From July 27 – 30, 2017, PulpFest will celebrate the “Hardboiled Dicks, Dangerous Dames, and a Few of the Psychos” of the great pulp magazines. It was in such rough-paper periodicals as BLACK MASK and DIME DETECTIVE MAGAZINE that the hardboiled detective genre took shape and flourished. Still inspiring authors and readers across the globe, the hardboiled dick and dangerous dame had to be, as Raymond Chandler suggested, “the best man (or woman) in his world and a good enough man (or woman) for any world.”
The “hard-boiled detectives knew well how the world worked, that it was too often an ugly, unfair and brutal place that buried gentle virtues and kind gestures under spadefuls of smothering darkness …. They understood that they were trying to make a decent living in an often indecent business, but it was more than that. Deep down, they wanted to help humanity, wanted to restore compassion and kindness to the world — wanted, say, for themselves and others to be able to enjoy Christmas like a kid.”
Let’s hope a knight errant of the hardboiled school is around to help this poor woman enjoy her holidays. It’s not looking too good for her. The painting — by David Saunders — and the quote just above — by John Wooley and John McMahan — is from HARD-BOILED CHRISTMAS STORIES, an anthology of ten yuletide homicide tales published in 2012 by Reverse Karma Press. It’s highly recommended.
Here’s wishing everyone a healthy and happy holiday season from your PulpFest organizing committee — Jack and Sally Cullers, Mike Chomko, Bill Lampkin, Barry Traylor, and Chuck Welch
(To thank those members who will be supporting PulpFest in a very special well by staying at our host hotel — the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Pittsburgh – Cranberry — the convention is holding a “Cyber Monday” sale through January 8, 2017. We’re offering those members an opportunity to lock in our 2016 prices for PulpFest 2017. If you act before January 9, you’ll save $5 on your membership fee! Exhibitors will save ten bucks for each table they rent!! What a great deal for the holidays!!!)
