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Last Call for Munsey Nominations
Apr 24, 2019 by Mike Chomko
PulpFest annually recognizes the efforts of those who work to keep the pulps alive for this and future generations. The Munsey Award is named after the creator of the pulp magazine, Frank A. Munsey. It recognizes an individual or institution that has bettered the pulp community. Past winners have studied and written about the pulps. Others have worked in publishing, as artists, or in convention organizing to preserve and foster interest in pulp magazines.
Anyone is welcome to nominate a deserving individual or organization for the Munsey Award. Please send a brief explanation with your nomination to PulpFest marketing and programming director Mike Chomko. You can reach him at mike@pulpfest.com or at 2217 W. Fairview Street, Allentown, PA 18104-6542.
All members of the pulp community, excepting past winners of the Munsey, Hevelin, or Lamont Awards, are eligible. The deadline for nominations is April 30, 2019.
The recipient of the 2019 Munsey Award will be selected from the nominees through a vote cast by all the living Lamont, Munsey, and Rusty Award winners. The award will be presented on Saturday evening, August 17, at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Pittsburgh – Cranberry, the host hotel for PulpFest 2019.
Our 2018 Munsey Award winner was William Lampkin. You can read about Bill by clicking here.
(The Munsey Award was created in 2009 by artist David Saunders, the son of legendary illustrator Norman Saunders. Dan Zimmer of The Illustrated Press and publisher of ILLUSTRATION MAGAZINE has produced a limited edition of thirty-six numbered and signed prints. The PulpFest Committee is indebted to both David and Dan for their generous support of our convention.)
Our 2019 Munsey Award Winner
Our 2019 Munsey Award Nominees
Help Choose the 2019 Munsey Award
Lamont Award
Lampkin
Dec 10, 2018 by Mike Chomko
Every year, PulpFest recognizes those who work to keep the pulps alive for this and future generations with the Munsey Award. A service award, it honors Frank A. Munsey, the publisher of the first pulp magazine. William Lampkin won our 2018 Munsey Award. You can read about Bill by clicking here.
We are now accepting nominations for the 2019 Munsey Award. Previous winners of the Lamont, Munsey, or Rusty Award are not eligible for the award. Click here to see our previous winners.
To nominate someone for this prestigious award, please provide a brief statement of your reasons. Send it to PulpFest marketing and programming director Mike Chomko at mike@pulpfest.com. You can also reach Mike at 2217 W. Fairview Street, Allentown, PA 18104-6542.
The deadline for nominations is April 30, 2019. The living Lamont, Munsey, and Rusty Award winners will select the receipient. The award will be presented on Saturday evening, August 17, at PulpFest 2019.
The convention will take place at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Pittsburgh – Cranberry. It will begin on Thursday, August 15, and run through Sunday, August 18.
(Pictured above, the Munsey Award was created in 2009 by artist David Saunders, the son of legendary illustrator Norman Saunders. Dan Zimmer of The Illustrated Press and publisher of ILLUSTRATION MAGAZINE produced a limited signed and numbered edition of the award. The PulpFest Committee is indebted to both David and Dan for their generous support of our community.)
Highlights from THE PULPSTER
William Lampkin
Our 2018 Munsey Winner
William Lampkin has been named the winner of the 2018 Munsey Award. Nominated by the general pulp community, Bill was selected through a vote cast by all the living Lamont, Munsey, and Rusty Award winners. The award is a fine art print created by David Saunders and published by Dan Zimmer of The Illustrated Press. It is presented annually to an individual or institution that has bettered the pulp community. David Saunders — winner of a special "retro" Lamont Award in 2016 — presented this year's award. As Bill was unable to attend PulpFest 2018 due to family obligations, the award was accepted by Mike Chomko.
Our 2018 Munsey Award winner, William Lampkin, is a freelance writer/editor and publication designer who has spent much of his work life in the newspaper field, much like Rambler Murphy (but without the cool nickname and crime-solving). After freelancing for a number of years, he's now the public information officer for a professional licensing board. Like many from his generation, Bill discovered the pulps through paperback reprints of Edgar Rice Burroughs, Robert E. Howard, The Shadow, Doc Savage, and The Spider. He bought his first actual pulp in the seventies. Bill runs ThePulp.Net, which he created in 1996, and also writes the Yellowed Perils blog. He founded the Facebook group Southern Pulpsters in 2015. A resident of Florida, he has designed THE PULPSTER since 2008, and beginning with its 22nd issue, became editor of the award-winning program book. The first twenty-one issues of the magazine were edited by Tony Davis, winner of the 1999 Lamont Award. Tony calls Bill: "One of the unsung heroes of contemporary pulp fandom." In late 2013, Bill also began to design PulpFest's print advertisements, badges, and other materials. He is a member of the PulpFest organizing committee, serving as the convention's advertising director and webmaster.
Congratulations to Bill for this most deserved award.
Nominations are now being accepted for the 2019 Munsey Awards. If you'd like to make a nomination for this prestigious award, please send a short explanation concerning your reasons for the nomination to PulpFest marketing and programming director Mike Chomko at mike@pulpfest.com. You can also reach Mike at 2217 W. Fairview Street, Allentown, PA 18104-6542. Previous winners of the Lamont, Munsey, or Rusty Award are not eligible for the award. Click here for a list of our previous winners.
The deadline for nominations is April 30, 2019. Please click here for additional details. Thanks for your help.
The Secret Life of Women Pulp Artists
Every year, PulpFest recognizes the efforts of those who work to keep the pulps alive for this and future generations through its Munsey Award. Named after Frank A. Munsey, the man who published the first pulp magazine, this annual award recognizes an individual or institution that has bettered the pulp community, be it through disseminating knowledge about the pulps or through publishing or other efforts to preserve and to foster interest in the pulp magazines we all love and enjoy.
Nominations for the 2018 Munsey are now being accepted. All members of the pulp community, whether they plan to attend PulpFest 2018 or not are welcome to nominate a deserving person for this year's award. If you'd like to make a nomination for this prestigious award, please send a short explanation concerning your reasons for the nomination to PulpFest marketing and programming director Mike Chomko at mike@pulpfest.com. You can also reach Mike at 2217 W. Fairview Street, Allentown, PA 18104-6542.
All members of the pulp community, excepting past winners of the Munsey, Hevelin, or Lamont Awards (which had been awarded by Pulpcon, the predecessor of PulpFest), are eligible.
The deadline for nominations is Monday, April 30, 2018. The recipient of the Munsey Award will be selected through a vote cast by all the living Lamont, Munsey, and Rusty Award winners. The award will be presented on Saturday, July 28, during the convention's evening programming at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Pittsburgh – Cranberry, the host hotel for PulpFest 2018.
Our 2017 Munsey Award winner was Phil Stephensen-Payne. You can read about Phil by clicking here.
Hevelin Award
Phil Stephensen-Payne
Every year, PulpFest recognizes the efforts of those who work to keep the pulps alive for this and future generations. The Munsey Award recognizes an individual or institution that has bettered the pulp community. The award is named after Frank A. Munsey, the man who published the first pulp magazine.
Nominations for the 2018 Munsey Award are now being accepted. All members of the pulp community are welcome to nominate a person or institution for this year's award. If you'd like to make a nomination for this prestigious award, please send a short explanation concerning your reasons for the nomination to PulpFest marketing and programming director Mike Chomko at mike@pulpfest.com. You can also reach Mike at 2217 W. Fairview Street, Allentown, PA 18104-6542.
All members of the pulp community — excepting past winners of the Munsey, Rusty, or Lamont Awards — are eligible.
The deadline for nominations is April 30, 2018. The recipient of the Munsey Award will be selected through a vote cast by all the living Lamont, Munsey, and Rusty Award winners. The 2018 Munsey Award will be presented on Saturday evening, July 28, at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Pittsburgh – Cranberry, the host hotel for PulpFest 2018. The convention will take place over the last weekend in July, beginning on Thursday evening, July 26 and running through Sunday, July 29.
Our 2017 Award Winner
Phil Stephensen-Payne has been named the winner of the 2017 Munsey Award. Nominated by the general pulp community, Phil was selected through a vote cast by all the living Lamont, Munsey, and Rusty Award winners. The award is a fine art print created by Dan Zimmer of a David Saunders painting, presented annually to an individual or institution that has bettered the pulp community. Laurie Powers, the recipient of the 2016 Munsey Award presented the award. It was accepted by Walker Martin as Phil, a retiree in the United Kingdom, was unable to attend PulpFest 2017.
Phil Stephensen-Payne is a prolific bibliographer and pulp researcher based in the United Kingdom. For many years, he has been compiling extremely useful "working bibliographies," (often in collaboration with the late Gordon Benson, Jr.) of speculative fiction writers, many of whom got their start writing for the pulps. These bibliographies, numbering about sixty, are some of the best reference resources available today in the area of science fiction and fantasy. Additionally, his Galactic Central website contains an online checklist of all known fiction magazines that is attempting to include the cover to every such magazine ever published. It also indexes bibliographies, pulps, science fiction magazines, and other genre magazines. Stephensen-Payne is also a significant contributor and host to the FictionMags Index — principally edited by William G. Contento — and co-author (with Stephen T. Miller and William G. Contento) of the CRIME, MYSTERY, AND GANGSTER FICTION MAGAZINE INDEX, originally released on CD-ROM by Locus Press in 2011.
Congratulations to Phil for this most deserved award.
Laurie Powers
Philip Stephensen-Payne
Sep 14, 2016 by Mike Chomko
Beginning with Xenophile editor Nils Hardin, the annual summer pulp con has recognized the efforts of those who work to keep the pulps alive for this and future generations. At Pulpcon, this was done through its Lamont Award. When PulpFest came into being, it sought to broaden the scope of the convention's recognition award by calling it the Munsey Award (pictured at left). Named after Frank A. Munsey, the man who published the first pulp magazine, this annual award recognizes an individual or institution that has bettered the pulp community, be it through disseminating knowledge about the pulps or through publishing or other efforts to preserve and to foster interest in the pulp magazines we all love and enjoy.
In 2012, PulpFest added the Rusty Hevelin Service Award, named for the man who had guided Pulpcon for most of its existence. This award is designed to recognize those persons who have worked long and hard for the pulp community with little thought for individual recognition. It is meant to reward especially good works, and is reserved for those individuals who are most deserving.
Below you will find a list of the recipients of these three awards. Members of this group form the panel of judges who, each year, vote for the recipient of PulpFest's Munsey and/or Rusty Award, selected from the nominees forwarded to them by the general pulp community.
Munsey Award Winners
PulpFest 2019, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania — George Vanderburgh has published over 600 books through his Battered Silicon Dispatch Box, many of them directly related to the pulps: Frederick Davis' Moon Man, Peter the Brazen, five volumes featuring the work of Seabury Quinn, the Park Avenue Hunt Club, the Green Ghost, John Solomn, the Suicide Squad, and many more. He has also given us numerous collections of detective fiction, including volumes featuring the Thinking Machine, Dr. Thorndyke, and Martin Hewitt. His future plans include several books reprinting pulp authors who have been unjustly forgotten. Along with the late Robert Weinberg, George served as the co-editor of Arkham House Publishers until the death of April Derleth. A regular attendee of pulp conventions, George has helped both longtime and new fans to collect the tales of some of the most fantastic heroes from the pulps.
PulpFest 2018, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania — like many from his generation, William Lampkin discovered the pulps through paperback reprints of Edgar Rice Burroughs, Robert E. Howard, The Shadow, Doc Savage, and The Spider. He bought his first actual pulp magazine in the 1970s. Bill runs ThePulp.Net and also writes the Yellowed Perils blog. He founded the Facebook group Southern Pulpsters in 2015. A resident of Florida, he has designed THE PULPSTER since 2008. He became editor of the award-winning program book beginning with its 22nd issue. Tony Davis — PULPSTER founder and original editor — calls Bill, "One of the unsung heroes of contemporary pulp fandom." In late 2013, Bill also began to design PulpFest's print advertisements, badges, and other materials. He is a member of the PulpFest organizing committee, serving as the convention's advertising director and webmaster, and has helped with Arizona's Doc Con. Bill has provided all his service to the pulp community ". . . with a goal of perpetuating the stories from — and the story of — the pulps."
PulpFest 2017, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania — Phil Stephensen-Payne is a prolific bibliographer and pulp researcher from the United Kingdom. For many years, he has been compiling extremely useful "working bibliographies," (often in collaboration with the late Gordon Benson, Jr.) of speculative fiction writers, many of whom got their start writing for the pulps. These bibliographies, numbering about sixty, are some of the best reference resources available today in the area of science fiction and fantasy. Additionally, his Galactic Central website contains an online checklist of all known fiction magazines that is attempting to include the cover to every such magazine ever published. It also indexes bibliographies, pulps, science fiction magazines, and other genre magazines. Stephensen-Payne is also a significant contributor and host to the FictionMags Index — principally edited by William G. Contento — and co-author (with Stephen T. Miller and William G. Contento) of the CRIME, MYSTERY, AND GANGSTER FICTION MAGAZINE INDEX, originally released on CD-ROM by Locus Press in 2011.
PulpFest 2016, Columbus, Ohio — the granddaughter of pulp author Paul S. Powers, Laurie Powers was introduced to the pulp community in 2007 through the publication of PULP WRITER: TWENTY YEARS IN THE AMERICAN GRUB STREET, an autobiography and appreciation of her grandfather. She has also edited several collections of her grandfather's work in various genres, releasing a number of previously unpublished stories. In 2013, she helped to arrange the donation of her grandfather's personal papers as well more than 400 pulp magazines featuring his work to the Rare Books and Manuscripts Library at Ohio State University in Columbus. Laurie also publishes Laurie's Wild West, an Internet blog site that has become a favorite destination for those interested in the pulps. She is currently working on a biography of pulp editor Daisy Bacon, editor of LOVE STORY MAGAZINE. At PulpFest 2016, Laurie presented "100 Years of the Specialty Pulp — LOVE STORY MAGAZINE and the Romance Pulp Phenomenon." Laurie resides in California.
PulpFest 2015, Columbus, Ohio–a resident of New Jersey, Stephen T. Miller has been helping to index the magazines for years. Along with Michael Cook, he compiled Garland Publishing's MYSTERY, DETECTIVE, AND ESPIONAGE FICTION: A CHECKLIST OF FICTION IN U.S. PULP MAGAZINES, 1915-1974, an exceptional resource for collectors of not only detective pulps, but also hero and adventure magazines. With Phil Stephensen-Payne and William G. Contento, Steve revised this classic index, issued on CD-ROM byLocus Press as CRIME, MYSTERY AND GANGSTER FICTION MAGAZINE INDEX, 1915-2010. Also with Bill Contento, Steve compiled SCIENCE FICTION, FANTASY, AND WEIRD FICTION MAGAZINE INDEX, 1890-2008, a guide to more than 900 different magazines, again published on CD-ROM by Locus Press. Additionally, Steve has helped with a great deal of pulp-related research, sharing his knowledge as well as his collection with researchers.
PulpFest 2014, Columbus, Ohio–for over 45 years, J. Randolph Cox has conducted research into pulp magazines and dime novels. He served as the editor-publisher of Dime Novel Round-Up for over twenty years. His bibliography, Man of Magic & Mystery: A Guide to the Work of Walter B. Gibson, is an excellent resource for those seeking greater understanding of the work of the man who created The Shadow. With David S. Siegel, Randy authored Flashgun Casey: Crime Photographer, a book-length study of the character originally created for Black Mask by George Harmon Coxe. Other books he has authored include Masters of Mystery and Detective Fiction: An Annotated Bibliography and The Dime Novel Companion: A Source Book. Randy recently donated his collection of comic books and newspaper strips fanzines, pulps, series books, story papers, and other materials to the University of Minnesota Libraries and his extensive collection of Walter Gibson books and Shadow pulps and comics to Gibson's alma mater, Colgate University.
PulpFest 2013, Columbus, Ohio–Professor Garyn G. Roberts has written extensively about the pulps, both professionally and as a fan. He has edited or co-edited some of the best collections from the pulps including A Cent a Story: The Best from Ten Detective Aces, More Tales of the Defective Detective in the Pulps, The Compleat Adventures of the Moon Man, The Magical Mysteries of Don Diavolo, and The Compleat Great Merlini Saga. His anthology, The Prentice Hall Anthology of Science Fiction and Fantasy, a college level textbook, is notable for the attention paid to the pulp magazines. Additionally, Garyn has helped other researchers with various pulp-related projects and often serves as a presenter and panelist at conventions.
PulpFest 2012, Columbus, Ohio–Matt Moring is the publisher at Altus Press. Reprinting pulp fiction from a wide variety of pulp genres, including hero, detective, jungle, the French Foreign Legion, and more, Matt has quickly become one of the leading publishers in the pulp world. He has also published numerous historical works on the pulps including biographies, indices, and examinations of single-character magazines. Together with Will Murray, Matt revived the Doc Savage series, publishing brand new stories after a long absence. The Altus Press website is also an excellent reference source, featuring links to The Pulp Superhero Index and The Echoes Index.
PulpFest 2011, Columbus, Ohio–Anthony Tollin, publisher, writer, and researcher, is best known for his reprints of Doc Savage, The Shadow, The Spider, and other pulp heroes that he issues under the Sanctum Books imprint. These books serve as a source of entertainment and knowledge for veteran pulp fans as well as a major gateway for new people to enter the pulp-collecting hobby. Additionally, Tony was the co-author with Walter Gibson of The Shadow Scrapbook and helped to put together and introduce numerous recorded collections of pulp-related radio programs during his association with Radio Spirits. He was also involved with several comic book interpretations of the great pulp heroes.
PulpFest 2010, Columbus, Ohio–Michael Chomko, researcher, writer, publisher, and convention volunteer who, along with the rest of the organizing committee, works to organize the annual PulpFest, summer's pulp con. In the late eighties, Mike published his first article in Echoes and later published the highly regarded Purple Prose, a fanzine devoted to pulp history. He is also known as one of the leading distributors of pulp-related publications.
PulpFest 2009, Columbus, Ohio–William Thom, the creator of the Coming Attractions website where most every pulp fan with computer access goes to learn about the latest news and book releases in the world of pulps and pulp reprints. Bill also maintains the Pulp Series Character Reprint Index that can be accessed through the Altus Press website as well as the Robert E. Howard bibliography available through the Howard Works website. He has also helped many researchers through the years with his knowledge and collection.
Rusty Hevelin Service Award Winners
PulpFest 2014, Columbus, Ohio–Richard Wentworth, AKA The Spider, had his Ram Singh; G-8 turned to Nippy Weston and Bull Martin for help; and Doc Savage had Monk, Ham, and three other geniuses to lend a hand. But who does a pulp con organizer turn to for assistance? None other than J. Barry Traylor! For over twenty-five years, Barry has been organizing convention auctions, almost single-handedly pulling together a couple hundred lots for a Saturday auction. In 2008, Barry quickly mastered the art of digital photography and stunned the convention crowd with his wonderful images of pulps ranging from rarities like Far East Adventure Stories to more common titles such as Amazing Stories. He's also the person most often performing the "grunt work" that goes into organizing a convention–contacting comic shops and book stores to help with promotion activities; hunting down extension cords for use in the dealers' room and programming area; and much more. A longtime contributor to letter columns–you can find his comments in Age of the Unicorn, Echoes, Xenophile, and other classic fanzines–this unsung hero is a devoted fan of Weird Tales. Barry learned about giving back to the pulp community from his pulp mentor, the late Richard Minter, co-winner of the 1993 Lamont Award.
PulpFest 2012, Columbus, Ohio–Jack Cullers has worked quietly and tirelessly for the pulp community for decades. A longtime volunteer for many pulp conventions, Jack has ferried guests to and from airports and made sure they had a friendly face with whom to dine. He has stuffed envelopes, arranged for advertising, organized auctions, and done many other behind-the-scenes tasks, selflessly and without seeking accolades. Time and again, he has welcomed newcomers to the hobby, even inviting them to his home for dinner during their earliest pulp conventions. He has offered space at his dealer tables for down-on-their-luck pulpsters unable to attend conventions. As the chairman of the PulpFest committee, he has worked to assure that convention guests, dealers, presenters, and attendees are treated fairly and respectfully, helping everyone to feel welcome and comfortable at the convention. Of course, Jack could not have done all that he has done without the support of his wife, Sally, herself a longtime pulp con volunteer, often helping with registrations and auctions. His children and friends have also lent a hand. Few are more deserving of recognition than Jack and Sally Cullers, who have labored long and hard for the pulp community.
Lamont Award Winners
Like the Munsey Award, the Lamont was awarded to a deserving person who had given of himself or herself for the betterment of the pulp community. The first Lamont was awarded in 1977 at Pulpcon 6. It was awarded annually from 1983 through 2008, the last year that Pulpcon was held. A special "retro" Lamont Award was presented at PulpFest 2016.
PulpFest 2016, Columbus, Ohio — David Saunders was presented with a special "retro" Lamont Award to recognize his substantial service to the pulp community over the years. Since a limited edition of thirty-six numbered and signed prints — designed by David — serves as the Munsey and Rusty awards, it was decided to honor David's significant contributions to the pulp world with one of the few remaining copies of Pulpcon's Lamont Award. David is, quite probably, the foremost scholar of American pulp illustrators. His free public website, Field Guide to Wild American Pulp Artists, has over three-hundred biographical profiles of these creators of popular culture. Additionally, he has written biographical profiles of artists for ILLUSTRATION MAGAZINE and several coffee-table art books on pulp artists. To find out more, please visit davidsaunders.biz, normansaunders.com, and theillustratedpress.com.
Previous winners of the Lamont Award include:
Pulpcon 37, 2008, Dayton, Ohio—Tom Roberts
Pulpcon 36, 2007, Dayton, Ohio—Ed Hulse
Pulpcon 35, 2006, Dayton, Ohio—John Wooley
Pulpcon 34, 2005, Dayton, Ohio—Neil and Leigh Mechem
Pulpcon 33, 2004, Dayton, Ohio—John Locke
Pulpcon 32, 2003, Dayton, Ohio—Jim Steranko
Pulpcon 31, 2002, Dayton, Ohio—Bob Gorton
Pulpcon 30, 2001, Dayton, Ohio—Sheldon Jaffrey
Pulpcon 29, 2000, Dayton, Ohio—Frank Robinson
Pulpcon 28, 1999, Dayton, Ohio—Tony Davis
Pulpcon 27, 1998, Bowling Green, Ohio—Earl Kussman
Pulpcon 26, 1997, Bowling Green, Ohio—Walker Martin
Pulpcon 25, 1996, San Jose, California—Doug Ellis
Pulpcon 24, 1995, Bowling Green, Ohio—John Gunnison
Pulpcon 23, 1994, Bowling Green, Ohio—Don and Mary Ramlow
Pulpcon A, 1994, Tucson, Arizona—Albert Tonik
Pulpcon 22, 1993, Dayton, Ohio—Ryerson Johnson and Richard Minter
Pulpcon 21, 1992, Dayton, Ohio—Lynn Hickman and Leonard Robbins
Pulpcon 20, 1991, Dayton, Ohio—Tom and Ginger Johnson
Pulpcon 19, 1990, Wayne, New Jersey—Don Hutchison
Pulpcon 18, 1989, Dayton, Ohio—Jack Deveny
Pulpcon 17, 1988, Dayton, Ohio—Richard Clear
Pulpcon 16, 1987, Dayton , Ohio—Gordon Huber
Pulpcon 15, 1986, Dayton, Ohio—Fred Cook and Rusty Hevelin
Pulpcon 14, 1985, Dayton, Ohio—John Roy and Darrell Richardson
Pulpcon 13, 1984, Cherry Hill, New Jersey—Frank Hamilton
Pulpcon 12, 1983, Dayton, Ohio—Robert Weinberg
Pulpcon 8, 1979, Dayton, Ohio—Will Murray
Pulpcon 7, 1978, St. Louis, Missouri—Robert Sampson and Wooda "Nick" Carr
Pulpcon 6, 1977, Akron, Ohio—Nils Hardin
Leigh Mechem, co-winner of the 2005 Lamont Award, presents the 2006 award to author John Wooley.
What's This PulpFest All About?
Munsey
Rusty Award
Our 2016 Award Winners
Laurie Powers has been named the winner of the 2016 Munsey Award. Nominated by the general pulp community, Laurie was selected through a vote cast by all the living Lamont, Munsey, and Rusty Award winners. The award is a fine art print created by Dan Zimmer of a David Saunders painting, presented annually to a person who has worked for the betterment of the pulp community. J. Barry Traylor, the recipient of the 2014 Rusty Award presented Laurie were her well-deserved Munsey.
The granddaughter of pulp author Paul S. Powers, Laurie was introduced to the pulp community in 2007 through the publication of PULP WRITER: TWENTY YEARS IN THE AMERICAN GRUB STREET, an autobiography and appreciation of her grandfather. She has also edited several collections of her grandfather's work in various genres, releasing a number of previously unpublished stories. In 2013, she helped to arrange the donation of her grandfather's personal papers as well more than 400 pulp magazines featuring his work to the Rare Books and Manuscripts Library at Ohio State University in Columbus. Laurie also publishes Laurie's Wild West, an Internet blog site that has become a favorite destination for those interested in the pulps. She has published articles on "Who Read the Pulps?," female pulp writers, a series of articles put together by various pulp fans entitled "My Favorite Pulps," and many other topics. Although relatively new to the world of pulps, Laurie has shown tremendous support for the community by spreading the word about pulp fiction and publicizing the conventions that salute our wonderful hobby. She is currently working on a biography of pulp editor Daisy Bacon, editor of LOVE STORY MAGAZINE. At PulpFest 2016, Laurie presented "100 Years of the Specialty Pulp — LOVE STORY MAGAZINE and the Romance Pulp Phenomenon" during our evening programming on Thursday, July 22.
In a surprise announcement during on Friday evening programming on July 23, David Saunders was presented with a special "retro" Lamont Award to recognize his substantial service to the pulp community over the years. Since a limited edition of thirty-six numbered and signed prints — designed by David — serves as the Munsey and Rusty awards, it was decided to honor David's significant contributions to the pulp world with one of the few remaining copies of Pulpcon's Lamont Award. The award was presented by our 2015 Munsey Award winner, Stephen T. Miller.
Born in 1954, David Saunders is a New York artist. His work has been collected worldwide and can be found in the Museum of Modern Art, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, The Brooklyn Museum of Art, and the Hirschhorn Museum of Art in Washington, DC. He has taught art at Yale, Oberlin, and the Kansas City Art Institute, as well as art schools in France, Korea, Mexico and Japan.
David's father was the legendary illustrator, Norman Saunders. His mother, Ellene Politis Saunders, worked at Fawcett Publications as Chief Executive Editor for WOMAN'S DAY. In 1972, David became his father's business secretary, which started a long project to catalog his father's 7,000 published illustrations. He spent the next seventeen years gathering published examples of his father's work from used bookshops and submitting each new entry to his father's inspection. What began as a sentimental hobby for a father and son grew into an impressive archive of 20th century American illustration. After his father's death in 1989, he completed the archive on his own. He interviewed his father's surviving associates to record their oral histories. These transcripts helped to broaden his viewpoint of the popular culture publishing industry and also documented vital information about the lives of other artists. Some of this material has been published as biographical profiles in ILLUSTRATION MAGAZINE and several coffee-table art books on pulp artists.
David is, quite probably, the foremost scholar of American pulp illustrators. His free public website, Field Guide to Wild American Pulp Artists, has over three-hundred biographical profiles of these creators of popular culture. David continues to research, document, and promote a greater appreciation of pulp artists. To find out more, please visit davidsaunders.biz, normansaunders.com, and theillustratedpress.com.
Congratulations to both Laurie and David.
Nominations are now being accepted for the 2017 Munsey and/or Rusty Awards. If you have someone in mind that you feel worthy of either award, please send the person's name and a brief paragraph describing why you feel that person should be honored to Mike Chomko, 2217 W. Fairview Street, Allentown, PA 18104-6542 or to mike@pulpfest.com. Previous winners of the Lamont, Munsey, or Rusty Award are not eligible for the award. Click here for a list of our previous winners.
The deadline for nominations is May 31, 2017. Please click here for additional details. Thanks for your help.
2015 Munsey Award Nominees
Jul 9, 2015 by Mike Chomko
The PulpFest Organizing Committee is pleased to announce that ten individuals have been nominated by their peers for the 2015 Munsey Award. Named after Frank A. Munsey, the man who published the first pulp magazine, this annual award recognizes an individual who has given of himself or herself for the betterment of the pulp community, be it through disseminating knowledge about the pulps or through publishing or other efforts to preserve and to foster interest in the pulp magazines we all love and enjoy. Congratulations to all of the nominees for this prestigious award, presented annually at PulpFest.
The following nominees will be forwarded to a committee made up of all the living Lamont, Munsey, and Rusty Award winners who will select the person to receive the 2015 Munsey:
RON FORTIER has been a professional writer for nearly three decades. In 2007, Ron teamed up with illustrator Rob Davis to start Airship 27 Productions and build a home for new adventures featuring long moribund pulp characters such as the Green Lama, the Masked Rider, Secret Agent X, and Fortier's own version of Ace Periodicals' Captain Hazzard. Ron's books have inspired contemporary writers and artists to turn out new adventures featuring many of the characters long remembered by the pulp community. They have also served as ports of entry for new people to become involved with the world of pulps. In 2009, Ron helped develop the Pulp Factory Awards, inaugurated to support and encourage the creation of new pulp fiction and art. The first PFAs were awarded at the 2010 Windy City Pulp and Paper Convention. Recently, Ron and Jaime Ramos announced the publication of LEGENDS OF NEW PULP FICTION, an all-new anthology to benefit new pulp publisher, editor, and writer Tommy Hancock, recently hospitalized and diagnosed with congestive heart failure. All proceeds of the book will help Tommy to defray some of his medical bills.
JOEL FRIEMAN worked for many years in the publishing industry. He was the person most responsible for seeing Street & Smith's The Avenger reprinted in paperback. In 1979, Joel purchased Popular Publications from its foreign owners, PARIS MATCH. Joel has been directly involved with every Popular Publications reprint in any format ever since. He licensed The Spider to paperback numerous times, as well as G-8, Operator 5, and numerous novels from ARGOSY for both books and movies. Joel is in poor health and rarely attends conventions outside of New York, but he is well known by pulp fans and publishers throughout the country.
CHRIS KALB is known in pulp circles for his hero pulp websites, like The 86th Floor and The Spider Returns, ventures that have helped to attract people who are new to the pulps. There isn't anyone out there making better use of all the new technology while still preserving the "oldness" of pulps and popular culture. He has become the person to go to for publishers who want a retro-design for their books or website, including Ed Hulse's Murania Press. He is also the lead designer for Age of Aces Books, a pulp reprint house that specializes in air war fiction. In 2010, Age of Aces received two National Indie Excellence Awards for Chris' work on the bestselling THE SPIDER VS. THE EMPIRE STATE. Chris is the designer of PulpFest's original website and for many years, put together the convention's print advertisements.
WILLIAM LAMPKIN is a freelance writer/editor and publication designer who has spent much of his work life in the newspaper field, much like Rambler Murphy (but without the cool nickname and crime-solving). Like many from his generation, Bill discovered the pulps through paperback reprints of Edgar Rice Burroughs, Robert E. Howard, The Shadow, Doc Savage, and The Spider. He bought his first actual pulp in the seventies. Bill runs The Pulp.Net, which he created in 1996, and also writes the Yellowed Perils blog. A resident of Florida, he has designed THE PULPSTER since 2008, and beginning with its 22nd issue, became editor of the award-winning program book. The first twenty-one issues of the magazine were edited by Tony Davis, winner of the 1999 Lamont Award, who calls Bill: "One of the unsung heroes of contemporary pulp fandom." In late 2013, Bill also began to design PulpFest's print advertisements, badges, and other materials.
STEVE MILLER has been helping to index the pulps for years. Along with Michael Cook, he compiled Garland Publishing's MYSTERY, DETECTIVE, AND ESPIONAGE FICTION: A CHECKLIST OF FICTION IN U.S. PULP MAGAZINES, 1915-1974, an exceptional resource for collectors of not only detective pulps, but also hero and some adventure magazines. With Phil Stephensen-Payne and William G. Contento, Steve recently revised this classic index, issued on CD-ROM by Locus Press as CRIME, MYSTERY AND GANGSTER FICTION MAGAZINE INDEX, 1915-2010. Together with Bill Contento, Steve also compiled SCIENCE FICTION, FANTASY, AND WEIRD FICTION MAGAZINE INDEX, 1890-2008, a guide to more than 900 different magazines, published on CD-ROM by Locus Press and updated periodically by the publisher. Over the years, Steve has also helped many different people with pulp-related research, sharing his knowledge as well as his collection with them.
LAURIE POWERS is the granddaughter of pulp author Paul S. Powers, Laurie was introduced to the pulp community in 2007 through the publication of PULP WRITER: TWENTY YEARS IN THE AMERICAN GRUB STREET, an autobiography and appreciation of her grandfather. She has also edited several collections of her grandfather's work in various genres, releasing a number of previously unpublished stories. In 2013, she helped to arrange the donation of her grandfather's personal papers as well more than 400 pulp magazines featuring his work to the Rare Books and Manuscripts Library at Ohio State University in Columbus. Laurie also publishes Laurie's Wild West, an Internet blog site that has become a favorite destination for those interested in the pulps. She has published articles on "Who Read the Pulps?," female pulp writers, a series of articles put together by various pulp fans entitled "My Favorite Pulps," and many other topics. Although relatively new to the world of pulps, Laurie has shown tremendous support for the community by spreading the word about pulp fiction and publicizing the conventions that salute our wonderful hobby. She is currently working on a biography of pulp editor Daisy Bacon, editor of LOVE STORY MAGAZINE.
CHRIS STEINBRUNNER, who passed away in 1993, received a posthumous nomination. An American author, broadcaster, and historian who specialized in detective film and fiction, Mr. Steinbrunner was a long-time member of the Mystery Writers of America, receiving its Edgar Award for co-authoring the ENCYCLOPEDIA OF MYSTERY AND DETECTION. Steinbrunner also wrote a monthly column for ELLERY QUEEN'S MYSTERY MAGAZINE and was a silent partner in Centaur Press, a small publisher that brought back into print Robert E. Howard's Solomon Kane stories as well as works by J. Allan Dunn, Arthur O. Friel, William Hope Hodgson, Talbot Mundy, H. Warner Munn, Arthur D. Howden Smith, E. Charles Vivian, and other fantasy and pulp greats.
MIKE TAYLOR has been a Burroughs and science-fiction fan and intermittent pulp collector since the 1950s. He has been puttering around with writing in the late seventies. He sold his first mystery short story in 1978 and wrote various pieces in that genre, including ghosting for the Mike Shayne series and for several pulp-related novelettes set in the 1930s. Mike returned to writing about the pulps in the late 1990s when he began reviewing a variety of pulp magazines for Camille Cazedessus' fanzine, PULPDOM. Since then, he has described selections from nearly every pre-1930 general fiction pulp line published, including ARGOSY, ALL-STORY, CAVALIER, POPULAR, and other titles. His many articles have appeared in the PULPDOM, which celebrated its fiftieth anniversary in May 2010.
GEORGE VANDERBURGH has published over 600 books through his Battered Silicon Dispatch Box, many of them directly related to the pulps. He was largely responsible for finally getting all of Fred Davis' classic Moon Man stories back into print. And what about his Peter the Brazen series, his five volumes featuring the work of Seabury Quinn, THE COMPLEAT ADVENTURES OF THE PARK AVENUE HUNT CLUB, his Green Ghost set, THE COMPLEAT SAGA OF JOHN SOLOMON, THE COMPLETE ADVENTURES OF THE GOLDEN AMAZON, and THE COMPLEAT ADVENTURES OF THE SUICIDE SQUAD? He has also given us numerous collections of detective fiction, including volumes featuring the Thinking Machine, Dr. Thorndyke, and Martin Hewitt. Looking at his website, his future plans include several books reprinting pulp authors who have been unjustly forgotten. Along with Robert Weinberg, George served as the co-editor of Arkham House Publishers until the death of April Derleth. A regular attendee of pulp conventions, George has helped both longtime and new fans to collect the tales of some of the most fantastic heroes from the pulps.
DAN ZIMMER has been working to promote greater awareness of pulp artists by producing and distributing ILLUSTRATION MAGAZINE since 2001. He has tirelessly contributed his time, expertise and his personal wealth to promote a more respectful awareness of the artistic accomplishments of pulp artists through the deluxe publication of the many biographical articles on such artists that have appeared in his magazine, distributed around the globe. He has done this despite the overwhelming fact that his creative vision is far beyond receiving any reasonable economic return for his efforts. Dan's devotion to classic American illustrators is manifest in the elegant presentation of his magazine and has helped to turn the tide in our culture's growing appreciation of pulp art. Dan has also published illustrated biographies of pulp artists Walter Baumhofer, H. J. Ward, and Norman Saunders through his book-publishing arm, The Illustrated Press. Additionally, he has supported the pulp community by drawing his readers' attention to various pulp conventions, including the Windy City Pulp and Paper Convention, Pulpcon, and PulpFest. Dan has also served as the sponsor of Windy City's annual pulp art exhibit and created the limited edition print of David Saunder's Munsey Award painting without cost to the PulpFest organizing committee.
The recipient of the 2015 Munsey Award will be announced on August 15th as part of the Saturday evening programming, open to all PulpFest 2015 registrants. A limited edition of thirty-six numbered and signed prints (pictured above), designed by artist and pulp enthusiast David Saunders, serves as the Munsey Award.