So, what the hell am I doing at PulpFest? What is PulpFest? Who cares?

My career in the book biz was mostly a very fulfilling experience and I can think of very little that I would change. Sure, it would have been nice to have made a whole lot more money, but that was never something that was on the table. It was the people, the ideas, and the dynamic relationships between both.

My retirement has also been pretty damn nice for the past decade. Spousal unit and I are always busy, mostly healthy, travel, have plenty of time with family and friends, and would not complain about comfort.

So, what the hell am I doing at PulpFest? What is PulpFest? Who cares?

The term “pulp” refers to the pulp paper that was a cheap medium for publishing in the infancy of a highly competitive, new industry that began with the maturation of society after the industrial revolution – yes, I’m referring back to the early to mid-19^th century.

After the age of discovery and exploration and the industrial revolution, society was adjusting to a transition from an agrarian base to one of trade, manufacturing, and new ways of viewing the world. More and more of the populace began to reach out, beyond the microcosm of their immediate community for ideas and opportunity. There had always been a fascination with those who had left the nest and reported back on their adventures, discoveries, successes, and tragic failures.

To put this in perspective, we must realize that there was no Facebook, no Internet, and no telephones. Many were illiterate. Mail (Pony Express, 1860), the telegraph (1837), and newspapers (Gutenberg, 1450) were relatively new innovations and not always widespread resources.

As a society reaps the benefit of greater economic efficiency, it begins to prosper. An early measure of prosperity is a greater awareness of the broader world. There is a growth in sophistication and education. Literacy provides the potential for even greater knowledge.  The growth of the publishing industry and the evolution of written storytelling are integral parts of our culture.

The Pulp Magazines and periodicals provided the basic incubator for many styles of storytelling that have both filtered and broadened our knowledge of human experiences.  They form a foundation for today’s literature, movies, entertainment, and what has become known as “popular culture”. Thus, the history of this industry has also contributed to our overall social and cultural history.

During the process of this evolution, all kinds of things were tried. Some was good, some was brilliant, and much was just plain awful. There were many stories shared through a broad opportunistic medium. The early publishing industry helped  to define what the market would become – what kind of information do people want to learn about, what kind of storytelling best conveys this information, and what is not desired. We learned that entertainment and learning are related. We learned how to manipulate information consumers for both good and bad reasons.

The “Pulps” provided a laboratory that was essential. However, because this medium was so basic and included rougher experimental elements of what would evolve to levels of greater refinement, there is a tendency to be disdainful and ignore the importance of this stage in the development of our culture. Some of the pulp writers were very good wordsmiths but not very creative. Some were terrific at plot development. Others explored how dialogue is converted from the ear to the page. Some were prolific, while others were slow and deliberate. Very few had all the skills to be looked back on as literary all-stars, but it is evident that they influenced each other and together contributed to an end product.

PulpFest is one of a number of “meet-ups” where collectors, traders, aficionados, writers, editors, and publishers get together and help to sustain and proliferate the knowledge this history. Since I have been researching the history of the pulp magazines for a course that I will teach, the idea of attending PulpFest was compelling. Summertime is the time for road trips. So, here I am!