PulpFest is very pleased to announce that FarmerCon — a gathering of the many fans of author Philip José Farmer — will be on hand this August to help us celebrate our Golden Anniversary at PulpFest 50.
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.
Over the years, FarmerCon has presented a range of panels and presentations at PulpFest. We’ve had presentations on the pulp elements found in the Science Fiction Grand Master’s canon; the horror fiction of Philip José Farmer; the pulp influences on some of Philip José Farmer’s most notable characters; collaborations between Farmer and writers of contemporary popular fiction; the late writer Robert Bloch’s relationship with Peoria’s Grand Master of Science Fiction; Farmer, Tarzan, and Doc Savage; and even a big, multi-presentation celebration of Phil Farmer in 2018, marking the centennial of the author’s birth.
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. After an absence of two years, they’re planning to mark the occasion of their return to PulpFest with yet another exciting panel presentation on the celebrated author from Peoria, Illinois.
We hope you’ll join PulpFest 50 and FarmerCon XVII on Thursday, August 4, beginning at 10:30 PM for our latest FarmerCon panel. Pulp scholar Rick Lai will moderate a discussion with Win Scott Eckert and Frank Schildiner about Farmer’s Lord Grandrith and Doc Caliban, including the Lovecraftian elements in the latest Secrets of the Nine novel, The Monster on Hold. We’ll also have a Meteor House panel on Friday, August 5, beginning at 3:30 PM.
Over many years, Rick Lai has distinguished himself with erudite and insightful scholarship that has made him respected among Wold Newtonians and purists alike. He has written countless articles, as well as many books, including Chronology of Shadows: A Timeline of The Shadow’s Exploits, The Return of Judex, The Revised Complete Chronology of Bronze, Rick Lai’s Secret Histories: Daring Adventurers, Rick Lai’s Secret Histories: Criminal Masterminds, and Shadows of the Opera: Retribution in Blood. Rick is one of the nominees for the 2022 Munsey Award, to be presented at PulpFest 50 on Saturday, August 6. To learn more about Rick, read “PulpFest Profile — The Shadow of Rick Lai.”
Win Scott Eckert launched the first Wold Newton website, The Wold Newton Universe in 1997. For the last quarter-century, he has written or co-written novels and short stories featuring characters such as Philip José Farmer’s Patricia Wildman, cult favorites Honey West and T. H. E. Cat, and classic properties such as The Avenger, Captain Midnight, Doc Ardan, the Domino Lady, the Green Ghost, the Green Hornet, the Lone Ranger, the Phantom, Phileas Fogg, the Scarlet Pimpernel, Sexton Blake, Sherlock Holmes, Tarzan, and Zorro. The editor of and a contributor to Myths for the Modern Age: Philip José Farmer’s Wold Newton Universe, co-editor of Tales of the Wold Newton Universe, and author of Crossovers: A Secret Chronology of the World, Win’s latest book is The Monster on Hold, based on Philip José Farmer’s partial manuscripts and copious notes.
A martial arts instructor and freelance writer from New Jersey, Frank Schildiner has been a pulp fan since reading Philip José Farmer’s Tarzan Alive. He has written Black Bat, Major Sabath, Ravenwood, and Secret Agent X stories for Airship 27; Avenger yarns for Moonstone Books; tales of Thunder Jim Wade, Richard Knight, and more for Pro Se Productions; and contributed regularly to Black Coat Press’s Tales of the Shadowmen series. Frank has also continued the legends of the Frankenstein monster and vampires for Black Coat Press and penned his own “Secrets of the Nine” novella and more for Meteor House.
A publisher of science fiction and fantasy, Meteor House publishes authorized limited edition novellas written by contemporary authors that are set in the worlds of Philip José Farmer; original science fiction and fantasy novels and novellas; high-end limited edition hardcovers of Farmer’s classic works; and The Worlds of Philip José Farmer anthology series.
And don’t forget the after-hours socializing that the fans of Philip José Farmer are known to enjoy. These gatherings are always vibrant, entertaining, and informative. You’ll find all this and more at FarmerCon XVII, taking place from August 4 – 7 at PulpFest 50.
The general public is welcome to attend our evening programming events. To learn more about our schedule, please click the Programming button at the top of this page.
To enjoy our dealers’ room, join PulpFest 50 by clicking the Registration button at the top of this page. And don’t forget to book a room at the DoubleTree by Hilton Pittsburgh — Cranberry in Mars, Pennsylvania. They’re going fast!
Although “O’Brien and Obrenov” was Philip José Farmer’s first published story — appearing in the March 1946 issue of Popular Publications’ Adventure — the Grand Master of Science Fiction’s first published science fiction story was “The Lovers.” It ran in the August 1952 number of Standard Magazines’ Startling Stories, with cover art by Earle K. Bergey.
The first science fiction story to deal with sexual relations between humans and aliens, “The Lovers” won the budding new author a 1952 Hugo Award as “Most Promising New Writer.” Considered groundbreaking, it instantly gave Farmer a name worth watching. In 1961, an expanded first edition of The Lovers — with cover art by Richard Powers — was published by Ballantine.
The latest “Secrets of the Nine” novel, The Monster on Hold, was written by Win Scott Eckert, based on Philip José Farmer’s partial manuscripts and copious notes. Published by Meteor House in 2021, the dust jacket art for the Signed Limited Edition is by Mark Wheatley.
