Accolades for the 2010 edition of PulpFest have been pouring in from all over the Internet. With 394 registrations, the convention closed in on four hundred members, while its panels and presentations were very well received. And where else can you go to see thousands of pulp magazines?

The reporting began on Friday, July 30, when Laurie Powers began a three-part post to her Internet blog, Laurie’s Wild West. A highly regarded writer, Laurie is also the granddaughter of Paul Powers, one of the original pulpsters and the author of many stories originally published by Wild West Weekly. Laurie’s report was soon followed by longtime pulp fan and conventioneer Walker Martin when he logged onto the Yahoo news group Pulpmags, and offered his view of PulpFest 2010. Both reports can be found on Laurie’s blog. Walker’s is also available on Steve Lewis’ Mystery*File.

For those who enjoy the work of Robert E. Howard, the creator of Conan, Morgan Holmes has posted a convention report at the REHupa website, the blog for the members of the Robert E. Howard United Press Association. For a look at PulpFest 2010 from a Howardian perspective, please visit the association’s site.

Mike Nevins, Bill Nolan, Don Hutchison, Laurie Powers, and Ed Hulse discussing the pulp Western at PulpFest 2010.

And for those of you who would like a more visual presentation, there are plenty of pictures available from this year’s convention. Adirondack reporter Lohr McKinstry has about a dozen photos posted on Flickr, Yahoo’s public photography archive. And Brian Earl Brown, the official editor of the Pulp Era Amateur Press Society and publisher of  BEB Books, has over forty pictures elsewhere on Flickr. Finally, if you belong to Pulpmags, the Yahoo news group devoted to discussing the history of pulp magazines, David Lee Smith has posted twenty more photos from this year’s con.

Planning is already underway for PulpFest 2011 which will be even bigger and better than this year’s event. See you next summer!

Rusty Burke, Walker Martin, Laurie Powers, and John Gunnison of Adventure House enjoying themselves at PulpFest 2010!

Following dealer set-up on Thursday evening, PulpFest 2010 officially got underway at 8 AM this morning. As always, the show began with the typical feeding frenzy as book and pulp collectors scoured the room searching for this or that long elusive volume. The convention’s programming schedule began at 2 PM when Mike Nevins discussed his forthcoming book, Cornucopia of Crime. Dave Walker follwed with a reading from his new Captain Midnight story, The Dawn of Midnight. There will be a lot more programming during the evening hours including Bill Nolan’s guest of honor presentation and Don Hutchison’s panel on the pulp Western. Rounding out this evening’s programming will be publisher Steven Haffner’s multi-media look at science fiction author Leigh Brackett and Anthony Tollin’s discussion of the 80th anniversary of the Shadow’s radio debut.

There’s still plenty of time to join in on the fun. The dealers’ room will be open until 5 PM on Friday and from 9 AM to 5 PM on Saturday. Sunday will be a bit shorter, from 10 am to 3 PM. The evening programming schedules for Friday and Saturday nights will run from 7 PM until 12 AM. Tomorrow’s programming will include afternoon presentations by Doc Savage author Will Murray and another by popular culture expert Martin Grams. The evening programming will include an auction, a panel on the classic detective pulp, Black Mask Magazine, and presentation of the 2010 Munsey Award.

Admission to the show is $15 per day or $35 for all three days, allowing entry to all convention activities. The general public is very much welcome to attend.

PulpFest 2010 will begin tomorrow. Dealer set-up will take place from 6 PM to 12 AM. Early registration will begin at 7 PM at a location to be determined. Information will be available in the hotel lobby.

To all of you who will be attending PulpFest, we look forward to seeing you. Please have a safe journey to Columbus.

Barry Traylor, Ed Hulse, Jack Cullers, and Mike Chomko

PulpFest 2010 continues the proud tradition of a summer pulp con, now in its 39th year. A new and improved version of the venerable convention catering to fans and collectors of vintage popular fiction, join us…

Friday, July 30th – Sunday, August 1st
at the Ramada Plaza Hotel and Convention Center
in Columbus, Ohio

For further details on a variety of topics including the Munsey Award, please explore our website. We hope to see you at the end of July 2010.

The PulpFest Organizing Committee would like to thank the following people whose invaluable assistance helped to make PulpFest 2009 a resounding success:

Sally Cullers, Samantha Cullers, Aaron Cullers, John Gunnison, Mark Trost, Chris Kalb, David Saunders, Dan Zimmer, Steve Haynes, Phil Nelson, John Wehler, Curt Phillips, Rusty Burke, Morgan Holmes, Kurt Shoemaker, Rick Hall, Nicholas Hauser, Barry Traylor, Mark Halegua, Lohr McKinstry, Dave Kurzman, Walker Martin, Scott Hartshorn, Vineetha Thomas and Diane Share of Experience Columbus, and Meri Lynne Stumbo, Beth Sweet, Mark Carr, Jack, Patrick, Andrew and the rest of the staff at the Ramada Plaza Hotel and Convention Center.

The Organizing Committee would also like to thank all of the folks who helped to assemble The Pulpster #18:

Tony Davis, Bill Lampkin, Rex Layton, Monte Herridge, Mike Chomko, Garyn Roberts, Nick Carr, Dean Cartier, Joseph Wrzos, the late Edd Cartier, Barry Traylor, Peter Chomko, Will Murray and the magazine’s sponsors–Altus Press, Age of Aces Books, Girasol Collectables, Dwight Fuhro, Black Coat Press, Mike Chomko Books, Off-Trail Publications, Fenham Publishing, and The Pulp Art Gallery.

And many thanks to all of the presenters who informed and entertained everyone who attended our programming events:

Doug Ellis, John Gunnison, Walker Martin, Tom Roberts, Don Hutchison, Garyn Roberts, Rick Davis, Karen Cunningham, Nick Carr, Ron Fortier, Bill Maynard, Shelby Rhodes, Warlock Vance, Mike Glagola, Stephen Haffner, Anthony Tollin, Will Murray, Eric Johnson, Ian Lohr, our Guest of Honor, Otto Penzler, our masters of ceremonies, Jack Cullers and Ed Hulse,  auction organizers Barry Traylor, Mike Chomko, Aaron Cullers, and Sam Cullers, and the Lamont Award winners who helped to select the winner of the 2009 Munsey Award, Bill Thom.

Finally, thanks to all of the conventions, book shows, websites, magazines and newspapers that helped to promote our show as well as the dealers, attending members and supporting members of PulpFest 2009. Truly, it was your encouragement and support that ultimately made our convention a great success. We hope to see you all back in 2010, along with a good many newcomers who will join in the fun at PulpFest 2010.