Join us this Valentine’s Day for three presentations that show that love is grand, but not always in the way you expect.
NOTE OUR NEW LOCATION AT ARTERRA EVENT SPACE* 2161 Quail Creek Drive (behind HyVee on Clinton Parkway)
Grab a drink, socialize and get your Nerd on! Thrilling raffle prizes! Challenging trivia! Engaging Presentations! Join us at the ARTERRA EVENT GALLERY (Maceli’s location in West Lawrence) for a delightfully square time!
“That Ain’t Love: A Murderous History of Romance Gone Wrong” by Maggie Bornholdt Every day, reports of heinous murders make the news, many of which are so-called crimes of passion. What did these crimes look like a hundred years ago? History is rife with instances of courtship and matrimony with tragic, violent endings. From the Brides in the Bath Killer to Flypaper Lyda, learn about some of the most prolific murderers who killed under the pretense of romance during the 19th and early 20th centuries.
“Damn Your Love, Damn Your Lies: Romantic Relationships in Music” by Nick Spacek Exploring the intersection of musical collaboration and romantic entanglement of Johnny Cash and June Carter Cash, Fleetwood Mac, and Jason Isbell and Amanda Shires to answer the question of how can you sing a song about breaking someone’s heart with the person who broke it?
“Love Kills: Leo Tolstoy’s Kreutzer Sonata…” by Ani Kokobobo In this presentation I discuss Leo Tolstoy’s 1889 novella, The Kreutzer Sonata, which narrates the story of a jealous husband murdering his wife. As the lynchpin of the author’s ideas about sexuality and human relationships, The Kreutzer Sonata is a manifesto for the end of romantic relationships. In Tolstoy’s, heterosexuality kills women and degrades men; instead of getting married and reproducing, he believes that human beings should live in sexless communes like bees and focus on caring for the already living human beings and children in the world.
*Maceli’s is making some exciting renovations to their downtown location and we are thrilled to enjoy and share their location in west Lawrence!
Happy Nerd Year, everyone! Sadly we must cancel January’s Nerd Nite event (which would have been this Wednesday). Stay tuned for updates and we hope everyone stays safe and warm in the coming weather!
This is a reminder that we are taking December off and will be back to our regular Nerd Nite schedule on January 10, 2024. We had such a good time this year hosting the most engaging and entertaining presenters that Lawrence (and beyond) has to offer. We were able to host over 450 minutes of knowledge: 19 unique presentations and over a dozen Summer Shorts! We raffled 24 different prizes! We frustrated everyone with 40 diabolical trivia questions! Thank you to Maceli’s Banquet Hall and Catering and their remarkable staff for hosting us and thank you to everyone that was able to join us. We look forward to a Nerdtacular 2024!
Grab a drink, socialize and get your Nerd on! Thrilling raffle prizes! Challenging trivia! Engaging Presentations! Join us at Maceli’s for a delightfully square time!
Doors at 7:30 pm, talks begin at 8pm, $1.00 cover at Maceli’s 1031 New Hampshire
Our Presentations: “The Appalachian Trail” by Jamie Bone The Appalachian Trail extends 2,150 miles from Amicalola Falls, GA to Katahdin, Maine. This journey is romanticized by images of green hills, victory poses, trail families, and inner-self work. This romanticization is broken by the monotonous chores, troubleshooting the insufferable weather, the terrible prepackaged diet you’ll endure, and the daily thoughts of quitting. Seriously, how many days could you walk down a path, feet soaked and throbbing, with almost no change in scenery? But the real treasures are the people you meet, the unique memories you make, and the entire culture centered around the AT.
“Okinawa: Japan’s Hawaii?” By Martha Boatright. Like the American state, Okinawa was once an independent nation with its own rich history, language, and culture. Like Hawaii, Okinawa would be colonized and suffer tremendously during World War 2, dealing with the outcomes of its history to this day. This talk will give an overview of Okinawa then and now, to let you appreciate the cultural distinctiveness of this part of Japan.
“Comedy in a Crust: The History of Pie in Comedy” by Richard Renner In the history of comedy a few things have become iconic in representing humor. These include Rubber chickens, Groucho glasses and…pie fights. How does something as simple as flinging a pastry become such a legendary moment? Richard Renner from the Vodvill Entertainment Company and Lawrence Busker Festival will explore and explain the way the humble pie rose to universal icon and guaranteed laugh maker. Learning the history of the pie fights in theater and movies can only end in one way. Be prepared for some audience participation and pie practice in the end.
Our Presenters: Jamie Bone is a musician by profession, but an adventurer by passion. Whether it’s living out of her car all summer or chasing the next outdoor adrenaline rush, she has truly embraced the idea that we get one ride on this planet and heck, it might as well be fun! She loves Lawrence but she grew up at the foothills of the Ozark mountains. A piece of her heart will always remain there.
Richard Renner has been a theater nerd ever since his first production in 1972 and getting his first laugh in A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum. He was so hooked that he pursued that feeling of fulfillment into college at KU and afterwards as a professional entertainer. His has performed his own one man show, the Slapstick Circus since 1986 across North America. His influences are Dick Van Dyke, Jerry Lewis, Red Skelton and Groucho Marx. In 2008 he produced the Lawrence Busker Festival as a celebration of the same kind of surprise and zaniness he loves. It is now in its 15th year and is still keeping people happy, laughing and distracted.
Martha Boatright was formerly on a PhD track studying East Asian religion before bailing with a Masters and going into a string of education and social service jobs. She worked for two years in Kitami, Hokkaido ten years ago, and her Japanese is rusty but usable.
Get ready for a tasty melange of spiced nerd goodness! Nerd Nite Lawrence is excited to offer a cozy mixture of wonderful presentations that will tantalize your interest and whet your appetite for exotic knowledge about teddy bears, alternative comedy and carrier pigeons, oh my!.
Grab a drink, socialize, and get your Nerd on! Thrilling raffle prizes! Challenging trivia! Engaging Presentations! Join us at Maceli’s downtown for a delightfully square time!
Doors at 7:30 pm, talks begin at 8pm, $1.00 cover at Maceli’s 1031 New Hampshire
Our presentations:
“The Passenger Pigeon or I Do Not Believe Children Are the Future” by Elizabeth Sawaya
The passenger pigeon once had populations so large, they were known to darken the sky when taking flight. Now extinct, the passenger pigeon is just one example of how human intervention has continued to have a direct effect on the ecosystems across the U.S. This presentation will look at mentions of the bird in historical documents, how increased human populations had an impact on the pigeon population, and how one dark and stormy night (or perhaps a sunny afternoon), one child ended the wild population for good.
“Alternative Comedy: What is it?” by Janette Salisbury
In this drastically abridged history of Alt Comedy, we will explore what it is, who’s responsible, and what has it wrought (alternative comedy, that is). It is a completely subjective look at people I think are funny, and why everyone should think the way I do.
“Take Your Teddy Bear to Work Day…and beyond!” by Brian Moss
Take Your Teddy Bear to Work Day is celebrated on the second Wednesday of every October as an excuse to bring our stuffed animals to work and school. But what happens when teddy bears begin encroaching on grown-up spaces on a regular basis? And what happens when they begin to build community? This presentation follows one teddy bear’s path to internet fame, introducing us to some of the friends he made along the way, and examines how our stuffed companions can tell us more about the world around us than we’d ever expected.
Our presenters:
Elizabeth Sawaya is from Hutchinson, Kansas and currently resides in Topeka where she works as a Forensic DNA Analyst. Her interests include reading, cooking, napping, and showing people pictures of her cats, regardless of level of interest. This is Elizabeth’s first Nerd Nite presentation but this topic has been bothering her since 2002.
Janette Salisbury is a nerd of many trades: reformed music snob, lapsed theater kid, and ultimate fan-girl of most things on the fringe of pop culture. She has no particular qualifications to be presenting at Nerd Nite other than gleefully leaping down many rabbit holes, and knowing at least one of the co-bosses.
Brian Moss is a librarian by day and a lover of all things Lawrence by night. A long-time Nerd Nite attendee and first-time presenter, Brian was originally born among the wild bears of Alaska, but currently spends much of his free time managing a teddy bear’s Instagram account.
Grab a drink, socialize, and get your Nerd on! Thrilling raffle prizes! Challenging trivia! Engaging Presentations! Join us at Maceli’s in the banquet room (to the right when you first walk-in) for a delightfully square time!
Doors at 7:30 pm, talks begin at 8pm, $1.00 cover at Maceli’s 1031 New Hampshire
Our Presentations:
“Witch Fulfillment” by Jane Barnette – This presenation is about the wishes spectators fulfill when directors put Witches on display. What functions do Witch characters have in the stories where they appear? How do the actors who play these roles affect those wishes? Why are Witches so popular with audiences? We will answer these questions and more through a comparison of a handful of television examples, ranging from WandaVision to AHS: Coven.
“Trinity Site Visit, July 16, 1995” by Matt Kirby – Talking about his unexpected opportunity to attend the 50th Anniversary of the Trinity Bomb Explosion in New Mexico, the site of the first nuclear bomb test.
“Women of the Palace” by Terry Asper –If asked you about medieval Persian women, I’m willing to bet you’re answer has to do with harems. But what does that word mean? Would the people we’re talking about even know what it mean? We never expect medieval women to be judges, to be in charge of factories, in charge of political prisoners, or to finance armies and decide who the king will be. And we definitely don’t expect that of enslaved women. And we’re wrong. Come learn about the women of the palace and just a few of their amazing accomplishments.
Our Presenters: Jane Barnette is the Head of Dramaturgy and an associate professor in the Department of Theatre and Dance at the University of Kansas (KU). Her book Adapturgy: The Dramaturg’s Art and Theatrical Adaptation explores the potential of dramaturgically-savvy adaptations for the stage. Barnette’s research includes feminist adaptations, student-centered pedagogy, and depictions of witchy characters onstage as well as in popular culture. Recent projects include: Caryl Churchill’s Love & Information (codirector) at KU, “The Tale of Ora Mae” (author/performer, Ghost Light at KC Rep), and Jen Silverman’s Witch (dramaturg) at Theatreworks in Colorado Springs, CO. Her next book, Witch Fulfillment: Adaptation Dramaturgy and Casting the Witch for Stage and Screen, is coming in 2024 from Routledge.
Matt Kirby is a local artist, designer, musician, instrument maker and always enjoys a good adventure.
Terry Asper is a huge history nerd! After getting too many degrees in the subject, she now spends her free researching, teaching, and teaching about research with the Society for Creative Anachronism. For the past several years her focus has been on the lives of medieval women in Persia.
Grab a drink, socialize and get your Nerd on! Thrilling raffle prizes! Challenging trivia! Engaging Presentations! Join us at Maceli’s in the banquet room (to the right when you first walk-in) for a delightfully square time!
Doors at 7:30 pm, talks begin at 8pm, $1.00 cover at Maceli’s 1031 New Hampshire
Our presentations:
“Fatal Error! Code: 1983 – The Video Game Market Crash”: Bree Shaffar How did video games get their start? How did Atari fly too close to the sun in the 80s? What actually happened to all those ET cartridges? These questions and more will be answered in this crash course (pun intended) on the video game market crash of 1983.
“Table Top Role Playing: How to Get Started in Community Publishing” by RPG Elise
Have you ever wanted to design and publish your own TTRPG? Interested in learning about publishing through community content sites such as Drive Thru RPG, DM’s Guild, or Pathfinder Infinite? Published author RPG Elise will discuss how you can get started in community publishing. She will discuss everything from accessing templates and style guides to design resources to help you on your path toward game design.
“What are Flowers For?” by Jacob Canyon
Botany and the coevolution of angiosperms and modern animals
Our Presenters:
Bree Shaffar is a software developer who has lived in Lawrence since 2015. She has always had an interest in video game history and design, especially in how the technology has changed over the past six decades and how the medium has grown into a unique style of storytelling.
RPG Elise is an Ennie nominated writer for the DM’s Guild and DriveThruRPG and the project lead of the Through The Veil Feywild series, Sea Shanties: A Bardic Guide, and Tartarus: Journey into the Underworld (D&D5e). Elise has freelanced for Wizards of the Coast and is a contributing author of best sellers such as Uncaged, Blackstaff’s Book of Bloodlines, Incredible Creatures, and The Great Dale Campaign Guide. She is published on HitRecord and a contributor to the Emmy-winning Create Together series. She is a founding member of Chuck Palahniuk’s Plot Spoiler.
Jacob Canyon is an overeducated gardener. He works in conservation and sustainable agriculture.
Nerd Nite in Lawrence returns with our first Summer Shorts event in four years! Instead of three presentations of 20 minutes each, we will have 20 presentations of three minutes each. It’s the perfect event for those who love to learn a little bit about a lot of things. Here are the details:
Date: Wednesday, July 12th
Time: Doors open at 7:30 PM (talks start at 8)
Location: Maceli’s in Downtown Lawrence (1031 New Hampshire St)
Cover: $1
As usual, we will play a round of trivia and be giving out thematic raffle prizes. The venue will have drinks for sale.
Continue to watch this space for any updates. Be there and be square!
Nerd Nite Lawrence will be here, like clockwork, on the second Wednesday of the month (June 14th). We will be at Maceli’s (1031 New Hampshire St). So come on down to grab a drink and hang out starting at 7:30 PM, with talks starting promptly at 8 and going until 10. As usual, there will be a $1 cover at the door. We will also play a game of trivia and be giving out thematic raffle prizes.
Our presentations: “The Grand Canyon: A Hole Lot of Fun, or Rocks, Water and Backpacking”: an adventure by Jacqueline Grunau
“The Pennsic Wars” by Larry Brow “Anyone who has heard of The Society for Creative Anachronism may have also heard of the Pennsic Wars. Held annually in August an hour north of Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, this event hosts ten to sixteen thousand medieval enthusiasts who gather to party and teach and fight in a wildly diverse, historically themed way. An entire sub-culture has been nurtured over the decades and our speaker, Larry Brow, aka Sir Lars Vilhjalmsson, has been part of it since 1974. Bring your questions. If he doesn’t have the answers, he’ll make some up.”
“Julius Caesar gets Kidnapped by Pirates”: by Alex Haskins. A young Julius Caesar gets kidnapped by pirates and demands a higher ransom. Hijinks ensue.
$1 at the door! Raffle tickets, trivia and good times included! Doors open at 7:30 and presentations begin at 8pm.
Our speakers for the evening are:
local legend Richard Renner talking all about the comedy luminaries “The Marx Brothers”
Nerd Nite alum Dan Krull will be regaling us with: “First, Do Nothing: Reducing Naïve Interventions Through Regenerative Farming.”
The rumors are true. We took a one month break after our most recent Nerd Nite to recruit a couple of new co-bosses. If you attended our previous event, you already know who they are. Skyler and Will have both officially earned co-boss status, and will be joining Jason and Elliot to bring Nerd Nite to you! This is going to make putting together these events a lot easier for us, and we will be resuming our typical schedule of hosting one Nerd Nite event every month (except for August), with July being reserved for our annual Summer Shorts event.
Our Presentations: “That’s the most ridiculous thing I ever heard” – the story of how the Marx Brothers became the legends of comedy in America Richard Renner learned every line from every Marx Brothers movie as a young actor and found the genius of their performances inspiring and iconic. In this speech he dives deep into their creation, evolution through stage, film and television into the influential icons that they are now. Be prepared for fast paced puns, genuine silent genius, and 100 year old humor that has never died.
“First, Do Nothing: Reducing Naïve Interventions Through Regenerative Farming.” One of Mankind’s greatest gifts is problem solving, and one of our greatest blindspots is our strong tendency toward naïve intervention. Dan will discuss several examples of human problem solving that make things worse, and how to avoid falling in to that trap.
Our Presenters:
Richard Renner has been a theater nerd ever since his first production in 1972 and getting his first laugh in A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum. He was so hooked that he pursued that feeling of fulfillment into college at KU and afterwards as a professional entertainer. His has performed his own one man show, the Slapstick Circus since 1986 across North America. His influences are Dick Van Dyke, Jerry Lewis, Red Skelton and Groucho Marx. In 2008 he produced the Lawrence Busker Festival as a celebration of the same kind of surprise and zaniness he loves. It is now in its 15th year and is still keeping people happy, laughing and distracted.
Dan Krull is Co-Founder of Good Oak LLC, a regenerative farming consulting and implementation company. Dan is the Co-Creator of the Robinson/Krull Agroforestry System, he designed and operates a 100+ hive regenerative bee keeping operation, and is proud to be part of a regional regenerative ag movement in the Kansas City Area. Learn more at www.agoodoak.com
