PULPFEST 2024 Report

Those who follow me on Instagram or are friends with me on Facebook know that I spent this past weekend (actually, 5 days: July 31 to Aug 4) at Pulpfest in Cranberry, Pennsylvania. Pulpfest is a convention dedicated to the pulp magazines of the early 20th century (so called because they were printed on pulp/newsprint paper as compared to the “slick” magazines). It’s a convention I look forward to every year, probably my favorite. (Yes, I also love Readercon, held in Quincey, Massachusetts in July, but for different reasons.)

Before I talk about why I love Pulpfest so much and tell you a bit about this year’s convention, allow me to present you with a photo featuring every pulp magazine I own:

Yes, that’s it. Five pulp magazines. One issue of Startling Stories (which happens to include stories by the great Robert Bloch and also John Broome); one issue of Doc Savage (including the novel The Flaming Falcons); three issues of Planet Stories (one of which has a story by Fredric Brown, another of which has a short novel by Gardner F. Fox). And I am perfectly fine with the fact that I only own five pulp magazines, none of them in any salable condition (in fact, they were all gifts from a friend, duplicates of his own collection).

So why go to a convention dedicated primarily to pulp magazines, if I don’t collect pulp magazines?

Camaraderie.

See, Pulpfest is really three conventions in one. While the focus of Pulpfest panels is the preservation of the history of pulp magazines in all their multi-genre splendor (pulps ranged from romance/spicy to horror, adventure, mystery, western, science fiction, fantasy, and probably some genres I’m forgetting, to the “single character” pulps (both heroic, like The Shadow, The Avenger, and Doc Savage, and the villainous, like Doctor Satan.)), they also have welcomed FarmerCon (dedicated to celebrating the work of Philip Jose Farmer) and ERBFest (dedicated to celebrating the work of Edgar Rice Burroughs). And next year (2025), Pulpfest will expand to being “FOUR conventions for the price of one!” with the addition of DocCon, celebrating Doc Savage.

I started going to Pulpfest because of FarmerCon. I’d been online friends for quite a few years with a group of fans of Philip Jose Farmer and was finally convinced to meet them in person when Pulpfest relocated from Columbus, Ohio to Pittsburgh (Cranberry) Pennsylvania around 2018. I could (and will, one of these days) write an entire post, or even series of posts, about how Phil Farmer’s books (most notably, his fictional biographies of Tarzan and Doc Savage) inspired and intrigued me. Among the group of Farmer fans, I am easily the least knowledgeable about Farmer and his works. But that’s okay, they don’t hold it against me. They welcomed me with open arms, and I absorb their knowledge (and their book recommendations and writing advice) eagerly. These people have become more than friends (and far more than just online acquaintances) over these past few Pulpfest/FarmerCons.

Many of the FarmerCon folks are also big fans of Edgar Rice Burroughs – another relatively early influence on me (thanks in part to an adult neighbor who lent me some of the novels after seeing me reading some Marvel and DC Tarzan and John Carter of Mars comics), and another author about whom I am the least knowledgeable among our friend group when we gather. (See above for why I’m fine with that.) This year, it was decided to hold an ERBFest as part of Pulpfest, including the 2024 Dum Dum Banquet (if you’re fan of the Tarzan books, you know why it’s called that).

Many of the FarmerCon and ERBFest folks are also big fans of Doc Savage. You see where this is going – lather, rinse, repeat the above.

I LOVE (yes, in all caps) just hanging out and talking with all of these people in the hotel lobby until way later than is healthy for me, as well as attending panels and dinners and wandering the dealers’ room having conversations with the people I know, and people I’ve never met before. I usually don’t stop smiling and laughing the whole time I’m there unless I’m sleeping. These folks are “good medicine,” as my father used to say.

The panels I attended this year included:

·       “The Women of Edgar Rice Burroughs,” where panelists Cathy Mann Wilbanks (Vice-President of Operations at Edgar Rice Burroughs Inc.) and Bernice Jones discussed both the real women in Burroughs’ life (his mother, daughter, and two wives) and the strong, independent, progressive-for-the-time women in his fiction (Jane Porter Clayton, wife of Tarzan; Dejah Thoris, wife of John Carter of Mars; Duare, wife of Carson of Venus; Maggie Lynch, the main character of Burroughs’ novel The Girl From Farris’s; and many others). If there was one complaint from the attendees, it was that the panel wasn’t long enough to cover all of the strong, capable female characters Burroughs created (notable absences: Meriem, wife of Korak (son of Tarzan); Betty Caldwell and Llana of Gathol (from the John Carter books); and Virginia Maxon (from Burroughs’ The Monster Men).

·       “Flinch!Fest,” focused on current and recent releases from small press publisher Flinch! Books, during with Flinch co-publishers Jim Beard and John C. Bruening read passages from their stories in the western anthology Six Gun Legends, Bruening’s novel The Midnight Guardian: Gods and Sinners, and the Flinch anthology Quest for the Space Gods: The Chronicles of Conrad von Honig, which led into panel guest Brian K. Morris reading from the newest Flinch release, Quest for the Delphi Occulus, which Morris wrote for the press and which also features Conrad von Honig.

·       “The Universe According to Edgar Rice Burroughs,” during which ERB Inc Vice-President of Operations Cathy Mann Wilbanks and Vice-President of Publishing / Creative Director Christopher Paul Carey were joined by Joe Ferrante, one of the producers of the upcoming John Carter of Mars: the Audio Series (currently funding on Kickstarter), to discuss the audio project (including a video message from Sean Patrick Flannery, who will be voicing John Carter)  before launching into announcements of the next slate of ERB Universe books (including a new Land That Time Forgot novel, Fortress Primeval, by Mike Wolfer in 2025, as well as the very soon to release A Princess of Mars: Shadows of the Assassins by Ann Tonsor Zeddies (the first full length Dejah Thoris novel) and several projects featuring Victory Harben), as well as the next slate of books in the Edgar Rice Burroughs Authorized Library.

·       “Farmercon XIX Panel,” moderated by Keith Howell, during which Meteor House Press publishers Paul Spiteri and Win Scott Eckert discussed the recent Meteor House releases of The Full Account (which combines, in alternating chapters, Jules Verne’s Around the World in 80 Days with Philip Jose Farmer’s The Other Log of Phileas Fogg, which tells the same story from a different, more science fictional, angle) and the Secrets of the Nine Omnibus (which brings together under one cover Farmer’s A Feast Unknown, The Mad Goblin, and Lord of the Trees, as well as some connected short stories and essays by Eckert, Frank Schildiner, and others). They were joined by Meteor House author Sean Lee Levin, who talked about his non-fiction release Crossovers Expanded: The Secret History of the World Volume 3 as well as his fiction debut chapbook The Lazarus Cabal.

Sadly, due to my own poor scheduling, I had to miss several panels, including “Burroughs, Farmer, and Pulp,” in which author Craig McDonald interviewed one of my favorite artists, Douglas Klauba, about his work on various book covers for Edgar Rice Burroughs Inc and Meteor House. I would have loved to listen to Doug talk about his process.

I also got to see the world premiere of We Are Doc Savage, a documentary about Doc Savage fandom directed by Ron Hill, which will soon be making the film festival rounds. I readily admit I teared up several times, and finished the documentary thinking not only how wonderful Doc Savage fandom is in general and how the Doc Savage stories have influenced so many people but also thinking “Damn, I know some really incredibly cool and wonderful people,” since so many of my friends were interviewed for the film.

And of course, I bought stuff. Too much stuff. No pulps, but a lot of paperbacks, some hardcovers, two art prints (one by Doug Klauba, the other by Mark Wheatley), some comics, and a small pile of DVDs. On the vintage paperback side, I made progress filling in some series I’m re-collecting (including Dark Shadows and The Man from U.N.C.L.E.) and started (and possibly completed) two more (Strange Paradise and Mathew Swain). I also found a first edition hardcover of the novelization of Miracle on 34th Street. And I bought current releases from the tables of small press publishers Flinch! Books, Becky Books, Stormgate Press, Edgar Rice Burroughs Inc., and Meteor House, as well as from authors Craig McDonald and Brian K. Morris. If you’d like to see pictures of everything I purchased, head on over to my Instagram page.

I could go on and on about the dinner time and late-night conversations; there were SO MANY in-jokes, and so many instances of just basking in friends talking about the things they love. But this post is already way longer than my usual.

Pulpfest 2024 is over … but Pulpfest 2025 (including Farmercon XX, ERBFest, and DocCon!) is a mere 53 weeks away: Thursday, August 7th through Sunday, August 10th, 2025, at the Doubletree by Hilton in Cranberry, PA. Join us!

PRIDE 2020 INTERVIEW: Teena Touch

Today’s Pride Month interview is with public relations expert Teena Touch:

What are you doing to stay creatively motivated in these unusual times?

Isolation is certainly not an obvious conduit to creativity. As both a writer and professional communicator, I’m accustomed to sparks of creativity coming from words I see or hear. Since the pandemic lockdown, I’ve turned to new forms of inspiration instead of my typical diet of cable news, magazines and political talk shows.

I’ve been cooking since my grandmother started teaching me when I was 10, but the coronavirus has propelled me to get more creative with my flavors. Having to cook 3 meals a day for weeks at a time will make your normal menu seems boring and lifeless. I’ve incorporated new foods, new flavors and new recipes into my daily and weekly repertoire. New ways of eating can lead to creative ways of thinking.

Another creative outlet for me has been musical livestreams from various artists. I grew up with a former DJ and music producer father, so I’ve always been in tune with how music makes me feel. During lockdown, I’ve enjoyed several livestreams of concerts or live performances that have inspired my creative thinking.

Since June is Pride Month, I have to ask: how has being lesbian influenced or informed your career path?

Lesbian visibility has come a very long way in the PR industry. When I started my career in 1998, I didn’t know any lesbians in public relations, let alone in the tech industry. Many of my initial jobs were with big firms like Ogilvy, and I was always considered unique because I specialized in technology when most PR people focused on consumer or healthcare communications. I have been out and visible as a lesbian since I came out in my university’s newspaper in 1996, so my sexual orientation has been a strong part of my identity and that translated into the workplace. But being queer AND into nerdy technology? Well, that was just unheard of.

Another unexpected but useful part of being a lesbian in the technology industry is the comradery with the notorious ‘tech bros.’ With the many men wearing fleece vests and Allbirds in the tech field, my being considered ‘one of the guys’ has often worked very well for me in terms of inclusion. I’ve been invited to the table many times because I was considered different than all the other women in my field. Turns out being a nerdy, techie lesbian worked in my favor in this regard.

You do freelance public relations work. Tell us a bit about how you became interested in PR and your history in the field.

I landed in public relations completely by accident. I was a tech reporter for Computer Technology Review, and then a production assistant for Zoog Disney before I was recruited by prominent PR firm Bender Helper Impact in Los Angeles. I didn’t know much about PR, other than the terrible pitches I had received as a reporter usually went into the trash. It turned out that I was much better on the other side of the phone, and I had serious passion for earned media coverage. I still do 22 years later.

I’ve been honored to work both in B2B and B2C tech PR, and I got started by working on unknown startups including Netflix, Napster and Yahoo. I’ve also had the pleasure to work with big tech brands like IBM, Oracle and Microsoft. I’ve had experience working in PR agencies of all sizes, as well as in-house corporate communications. In 2009, I decided that the PR industry was broken, and started Teena Touch PR. I wanted to give smaller tech companies the opportunity to use PR to grow their businesses, but without the big agency price tag. My vision was clear and well-received, and my PR firm was acquired in 2012. Since then, I’ve been working with technology brands to define their messaging, determine a bulletproof strategy and execute measurable results that move their businesses forward. I’m very lucky to love my job as much as I do.

On your website, you describe public relations as a form of storytelling. How do you work with your clients to craft the best narrative for them?

Helping companies articulate themselves in a way that accelerates their business is one of the most rewarding parts of my job. Quite frequently, I will have 5 different C-suite executives in the same room who all have a different way of describing the same company. It’s also challenging when your executives are very successful engineers but can’t articulately describe a piece of cheese let alone a complicated software platform.

My process is simple: I ask the head of sales to conduct a demo of the product or service as if I am a potential customer or end user. This way I can learn about the company, the product and the sales process all at the same time. And I can learn how the company describes who they are and what they do to the outside world. The next step is to get the key stakeholders to describe the company and product in their own words. It is then that I sit down and compose a messaging framework that best articulates the company and their technology, all while incorporating what I’ve gleaned during these initial sessions. Storytelling in a corporate setting is just as sexy as any other literature.

What do you consider the most effective tools currently in the public relations tool belt? And what do you see coming down the line as the next big thing?

I think the two most important tools in the public relations field are intellectual curiosity and tenacity. These aren’t tools you can find online, but they can be acquired with the right training and support. Aside from these human tools, a solid media database is key. Many in my industry might disagree but having access to every type of media around the globe takes your public relations to the next level.

With media entities and conglomerates mostly operating on a revenue model, the earned-owned-paid media ecosystem has been a bit bastardized in the past 5 years. Many executives have blurred the lines between traditionally earned media coverage, and content marketed by the company. PR professionals in 2020 would be smart to understand how to navigate this media ecosystem to enable client success in all areas of communication.

In general, what inspires you?

Doing the right thing, even when no one is looking. Placing good media coverage. My dog’s smile. When the message is on point and reaches the right audience. A good bassline. Happy clients. A difficult challenge. Strong coffee.

And finally, where can people find you and your work online?

I’m pretty easy to find on the interwebs, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Instagram.

Teena Touch is a technology public relations consultant based in New York City. Teena began her career as a reporter for Computer Technology Review and then evolved through pivotal roles at worldwide PR firms, and via corporate communications roles at Internet and public software companies. With deep experience in both B2B and B2C technology, she started her own firm Teena Touch PR in 2009 and was acquired in 2012. Today, she works with technology brands to elevate their media share of voice.