PulpFest returns to the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Pittsburgh – Cranberry in 2021. The convention is planned for August 19 through 21 in the town of Mars, just north of Pittsburgh. At this writing, the wearing of masks will be required. However, with COVID restrictions evolving, that requirement may change. It’s recommended that attendees be vaccinated against the coronavirus.
PulpFest is named for pulp magazines — fiction periodicals named after the cheap pulp paper on which they were printed. Over the years, these throwaway magazines have inspired writers, artists, film directors, game designers, and other creators in many ways.
“Love in the Shadows” is the theme of PulpFest 2021. The convention will salute the centennial of Street & Smith’s LOVE STORY MAGAZINE — the best-selling pulp of all time — and the 90th anniversary of THE SHADOW — the magazine that launched the hero pulp explosion of the 1930s.
One of the highlights of the convention will be a panel on Shadow creator Walter B. Gibson. Moderated by Ed Hulse — the author of THE ART OF PULP FICTION — the panel will feature writer Will Murray, artist Jim Steranko, and publisher Anthony Tollin. All three panelists knew Gibson.
PulpFest will also honor WEIRD TALES artist Margaret Brundage as well as artists Earle K. Bergey and Enoch Bolles, writer Edgar Rice Burroughs — creator of Tarzan, John Carter, Pellucidar, and many other fantastic worlds and characters — and the great women editors of the pulps.
All this, plus an expansive dealers’ room packed with pulp magazines and related materials, vintage paperbacks, digests, men’s adventure and true crime magazines, contemporary genre fiction, first-edition hardcovers, series books, dime novels, original art, Big Little Books, Golden, Silver, and Bronze Age comic books, old-time-radio shows, gaming materials, and film serials, B-movies and related collectibles, and more!
In addition to a great time, all PulpFest members will receive a complimentary copy of the convention’s program book, THE PULPSTER. Cherished by pop culture fans, the magazine’s 30th issue will be released at PulpFest 2021.
To learn more about PulpFest 2021 — including how to register for the convention and book a room at the hotel, the 2021 programming schedule, the Munsey Award, and more, please visit the convention’s homepage at pulpfest.com. You can also learn about PulpFest on its Facebook page, Twitter feed, or via Instagram.