This Week in Geek (1/13/2020–1/19/2020)

Welcome to This Week in Geek, your guide to events of interest to the Minnesota geek community for the week of Monday, January 13, to Sunday, January 20.

Twin Cities Monday Night Backgammon

What: Gaming
When: Monday, January 13, at 6:00 p.m.
Where: Minneapolis Richfield American Legion

Enjoy a night of backgammon with two tournaments. Entry to this event is $5, and this is a great chance for both pros and newcomers to learn this classic game of strategy.

Creative Night

What: Arts, Community
When: Monday, January 13, at 6:30 p.m.
Where: Event Horizon at the Waterbury Building

This event invites participants to let their creativity shine with drawing, painting, crafting, or whatever their hearts desire at Creative Night, a weekly event put on by Crafty Geek and the Geek Partnership Society. Meet new people, show off your creative side with them, and maybe learn a thing or two.

Pundamonium: The St. Paul Pun Slam

What: Theater & Comedy
When: Monday, January 13, at 7:00 p.m.
Where: Black Dog Cafe

Pundamonium is a pun slam, a contest of wordplay with 10 contestants, each given two minutes to make puns based on prompts they are given ahead of time. The audience acts as judge, and this process repeats throughout the night until a final pun-off. This night of groans and laughs is $10.

Books & Bars: Climate Justice

What: Books, Food & Drink
When: Tuesday, January 14, at 7:00 p.m.
Where: Moon Palace Books

Books & Bars is an “open public book club show” hosted and moderated by Minnesota Public Radio senior producer Jeff Kamin that provides attendees with “a unique atmosphere for a lively discussion of interesting authors, fun people, good food, and social lubrication.” The book being read and discussed this month is Climate Justice by Mary Robinson, a book about fighting for a livable future for new generations, especially young people who will see their middle age in a world with nine-billion inhabitants and a destabilizing environment. Next month’s book will be The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August by Claire North.

Pokémon Go Trainer Tuesdays at Parkway Pizza

What: Gaming, Food & Drink
When: Tuesday, January 14, at 7:00 p.m.
Where: Parkway Pizza

A trainer strives to catch them all, and gain prowess and respect. This weekly event at Parkway Pizza is an opportunity to catch fun drink and food specials, meet other aspiring trainers, and square off against worthy opponents to win status and power. You can and will win, even if winning may just mean having a good time meeting other pocket-monster fans.

Midnight Vista Signing w/ Eliot Rahal & Clara Meath

What: Comics
When: Wednesday, January 15, at 3:00 p.m.
Where: Hot Comics & Collectibles (New Hope)

Join Eliot Rahal and Clara Meath for a signing of Midnight Vista, a comic that follows the story of Oliver Flores and his return home 19 years after his childhood abduction by aliens. He remembers everything, including that his stepfather is still with them. This event is free and comics will be available for purchase.

After Hours: Geology

What: Science & Technology, Educational
When: Wednesday, January 15, at 5:00 p.m.
Where: Bell Museum

Enjoy a night at the museum and a chance to spend time exploring geology through “fossil” creation, gemstone sketching, and a planetarium show that investigates the cosmic origins of Minnesota’s geological history. Big Rock Exploration and the Minnesota Mineral Club will be hosting additional activities. The museum will be open until 10:00 p.m. for this special event. This event is included with museum admission; regular planetarium ticket rates still apply.

Adult Night Out at the Zoo

What: Educational, Nightlife
When: Thursday, January 16, at 4:30 p.m.
Where: Minnesota Zoo

This is your opportunity to see the Minnesota Zoo after hours and without children around. Food and beverages will be available and exhibits will be open later than normal, with Discovery Bay staying open until 9:00 p.m. Additional activities include animal trivia, board games, and a creature feature. Tickets are $10 in advance, $15 day of, or free for members.

Third Thursday: Made in Minnesota

What: Arts, Educational, Nightlife
When: Thursday, January 16, at 6:00 p.m.
Where: Minneapolis Institute of Art

The Minneapolis Institute of Art continues its free Third Thursday series with an evening of art and conversation focused on Minnesota makers. Come celebrate local art with an event featuring creative activities, music, and live artist demonstrations.

CONsole Room

What: Conventions
When: Friday, January 17, through Sunday, January 19
Where: Hilton MSP Airport—Mall of America

Regenerate into 2020 with this annual gathering of Doctor Who enthusiasts! This year, the guests of honor will be Richard Ashton and John Leeson from the television show. There will be a variety of events on offer, including discussions regarding the various incarnations of the Doctor, interactive events focused on cosplay and props, karaoke, and even a bit of wibbly wobbly trivia from TC Trek Trivia. Preregistration is closed at this point, but there should be tickets available at the door; see the website for details.

Sub-Zero Comic Con

What: Comics, Conventions, Arts
When: Saturday, January 18, at 10:00 a.m.
Where: Minneapolis-Richfield American Legion

While the temperature outside may easily drop below zero (current predictions actually indicate only one degree below freezing), the comics and artists here will be hot! This is your chance to find great comics to fill your winter months with fun. There will be featured artists such as Tom Nguyen, Gordon Purcell, and Dave Wheeler, along with vendors carrying comics from the gold, silver, and modern age.

GPS UGG Open Gaming

What: Gaming, Meetup
When: Saturday, January 18, at 10:00 a.m.
Where: Event Horizon at the Waterbury Building

The Geek Partnership Society’s United Geeks of Gaming group offers its open-gaming session, to which gamers of all ages and abilities are invited to “spend the day hanging out with fellow geeks playing, learning, and teaching games.” Attendees are encouraged to bring their favorite board games, card games, and role-playing games, but the group has amassed an impressive library of its own games as well.

Weekly Comics Chat

What: Comics, Meetup
When: Saturday, January 18, at 3:00 p.m.
Where: Midtown Global Market

The Girls Only Comic Club hosts a Weekly Comics Chat on Saturday afternoons where there will be shared opinions, drinks, and fries for comics fans. Additional information about this event is posted on the Girls Only Comic Club’s Facebook group. Individuals interested in attending are encouraged to join.

Hackers Cyberpunk Screening

What: Movies
When: Saturday, January 18, at 8:30 p.m.
Where: Alamo Drafthouse Twin Cities

For the year 2020, the Alamo Drafthouse is looking back at films that were underappreciated in their time, but found cult-like following later on, as part of their “Hindsight is 20/20” series. Take a trip back to the ’90s, hack the planet, and become an “honorary keyboard cowboy” with this special cyberpunk screening of Hackers. Gen-X rebel and film-inspired looks are highly encouraged.

Shieldmaiden Sunday

What: Gaming, Meetup
When: Sunday, January 19, at 12:00 p.m.
Where: Source Comics & Games

Shieldmaiden Sundays are a dedicated space for female nerds and geeks at Source Comics & Games. This is a recurring weekly event providing a space for women to play games, chat about comics, cosplay, or just enjoy the company of other geeks. See the calendar for more events!

So, which of these events will you be attending? What events would you like to see featured in the future? Let us know in the comments section below or contact us via email. And don’t forget to add your events to the Twin Cities Geek Community Calendar!