In most years, PulpFest releases its annual newsletter in April at the Windy City Pulp and Paper Convention. But as we all know, this year isn’t like most years. Due to the continuing COVID-19 pandemic, Chicago’s annual pulp con has been postponed until September.
Like most conventions, PulpFest doesn’t know what the future holds. Currently, our organizing committee is monitoring the situation and consulting with our host hotel. At the same time, we are continuing to work toward mounting PulpFest 2021 in August.
We’d love to release our newsletter in the early spring as usual. However, given the unsettled state of convention-going, it doesn’t make sense to spend all that money on printing and mailing costs if our plans must change.
Due to the delay of our annual newsletter, we’ve decided to revive the PulpFest email list. We’ll still be writing about PulpFest and popular culture on our homepage and social media sites. Our “E-letter” will focus on the “behind-the-scenes” planning for this summer’s convention. So be sure to sign up for the PulpFest E-letter by clicking here. Just give us your name and email address and click the “submit” button.
PulpFest will continue to assess developments. We will advise you of any changes to our plans through our website, social media pages, AND our PulpFest E-letter. So be sure to bookmark our homepage, follow us on Twitter and Instagram, like us on Facebook, and subscribe to the PulpFest E-letter using the form on the right side or at bottom of this page.
PulpFest 2021 is scheduled for August 19 – 22 at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Pittsburgh – Cranberry, just north of Pittsburgh in Mars, Pennsylvania. Whether this will be your first PulpFest or your 49th, you’ll find a tremendous gathering of people who share your interests and love anything to do with pulps and popular culture. You’ll receive a heartfelt welcome at PulpFest, the longest-running pulp convention in the world!
(The February/March 1932 number of FRONT PAGE STORIES — with cover art by Elliott Dold — was the second issue of this short-lived pulp. It was published by Harold B. Hersey through his Headquarters Publishing Corporation.
Following the advent of Prohibition in 1920, crime exploded across America. Stories of bootleggers and gang wars filled the newspapers. Hollywood took notice and so did Harold Hersey. One of his first pulp magazines — THE DRAGNET MAGAZINE — featured “Detective and Crook Stories.” Another Hersey pulp — THE UNDERWORLD MAGAZINE — offered readers “New Detective – Gangster – Mystery Stories.”
In late 1929, Hersey’s Good Story Magazines introduced the first gang pulp, GANGSTER STORIES. It was a hit. Hersey soon followed with RACKETEER STORIES. Little wonder that FRONT PAGE STORIES favored crime and gangsters on its front covers.)
