Monday, March 31, 2014

Patrice Louinet: Guest of Honor 2014


Our pal Jeff Shanks did a bang-up job designing the banner shown here. The handsome dude on the left needs no introduction and the even handsomer Frenchman on the right is our Guest of Honor this year: Msr. Patrice Louinet.

We're very happy to have Patrice as GOH this year - believe me, we've been trying for quite a while. I've bribed him...well, *enticed* him with the promise of Chicago deep dish pizza many times, to no avail. But THIS YEAR we got lucky! Now I've got to get Lou Malnotti's to deliver to Cross Plains!


Mr. Louinet’s name is easily recognized by Howard fans everywhere as being one of the premier scholars in Robert E. Howard studies. From his first “real” essay in The Dark Man #4 to his editing, essay and preparation work on Wandering Star’s The Ultimate Triumph, The Coming of Conan and The Bloody Crown of Conan, along with Del Rey’s The Conquering Sword of Conan and volumes for the REH Foundation Press, Patrice has been a major factor in the revival of not only Howard’s work but of the ongoing REH scholarship.
Well, what has he done for us lately, you ask? I’ll let him explain: “I am equally proud of what I have been doing here, to wit: I have edited and translated 10 Howard books so far, with the 11th in the works (and should be published around June) with Editions Bragelonne. My work on that series (ie translations, intros and essays) earned me the ‘Special Award’ of the Imaginales in 2012, the Imaginales being France’s most important festival/con in the Fantasy genre. Spreading the Good Word in every conceivable way I can think of, I was heavily involved in the audio edition of the Howard books, have been writing and developing a documentary on Bob H. for the past year, have spoken REH at La Sorbonne, on national tee-vee and radio and am the co-creator of Robert-E-Howard.fr.”
Patrice also mentions that he is working as the main adviser for a new Conan board game to be released sometime in the future.
Robert E. Howard Days 2014 is shaping up to be a really good one, so start making your plans to join us in Cross Plains June 13th & 14th for two days of the very best time in Howard Fandom. 
Check back here periodically and also look to the Robert E. Howard Facebook page, along with www.rehfoundation.org, www.rehtwogunraconteur.com, www.conan.com, and others.

Thursday, March 27, 2014

Throwback Thursday to the First Howard Days


The very first Robert E. Howard Days (or should I say "day"?) happened June 13th, 1986, when the ten intrepid souls shown above journeyed to Cross Plains, Texas to show their respect for the One and Only Robert E. Howard. We gathered at the behest of Rusty Burke, who had gone to Cross Plains the year earlier with Vern Clark - Rusty seemed to think that something should be done to honor Ol' Two-Gun in his home town and By Crom! - he was correct!

The people of Cross Plains, headed up by Billie Ruth Loving and Joan McCowan, welcomed us with open arms and much curiosity. Why would folks come from all over the world to view the (then) ramshackle home of some obscure writer for pulp magazines of the 1930's? On the other hand, we ten all felt like we had gone to Mecca to trod the same soil as one of our heroes! It was a magical, life-changing trip for me; I wrote about it in one of my early REHupa zines and in turn that became a Cimmerian essay, How Robert E. Howard Save My Life.

In the ensuing 28 years I've had many a wonderful moment while attending Howard Days, but nothing will ever capture the excitement and wonderful memories of The First Howard Days.

The cast above: Seated l-r: Glenn Lord, Nancy A. Collins, Bill Fulwiler. Middle four l-r: Vern Clark, Bill Cavalier, Mark Kimes, Tom Kovacs. Back three l-r: Steve Ghilardi, Rusty Burke, Graeme Flanagan.




Monday, March 24, 2014

Robert E. Howard Days on Facebook

Here's a reverse plug for the Robert E. Howard Days Facebook page. We're able to post a pile of pictures there, so check that out and give it a like. More photos to come - if you've got any (of Howard Days, that is!) please share!


Saturday, March 22, 2014

Welcome to the Robert E. Howard Days Blog!

Howdy! Indy Bill Cavalier here.

Thanks to the good graces and nimble fingers of Jeffery Shanks, we now have a blog dedicated to Robert E. Howard Days. We've cobbled together the information from the REHupa site into an easier navigation here, so click on the above tabs and find out what you need to know about Howard Days!

While the info tabs will remain pretty static, we'll come up with some interesting (I hope!) stuff here on the home page, like some bios of folks connected with Howard Days, a bit of history and any announcements that need to be made. As Howard Days is The Best Two Days in Howard Fandom, we'll try to make this blog a fun place to come! But it can't take the place of the real deal!

So make plans to join us in Cross Plains June 13 & 14 for Robert E. Howard Days!