A fascinating session about how to raise your overall satisfaction level in life. Unlock the secrets of why using your creative brain is a total game-changer. Dive into the differences between the “logical” and “creative” sides of your brain. We’ll explore how this can boost your physical and mental health, discover the long-term perks, and learn some cool tricks you can start using right now!

Danni Shinya Luo is a Pop Surrealism artist with a 12-year career in the gallery and entertainment art industry. Along side of her art career, she’s also deeply involved in the health and wellness community, with 10 years of experience teach Yoga, fitness, and meditation. Her passion is studying how to find happiness and achieve resiliency.

Contact Danni at

Admission is free

Their collection of propaganda has taken over 30 years to compile and represents the political art of more than 25 countries, including N. Korea, Cuba, Nazi Germany, Vietnam, Iran, and the Soviet Union. The objects on display were mostly designed and financed by various governments, dictators, and special interests with specific political goals in mind. The exhibits guide visitors through 7 themes, techniques and styles of propaganda. We hope you will come away with an awareness of the influence propaganda has on our lives even today

Do you have a favorite poem?
Have you written a poem that you’d like to share?
Do you enjoy poetry and would like to sit and listen?

If your answer to any of the above is YES, this session is for you. I’m planning an informal relaxed sesion. Share if you want, listen if you prefer.

I have been a member of Mensa since 1972. For most of my life, I expressed my creativity in some form of visual art. I was a graphic artist and an avid photographer. As my sight fails me, I have turned to poetry to express my feelings.

Contact Judy at

In its landmark 2022 decision, the Supreme Court overturned Roe v Wade and returned abortion policy to “elected branches of government”. What should citizens and lawmakers do next? Does any enumerated power in the Constitution give Congress a say at the federal level, or is abortion regulation more properly left to the states? Can state legislators find their way to fair policy, or should they punt key abortion questions to the people via the referendum process? And what would be the best policy? Is there room for compromise? If so, how can it be reached despite polar all-or-nothing camps?

Debate Room is a series of moderated, roundtable discussions, often on incendiary topics. It is NOT a shouting match! On the contrary, Debate Room tracks at various AGs and RGs have proven able to achieve a virtually pure signal-to-noise ratio even in rooms full of polarized Mensans. Understanding has been increased, and although strong views may not have been greatly changed, they have been refined while neutrals have become better informed.

My talk will cover some of the following: Many positive and negative aspects of psychedelics; a brief history of Altered States facilitating creativity; the 3 ages of psychedelics in the US; what I learned from my friendships with researchers; Two Icons who changed our lives because of LSD; the History of LSD; Hoffman’s last LSD thoughts; “Altered States” film; Marijuana, Peyote, Mescaline & Ketamine. I will share a few of my transformative experiences.

Lifetime member of Mensa, Polymath, Generalist, Multifaceted Mind and caring heart. He attended many Colleges and Universities, with a number of degrees; studied psychedelics for many years; was friends with many main LSD researchers; In 60’s lived in San Francisco; In 70’s was on the Esalen Staff for 3½ years, and also helped Joan Halifax start the Ojai Foundation.

SFRM has quite the history, best described in some of the stories of activities both funny and memorable. MC Elna Tymes has a 55 year history of those SFRM activities. We’ve invited some members who lived through some of those events to spill some of their versions of memorable antics, mostly but not exclusively within SFRM.

Dr. Tymes received her doctorate in heath care at age 79 and opened a private practice helping patients and their families deal with Alzheimer’s Disease and other dementias. She has also served on city and county groups working on problems relating to senior issues. She is a 50+ year member of Mensa and former SFRM LocSec.

Contact Elna at

Many members of Mensa are surprised to learn that some notable people don’t or didn’t believe the works of our Bard were written by a man from Stratford-on-Avon. Among these are: Charlie Chaplin; James Joyce; Sir Derek Jacobi; Justice John Paul Stevens; Charles Dickens; Malcom X; Claire Booth Luce; and John Galsworthy. Did these people sleep through English 101? What accounts for this anomaly? Join Dr. Richard Smiley for a thought-provoking talk on the Shakespeare authorship controversy.

Richard Smiley is a retired Educational Psychologist currently living in Anacortes, Washington.  He graduated from the University of Southern California with a PhD and worked as an educational psychologist for 35 years. Richard has been involved in the Shakespeare authorship controversy for 25 years.

Contact Richard at

I would like to share my journey as a musician, writer and game designer. I will be discussing the importance of engaging with creative outlets, breaking down your personal barriers, and allowing yourself to engage in things that spark your interest and curiosity. Participants can also play a test session of Chaos Melody: a D20-based roleplay game set in a futuristic world filled with strange technologies and magic. Each session will have a maximum of 6 participants and will last approximately 45 minutes.

My name is Matt Minter. I’ve been telling stories through various mediums for most of my life. My love for music, art and collaborative storytelling has led me to creating Chaos Melody so others can tell stories of their own inside my fictional world.

Three themes across all fields of science include a focus on higher-dimensionality, dynamical systems, and heightened cycles of characterization-theorization. Mathematics remains the underlying linchpin. There is new discovery in pure math and physics, and also cross-pollination back from smart network technologies in the computational infrastructure: blockchain, genAI, and quantum. Mathematics is a high-value content, now made more accessible through an AI math agent approach.

Melanie Swan, PhD, MBA is a Research Associate at the Centre for Blockchain Technologies at University College London and a Primary Investigator at DIYgenomics with research interests in solving human-facing problems with conceptual frontiers in science and technology.

Many psychotherapists fail to base their therapy on the First Principle: our emotions and behaviors come from our thinking about events, not from the events themselves.

I am a clinical psychologist, author of 5 books, a podcaster, a Psychology Today blogger, and supervisor of therapists. I was a colleague of Albert Ellis.

Contact Michael at

Back in the heady days of the mid 1990’s collectible card games were yet to be invented. Sure, there were baseball cards, but could you really “play” them? Magic the Gathering started the collectible card game genre! MTG generates over $1.1B in revenue per year. Why? Because it’s great fun! Attend and learn the basics of how to play, and try your hand at a couple of hands with some beginner-friendly decks. We will have decks for play and for purchase if to start your own collection.         

Nick Kloski lives in Walnut Creek and is a happy husband and father. Interested in 3D printing, epic poems, fencing, all forms of creativity, and people who are kind to other people.

Contact Nick at

I would like to share my journey as a musician, writer and game designer. I will be discussing the importance of engaging with creative outlets, breaking down your personal barriers, and allowing yourself to engage in things that spark your interest and curiosity. Participants can also play a test session of Chaos Melody: a D20-based roleplay game set in a futuristic world filled with strange technologies and magic. Each session will have a maximum of 6 participants and will last approximately 45 minutes.

My name is Matt Minter. I’ve been telling stories through various mediums for most of my life. My love for music, art and collaborative storytelling has led me to creating Chaos Melody so others can tell stories of their own inside my fictional world.

Teens, especially bright ones, are eager to spread their wings and have more autonomy. Yet you as the parent know that you also have wisdom and values to share. This session will attempt to model good practice in a conversation between a parent and teen about academics, college preparation, friends, drugs, and sex. After each, the group can comment or question.

2025 will be the 100th anniversary of the “Trial of the Century”: Tennessee vs John T. Scopes. The first major sally against the teaching of evolution in the US, and, mostly because of the fictional play and movie “Inherit the Wind”, Scopes is wrongly perceived as a victory for evolution over the forces of obscurantism. The full story is much more complex and interesting, involving science, religion, law, education, politics, celebrities, modern communications, and the politicization of science.

Dr. Eugenie C. Scott is an expert on the creationism and evolution controversy and science denialism. The former director of the National Center for Science Education, she is the recipient of numerous awards from scientists and educators, and has been awarded ten honorary degrees. Asteroid 249540 Eugeniescott was named for her but she assures us it is not aimed at Earth.

Contact Eugenie at

Topic TBD

Debate Room is a series of moderated, roundtable discussions, often on incendiary topics. It is NOT a shouting match! On the contrary, Debate Room tracks at various AGs and RGs have proven able to achieve a virtually pure signal-to-noise ratio even in rooms full of polarized Mensans. Understanding has been increased, and although strong views may not have been greatly changed, they have been refined while neutrals have become better informed.

Please join SFRM Membership Officer, Barry Krasner, and LocSec (President), Jennifer Storm-Alves, for a new member meet and greet! Whether you are brand new to Mensa (what is a SIG? AG vs RG?), or someone who may have rejoined after a lapse… or maybe you’ve never left Mensa (relocated from another local group to SFRM)- please stop by! We are happy to introduce ourselves and answer your questions about Mensa and SFRM. Come for a few minutes or the whole session to mingle as you please! We are looking forward to meeting you!

Contact Jen at
Contact Barry at

Join forces with other Mensa secret agents to crack codes and solve ciphers in this exciting crime scene investigation. Prizes await!

Jen will share key background information with parents about what it means to be intellectually gifted or twice exceptional, how these kids develop and learn, explore some common but confounding quirks and patterns, present evidence on why more isn’t necessarily better, and discuss why it all matters – not just to us as parents but to society as a whole. Next, Rick will discuss his work with gifted/2E kids as a master STEM teacher and how he lights the fire by honoring their natural curiosity.

Jen has been an educator for the past 20+ years, currently serving as a director of curriculum and instruction, identifying and honoring the needs of the gifted and twice exceptional students who are so often misunderstood. Rick has been a teacher for 16 years and continues to inspire kids through his work as a master STEM teacher at a Bay Area independent school.

Contact Jen and Rick at

Motorsports probably began when the second automobile was produced and someone said, “mine is faster than yours”.  Originally, races were held on public roads. Then for various reasons, including safety and financial, automobile racing moved to closed courses.

But the thrill of competition and the joy of overcoming obstacles could not be confined to a closed course.  A new sport evolved to enjoy automotive competition safely and legally on public roads.  That is the sport of road rallies.

Dr. Robison worked in industry for 30 years, lectured at Sonoma State University for 20 years, and served in the U.S. Army Reserve for 22 years.  He also found time to organize and participate in countless road rallies for over 60 years.   Now retired, his hobbies include writing (short stories and books) and, of course, road rallies.

Contact Jim at

Join me and my expertise in uncovering the long-forgotten stories of the past. Learn of the rivalry of close brothers to the undecided currency of past America, or meteor-struck desert glass. By taking a moment of your time, you will be one of the prestigious, select few who will see the physical the physical objects behind these rare, long forgotten stories.   (led by Rowan Kloski, 11yo, for other gifted youth and any adults interested in ephemera) 

Rowan Kloski, 11 years old,  is happiest when he is finding out new hidden stories behind the world in which we daily live. Attending 6th grade, Rowan also likes almost everything!  Interests include: fencing, computer games, stamp collecting, talking to knowledgeable people about their interests, prototyping…and all while having a happy attitude and a great smile 🙂 

Contact Rowan via his dad Nick at

Join Region 8 Regional Vice Chair for a discussion about American Mensa, Region 8, and your local groups. Please come with your questions, thoughts, and ideas.

Michael Eager is the Regional Vice Chair for the Pacific Intermountain Region which includes SFRM and ten other local groups from Alaska to Montana to Nevada. Previously he served multiple terms as SFRM’s Local Secretary.

Contact Michael at

TBD

Come to this fun and informative session to learn about role playing games (RPG’s) and how they are more accessible than ever.  You might have heard that this is the 50th anniversary of Dungeons and Dragons but did you know that there are hundreds of other role playing systems out there?  This talk will show you how collaborative storytelling through deeply meaningful world-imagery can be something you can do with a group, even one other person, or even alone!  

Nick Kloski is a Mensa member living in the East Bay (Walnut Creek / Danville).  For years he has collected RPG systems and enjoyed thinking about how to create worlds of meaning through those systems.  An English major by schooling, but a techie by trade, Nick brings a good balance of perspectives to this topic 🙂

Contact Nick at

Immigration: Do we want it? Do we need it? Can we manage it? And how?

These are some of the Immigration questions we can debate. If you want other questions, email me: Do we want it? Do we need it? Can we manage it? And how?

These are some of the Immigration questions we can debate.  

Debate Room is a series of moderated, roundtable discussions, often on incendiary topics. It is NOT a shouting match! On the contrary, Debate Room tracks at various AGs and RGs have proven able to achieve a virtually pure signal-to-noise ratio even in rooms full of polarized Mensans. Understanding has been increased, and although strong views may not have been greatly changed, they have been refined while neutrals have become better informed.

This talk will explore the politics of the “math wars” in California and my experience as a public school student. Math education has a long history of debate and revision. Every eight years, California updates its recommendations for teaching math. The latest Math Framework, approved in 2023, has had ignited a fierce debate between equity and global competitiveness. This talk will delve into implications positive and negative the Math Framework to the gifted learner, and my own math journey.

I am a junior at Palo Alto Highschool. I am an advanced math learner and have completed several college level math classes – several in person at Stanford University.

Contact Elizabeth at

Some observers claim that advertisers are using subliminal techniques to inject sales messages directly into our subconscious, where they can impact our behavior at a direct, insidious, almost hypnotic level. Most strongly associated with a time when the creative revolution in advertising became intertwined with 1970s pop psycology, believers in subliminal advertising saw the word SEX hidden in ads, as well as disembodied genitals, alternative hidden ad scenarios and bizarre Jungian symbology chock full of skulls, death masks and weird animals. But was subliminal advertising real or merely pareidolia and pervy imaginations? And, if real, did it really make people buy stuff? Come see some egregious examples and decide for yourself.

Gregg Siegel – Gregg Siegel is a freelance advertising copywriter, short humor writer, former freelance joke writer for several late night shows and comedians, and a competitive performance punner. None of these activities utilize subliminal techniques. As far as you know.

Contact Gregg at

Good clean fun from our members, with no racial, sexist or mean spirited jokes. The audience may even vote on the BEST joke?! Yes, we like monkey jokes…..

Surprisingly invited back for a fourth time to enjoy and facilitate our members sharing their sense of humor.

Contact Ed at

Description …

Description coming …

Debate Room is a series of moderated, roundtable discussions, often on incendiary topics. It is NOT a shouting match! On the contrary, Debate Room tracks at various AGs and RGs have proven able to achieve a virtually pure signal-to-noise ratio even in rooms full of polarized Mensans. Understanding has been increased, and although strong views may not have been greatly changed, they have been refined while neutrals have become better informed.