What Was Planned for the Canceled PulpFest 2020
PulpFest is the summertime convention for fans of popular culture both old and new. It seeks to honor the pulps by drawing attention to the many ways these throwaway magazines have inspired writers, artists, film directors, game designers, and other creators over the years.
Although PulpFest 2020 has been canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic, we thought we’d leave up our planned schedule for a taste of what was meant to be another fine convention.
In 2020, PulpFest was to focus on a pair of creators and a magazine at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Pittsburgh – Cranberry in Mars, PA. We hope to announce our 2021 programming plans by the fall of this year. In the meantime, please check out what we were planning for this year’s gathering.
PulpFest 2020 will salute the centennial of author Ray Bradbury’s birth; the 100th anniversary of BLACK MASK — the pulp where the hardboiled detective story took root; and the 120th anniversary of the birth of WEIRD TALES artist Margaret Brundage. “Bradbury, BLACK MASK, and Brundage” have inspired and continue to inspire creators the world over.
And if three “B’s” aren’t enough for you, how about Burroughs, Brackett, Baum, and a couple of “B” movies?
So what’s your taste? Uncanny tales of wizards and warriors? Mysteries that leave you breathless? Dark demonic plots? Awe-inspiring intergalactic wars? They all have their roots in the pulps.
At PulpFest, you’ll discover new tales by the writers of Batman and Green Lantern. The novels that inspired STAR WARS. Horror tales that’ll freeze your spine and thrillers awash in enough blood to make Quentin Tarantino blanch.
Join us at PulpFest 2020 to find your next favorite read!
PulpFest 2020 Schedule
Thursday, August 6
Dealers’ Room
1:00 PM – 7:30 PM — Dealers’ Room Set-Up
3:00 PM – 7:30 PM — Member Registration and Early-Bird Shopping
Evening Programming
8:00 – 8:45 PM — Visions of Mars: The Early Years (Henry G. Franke, III)
8:50 – 9:35 PM — Science Fiction: To What Purpose? (David and Daniel Ritter of First Fandom Experience)
9:40 – 10:25 PM — BLACK MASK — The Early Years (Walker Martin and Ed Hulse) (1920 – 1940)
10:30 – 11:15 PM — Visions of Mars: The Pulp Years (Sara Light-Waller)
11:20 – 12:50 AM — Ray Bradbury’s THE BEAST FROM 20,000 FATHOMS
Friday, August 7
Dealers’ Room
9:00 AM – 10:00 AM — Early Registration and Dealers’ Room Set-Up
10:00 AM – 4:45 PM — Dealers’ Room Open to All PulpFest Members
Afternoon Programming
12:00 – 2:00 PM — Visions of Mars — The Art of Barsoom (Sponsored by The Burroughs Bibliophiles)
3:30 – 4:45 PM — Auction Preview
4:00 – 4: 50 PM — Bradbury in Oz — The Yellow Brick Road to the Pulps (Sara Light-Waller)
Author Readings
1:00 – 1:30 PM — Craig McDonald, author of the Edgar-nominated HECTOR LASSITER series
1:35 – 2:05 PM — Wayne Carey, contributing author of QUATERMAIN: THE NEW ADVENTURES, published by Airship 27
2:10 – 2:40 PM — Geary Gravel, author of JOHN CARTER OF MARS: GODS OF THE FORGOTTEN, published by Edgar Rice Burroughs, Inc.
2:45 – 3:15 PM — Win Scott Eckert, Wold Newton writer and author of TARZAN: BATTLE FOR PELLUCIDAR, published by Edgar Rice Burroughs, Inc.
3:20 – 3:50 PM — Christopher Paul Carey, Wold Newton author and Director of Publishing at Edgar Rice Burroughs, Inc.
Evening Programming
6:55 – 7:00 PM — Welcome to PulpFest (Convention Chairman Jack Cullers)
7:00 – 7:45 PM — Visions of Mars: The Modern Years (Albert Wendland)
7:50 – 8:35 PM — BLACK MASK — The Popular Years (John Wooley and John Gunnison) (1940 – 1951 and beyond)
8:40 – 9:25 PM — Ray Bradbury in the 25th Century (Donald Simpson)
9:30 – 10:15 PM — The Weird Tales of Margaret Brundage (Doug Ellis)
10:20 – 11:05 PM — Bradbury in Hollywood (Martin Grams)
11:10 – 11:55 PM — FarmerCon XV — The Many Adventures of Philip José Farmer (panelists to be announced)
12:00 – 1:30 AM — Ray Bradbury’s IT CAME FROM OUTER SPACE
Saturday, August 8
Dealers’ Room
10:00 AM – 4:45 PM — Dealers’ Room Open to All PulpFest Members
Afternoon Programming
12:00 – 2:00 PM — Visions of Mars — The Art of Barsoom (Sponsored by The Burroughs Bibliophiles)
2:35 – 3:20 PM — News from Tarzana: Thrilling Updates from Edgar Rice Burroughs, Inc. (featuring ERB, Inc. Director of Publishing Christopher Paul Carey and ERB, Inc. Vice President of Operations Cathy Willibanks)
3:25 – 4:10 PM — The Edgar Rice Burroughs Universe Expands: New Tales of Tarzan, John Carter, Carson of Venus, and More! (authors Win Scott Eckert, Geary Gravel, and Matt Betts, with ERB, Inc. Director of Publishing Christopher Paul Carey moderating)
3:30 – 4:45 PM — Auction Preview
4:15 – 5:00 PM — World-Building in Genre Fiction (authors Win Scott Eckert, Geary Gravel, Sara Light-Waller, and Joab Stieglitz, with Christopher Paul Carey moderating)
Author Readings
12:50 – 1:20 PM — Will Murray, licensed author of THE WILD ADVENTURES OF DOC SAVAGE and THE WILD ADVENTURES OF TARZAN
1:25 – 1:55 PM — Frank Schildiner, Wold Newton alternate history and continuation author of Carriere’s THE MONSTER OF FRANKENSTEIN series, published by Black Coat Press
2:00 – 2:30 PM — Matt Betts, author of CARSON OF VENUS: THE EDGE OF ALL WORLDS, published by Edgar Rice Burroughs, Inc.
Evening Programming
7:00 – 7:30 PM — PulpFest Annual Business Meeting (meet the convention organizers)
7:30 – 7:45 PM — Munsey Award Presentation (presented by George Vanderburgh)
7:50 – 8:40 PM — Visions of Bradbury: The Author at 100 (Garyn Roberts)
7:30 – 8:30 PM — Registration for Auction Bidding by non-PulpFest Members
9:00 – 11:55 PM — Saturday Night Auction
Sunday, August 9
Dealers’ Room
9:00 AM – 2:00 PM — Dealers’ Room Open to All (dealers may be packing up; buying opportunities may be limited)
Please note that the schedule above is for informational purposes only. PulpFest 2020 has been canceled.
(Every year, PulpFest celebrates mystery, adventure, science fiction, and other forms of genre fiction. The rough paper magazines played a major role in the development of fiction categories. Pulp publisher Street & Smith pioneered the specialized fiction magazine when it introduced DETECTIVE STORY MAGAZINE in late 1915. Although DETECTIVE STORY emphasized the more traditional or “clued” detective story, it helped to pave the way for BLACK MASK and its gritty style of crime fiction.
Debuting in 1920, BLACK MASK would introduce the world to the hardboiled detectives of Carol John Daly, Dashiell Hammett, Raymond Chandler, and many other fine writers. The BLACK MASK style of storytelling continues to influence fiction writers to this very day.
Perhaps one of the most iconic of the BLACK MASK detectives was Dashiell Hammett’s Sam Spade. The character was the protagonist of “The Maltese Falcon,” a novel serialized in five parts, beginning with the September 1929 number of BLACK MASK. The issue featured cover art by H. C. Murphy.)=
