everyone’s work.

Hugo-winner David D. Levine has volunteered to be the guest professional for our workshop.

Please submit a 2,000 to 8,000 word story in .rtf or .doc format to workshop@potlatch-sf.org by midnight PST on February 1, 2014. You may send your story ahead of time. Formatting for your story should follow the guidelines at http://www.sfwa.org/writing/vonda/vonda.htm

The stories will be rounded up and emailed to the participants. Please let me know if you would prefer hard copy mailings. Please bring hard copy notes or marked-up manuscripts to the workshop.

The workshop will be held Saturday during the lunch break. Lunch will be provided. Please let me know of any dietary restrictions.

Check the website (http://www.potlatch-sf.org/workshop/) for updates as the convention approaches. To attend the workshop, you must purchase a membership to Potlatch.

While it’s not mandatory, consider getting a ticket to the banquet. You’ll rub elbows with Potlatch’s attending guests, famous (and not-so-famous) writers, and other folk interested in the genre community.

We look forward to hearing from you!

Any questions? Send them to Jude-Marie Green at workshop@potlatch-sf.org

CLARION WEST AUCTION:

The Clarion West Auction will be held on Saturday evening from 8-10 pm. Auction proceeds benefit the Clarion West Scholarship Fund and directly assist in developing the talent of aspiring writers. Your donations help create an amusing and profitable event. Your bids at the silent and voice auction gain you possession of odd, unusual, or entertaining artifacts. If you are attending Potlatch, you may send a photograph and description of your donations via email to auction@potlatch-sf.org. Donations may be delivered at the convention. If you are not attending Potlatch but would like to send a donation, you may ship it to:

Dawn Plaskon
1474 Avila Court
Hayward, CA 94544

Memberships Still Available:

Potlatch 23 memberships are still available at the very reasonable rate of $50 for adults, $25 for youths, and $0 for children 6 and under. Get yours now before the holiday rush! You can join on-line at our registration page. We are also happy to accept memberships by mail. You can get the form at the same web address.

Writers Workshop Registration Open:

The Potlatch 23 Writers Workshop is open for registration. It is a Clarion West-style workshop. It will take place on Saturday during the lunch break so you don’t have to miss any of the Potlatch program. If you are interested in participating in the workshop, please contact Jude-Marie Green here.

Book of Honor Nominations Announced:

Twelve books have been nominated as the Book of Honor. Check them out at the Book of Honor page and make your case for your favorite in the comments. Voting is now open.

Potlatch Party at Orycon:

Saturday, November 9: There will be a Potlatch party, co-hosted with Loncon 3, at OryCon 35. We will also be sharing a fan table with Loncon 3. If you can make it to OryCon we’d love to see you. There will be some special treats at the party that will be familiar to previous Potlatch members. We’ll be happy to register you as a member of Potlatch 23, either at the party or the fan table. You will be able to vote on the Book of Honor nominations at OryCon.

Potlatch on Social Media:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/potlatch.convention
Twitter: @potlatch23
LiveJournal: http://potlatchcon.livejournal.com/
DreamWidth: http://potlatch-sf.dreamwidth.org/

Committee:

Chair: Tom Becker
Registration: Tom Becker
At-Con Registration: Randy Smith
Auction: Dawn Plaskon, Cindy Scott
Hospitality: Sarah Goodman
Publications: Lucy Huntzinger
Logistics: Rich McAllister, Linda McAllister
Local Guide: David Bratman
Writers Workshop: Jude-Marie Green

Potlatch 23, the small but perfectly formed literary speculative fiction convention, is coming to San Jose, California on February 21-23, 2014. It will take place at the remarkably attractive and handily central Sainte Claire Hotel in downtown San Jose. Our website is www.potlatch-sf.org.

Registration is now open! Potlatch 23 memberships are $40 through July 15th. Youth memberships are $25. Children (6 and under) are free. Join now to nominate the Book of Honor and participate in the discussion.

You may register online. You may also register by mail. Download our registration form, fill that bad boy out and send it to Potlatch, P.O. Box 103, Mountain View, CA 94042 along with your check. Please make checks payable to Potlatch.

We will be publishing a restaurant guide to the area, so if you have a favorite restaurant in San Jose, let us know!

Want to keep up with us on social media? We have a lovely Facebook page. We’re on Twitter as @potlatch23, because we’re incredibly literal like that! There are Potlatch communities on LiveJournal and DreamWidth. We haven’t started a Tumblr yet: fandom is a bit shy about being photographed and we love to comment. Leave us a message, start a thread to discuss possible Books of Honor, tweet your questions.

We hope you’ll join right away and help us in the fully democratic process of choosing the annual Potlatch Book of Honor. Let your voice be heard! We’re listening.

Publications: Lucy Huntzinger
Chair: Tom Becker
Auction: Dawn Plaskon, Cindy Scott
Hospitality: Sarah Goodman
Logistics: Rich McAllister, Linda McAllister
Local Guide: David Bratman
At-Con Registration: Randy Smith