PulpFest 50 will be here in 60 days! On Thursday, August 4, be one of the hundreds of pop-culture fans who will be arriving at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Pittsburgh – Cranberry, just north of Pittsburgh in the town of Mars, Pennsylvania. Click the button marked “Registration” at the top of this page to learn how to join this summer’s annual get-together for fans of popular fiction and art.
PulpFest is known for its superb programming. The presentations that we have planned for this year’s convention are no exception!
PulpFest 50 will be celebrating “A Half-Century of Pulp Cons” and focusing on “Action for a Dime!” We’ll be celebrating the centennial of Fiction House — the pulp magazine and comic book publisher — and the 90th anniversary of Popular Publications’ “Dime” line of pulp magazines, particularly Dime Western and Dime Mystery. Both magazines debuted in 1932 and played a major role in the evolution of popular fiction.
One of the highlights of our 2021 convention will be a panel on “Fifty Years of PulpFest.” Moderated by William Lampkin — PulpFest advertising director and editor of The Pulpster — the panelists will include PulpFest chairperson Jack Cullers, former Pulpster editor Tony Davis, and writers Walker Martin and Laurie Powers. All five panel members have either won the Lamont, Munsey, or Rusty Award.
Additionally, PulpFest 50 will have presentations on Nick Eggenhoffer — known as the “Dean of Western Illustrators” — and artist George Gross, fondly remembered as the cover artist for The Avenger and Nick Carter paperback series. The convention will also run the 1940 Republic Pictures movie serial, King of the Royal Mounted.
But that’s not all. PulpFest is very happy to welcome back FarmerCon, a gathering of the many fans of author Philip José Farmer.
Since 2011, PulpFest has hosted FarmerCon, a convention that began in Peoria, Illinois, the hometown of Philip José Farmer. Originally a gathering of Farmer fans figuratively, and literally, right outside Phil’s back door, FarmerCon offered presentations, dinners, and even picnics at the author’s house. After the passing of Phil and Bette Farmer in 2009, it was decided to take FarmerCon on the road to broaden its horizons. By holding the convention alongside PulpFest, Farmer fans get a variety of programming and a room full of pulp and book dealers to enjoy.
Our Farmer friends will be returning to PulpFest in 2022 for FarmerCon XVII, celebrating the life and times of Philip José Farmer, longtime pulp fan and Grand Master of Science Fiction.
The general public is welcome to attend our evening programming events.
In the weeks ahead, we’ll be posting here about our dealers, our great programming line-up, our PULPSTER program book, the writers who will be appearing at PulpFest, and much more. You can keep abreast of all these updates by bookmarking our homepage or liking us on Facebook. You can also follow us on Twitter or through Instagram. Don’t forget to sign up for the PulpFest e-letter — focusing on the “behind-the-scenes” planning for this summer’s convention — by clicking here. Just give us your name and email address and click the “submit” button.
PulpFest 50 will take place from August 4 – 7 at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Pittsburgh – Cranberry in Mars, Pennsylvania. You can become a member of the convention by clicking the Registration button on the PulpFest website.
If you need lodging, you’ll also be able to book a room through our site or by calling 800-222-8733. Be sure to mention PulpFest in order to receive the convention rate. By staying at the DoubleTree by Hilton, you’ll help to ensure the convention’s success. Given its popularity, we urge every member to book a hotel room for PulpFest 50 as soon as possible. The earlier you place your room reservation for this year’s PulpFest, the greater chance you will have of landing a room at this beautiful hotel.
Join us at PulpFest 50 for “A Half-Century of Pulp Cons,” “Action for a Dime!” and FarmerCon XVII. You’ll have a FANTASTIC time!
So what’s your taste? Heroic warriors and omnipotent sorcerers? Mysteries that leave you breathless? Adventures inside the earth or beyond the farthest star? Finding true love when least expected? All have their roots in the pulps. PulpFest is the convention for fans of popular culture and genre fiction both old and new. It celebrates the many ways that pulp magazines have inspired writers, artists, film directors, game designers, and other creators over the years.
The March 1946 Adventure is important in the life of Philip José Farmer because it marked the publication of his first sale as a writer. His novella, “O’Brien and Obrenov,” concerns the occupation of a German town at the end of World War II. The American and Russian forces occupying the town argue over who can claim the high-ranking German they have captured. According to The Official Philip José Farmer Web Page, “The way they decide to settle their argument is hilarious, but the final outcome is even better.”
Griffith Foxley’s cover for the March 1946 issue of Popular Publications’Adventure. The artist painted at least one other cover for Adventure, the July 1940 number. He also painted covers for true crime magazines such as Master Detective and True Detective Mysteries and created interior art for Liberty.
Foxley is best remembered for his paperback book cover paintings, including the Dell first edition of Fredric Brown’s Madball, Ernest Hemingway’s Across the River and Through the Trees, and the Donald Lam and Bertha Cool mystery, Top of the Heap. He seemed to primarily work for Dell’s paperback line.
The two PulpFest postcards were both adapted by PulpFest advertising director William Lampkin. Featured are Walter Baumhofer’s cover art for the March 1934 Dime Western Magazine and George Gross’s cover art for the Spring 1948 Jungle Stories, published by Fiction House.
