Wednesday, April 30, 2014

Featured Attendee: MARK FINN


Mark Finn is an author, actor, essayist, and playwright. His biography, Blood and Thunder: The Life and Art of Robert E. Howard, was nominated for a World Fantasy award in 2007. His articles, essays, and introductions about Robert E. Howard and his works have appeared in publications for the Robert E. Howard Foundation, Dark Horse Comics, Boom! Comics, The Cimmerian, REH: Two-Gun Raconteur, The Howard Review, Wildside Press, and he has presented papers about Howard to the PCA/ACA National conference, the Authors and Writers Conference, and lectures and performs readings regularly.

When he is not working in Howard Studies, he writes comics and fiction, dabbles in magic, acts as a creative consultant for media companies, and produces and performs community theater. He lives in North Texas with his long-suffering wife, too many books, and an affable pit bull named Sonya.

Monday, April 28, 2014

Featured Attendee: BILL "INDY" CAVALIER


Bill "Indy" Cavalier has long been a fixture in REH fandom and scholarship. He is the Official Editor for the Robert E. Howard United Press Association and serves on the Board of Directors of the Robert E. Howard Foundation. He is also one of the founders of Robert E. Howard Days, attending the first gathering in 1986.
Bill’s artwork and essays have been featured in numerous publications including Amra, The Dark Man, The Cimmerian, REH: Two-Gun Raconteur, and REHupa. His article “How Robert E. Howard Saved My Life” received the 2007 Hyrkanian Award. In 2011, Bill was inducted into the prestigious Black Circle for lifetime achievement in REH fandom and scholarship.

Friday, April 25, 2014

Featured Attendee: RUSTY BURKE


In addition to our Guest of Honor, Patrice Louinet, Howard Days is always attended by a number of personalities from the world of REH scholarship, publishing, and fandom. Over the next few weeks will be announcing some of these featured attendees who will be on hand to participate in panels, sign books, and swap lies about our favorite author.

We are very pleased to announce that our first featured attendee is RUSTY BURKE.  For many years Rusty Burke has been considered the leading figure in Howard scholarship. A champion for Howard purists, Rusty successfully led the battle to publish the authoritative texts and served as the series editor for the Wandering Star/Del Rey editions of Howard's works.

In 1986, Rusty was one of the attendees of the first Robert E. Howard Days, helping to found this great tradition. In 1991 he established the The Dark Man: The Journal of Robert E. Studies, which remains today the leading academic journal in the field. He has authored numerous articles, essays, and book introductions for many publications and periodicals. He has been honored with several Cimmerian awards and REH Foundation awards and in 2006 he was inducted into the Black Circle, the highest honor in Howard fandom, given for lifetime achievement.
He is now editing a collection of Howard’s Celtic stories and continuing to work on his biography of Howard, which when complete will undoubtedly become the authoritative reference on Howard’s life.  At Howard Days he will appear on a panel and will be leading a tour of Cross Plains and will be sharing his knowledge and expertise with fans.

Friday, April 18, 2014

Donations Needed for REH Banquet Silent Auction


One of the highlights of Robert E. Howard Days every year is the wonderful Celebration Banquet that Project Pride throws for all the registered attendees. Along with the great Texas grub and fine dinner conversation, Guest of Honor Patrice Louinet will present a short talk about his involvement with REH.

But, if a highlight can have a highlight, the REH Silent Auction is it! Held in conjunction with the dinner at the Cross Plains Community Center, the Auction features scores of Robert E. Howard items for your silent bidding. There is always a wide selection of unique and eclectic Howard items: books, magazines, fanzines, chapbooks, statues, posters, original art, videos & cd's, comic books and so on - an amazing array of Robert E. Howard stuff! Shown above is a relief carving I did a few years ago that has been recycled twice! (I bought it back for myself last year!) One year there was an original, large hand-drawn map of the Hyborian World and you will always fine some rare REH collectible among all of the esoteric offerings. You never know what will be there, which is a HUGE part of the fun - especially when friendly bidding wars ensue!

But all this fun of a Silent Auction can't happen without your generous donation. Now's the time to go through your Howard collection and see if there's something you could donate to the Silent Auction. All of the money from the Silent Auction goes directly towards the upkeep of the Robert E. Howard Museum. It's a great way for you to not only share some of your extra Howard stuff with the world but you will continue to insure the Legacy of REH. Winner winner chicken-fried steak dinner!

So, with eight weeks to go until Howard Days, now's the time to gather up those Howard items and send them to: REH Silent Auction c/o Project Pride, POB 534, Cross Plains, TX 76443. You'll be glad you did (the donations are tax-deductible), just not as glad as the folks doing the bidding!

Monday, April 7, 2014

Howard Days Pre-registration


Project Pride has been busy this last week sending out the annual Howard Days flyers. They do this to jump start the Pre-registration process, to get a handle on how many folks they might expect this year.

But, the primary reason Project Pride asks for a pre-registration is to get a count of how many people they expect for the Friday night Celebration Banquet, held at the Cross Plains Community Center. Seating is limited there to about 125 (although they always manage to squeeze in a dozen or so more) so it's important to register early!

Besides the great Texas grub, the Silent Auction takes place during and after dinner. There are always great and unique Robert E. Howard items available at the Auction; you write your name and bid on the bid sheet and if your name has the high dollar you win the item. There are always some good-natured bidding wars going on and the best part is that all the proceeds benefit the Robert E. Howard Museum.

Now, the best part of all this is while yes, there is a pre-registration cost for Howard Days, it is ONLY for the Celebration Banquet food - a plate at the banquet. ALL the activities at Howard Days are presented free of charge: the Museum is open all day Friday and Saturday, the Pavilion is available for all (donations for the Friday lunch and soft drinks are appreciated), the panels at the Library and other places are at no cost.

Actually, the $15.00 per person charge includes donuts & coffee plus the cook-out lunch at the Pavilion and then the Celebration Banquet, all on Friday. The Saturday night Sunset BBQ at the Caddo Peak Ranch is compliments of the owners of the ranch, Janet Swanson & Marsha Murray.

So, time's a-wastin'! You can send your pre-reg money ($15.00 per person) to Project Pride, POB 534, Cross Plains, TX 76443 or make a Pay Pal payment to ProjPride@yahoo.com.

One more thing: if you have Robert E. Howard items that you would like to donate for the Silent Auction, please do so by sending them to the above address. We all have extra items in our REH collections - donating them to the Silent Auction will make you feel good (and it's tax-deductible!)

Looking forward to seeing a passle of y'uns at Howard Days - The Best Two Days in Howard Fandom!

Wednesday, April 2, 2014

Howard History at Howard Days


The theme of Howard Days this year is Howard History, which relates to how much REH enjoyed re-writing history in the "guise of fiction". The panels at HD this year will reflect that, and shown above is a new publication from the REH Foundation Press that could almost act as a primer for those attending Howard Days this year.

The SPEARS OF CLONTARF Typescript: Early Draft is now available through the REH Foundation's website and will show you the way Bob Howard did indeed re-write historical events. For a fascinating facsimile look at an original REH typescript plus other goodies in a spiffy package, here's the info:

To help celebrate the 1,000-year anniversary of the historic Battle of Clontarf—and Robert E. Howard’s interest in it—the REH Foundation is offering a facsimile version of an early draft of “Spears of Clontarf.” Also included is Howard’s letter to publisher Harry Bates and an introduction by Rusty Burke. Printed and shipped from Lulu printing, the paperback book is 8.5 X 11, perfect bound, with 36 pages. Cover art by John Watkiss.

Ordering information:

U.S. and Canadian residents pay $20 (REHF members $18), which includes postage.
Non-US residents pay $27 (REHF members $24), which includes postage.
Lulu shipping does not offer insurance, but if you would like tracking information on your order, U.S. and Canadian orders add $5; all others add $10.
To order, pay directly via PayPal at their website, www.paypal.com. Send the appropriate amount to paypal@rehfpress.com. Be sure to include a note explaining your order. To order via check (personal or cashier’s) or money order send to: The REH Foundation Press, PO Box 251242, Plano, TX 75025. ALL PAYMENTS MUST BE IN US DOLLARS. Be sure that all the necessary shipping information is included and accurate. NO FOREIGN MONEY ORDERS. Books will not be shipped prior to checks clearing the bank. If you have any questions or comments regarding pricing or shipping, please contact us at info@rehfoundation.org.

Tuesday, April 1, 2014

Howard Days Schedule - Short Version




Howdy! Here we have the summary version of this year's Howard Days schedule. As you can see, it's a fun-packed weekend and you will experience REH overload on June 13th and 14th!

We'll do some continuous posting here with the more detailed information as we get closer to June. You can always check out the complete info page at www.rehupa.com by clicking on the REH DAYS 2014 tab at the top of the page. Also, you can check the Howard Days Facebook page and several of the other REH Facebook sites for info & photos.

It's time to make plans to be in Cross Plains for The Best Two Days in Howard Fandom!

2014 HOWARD DAYS SCHEDULE
FRIDAY JUNE 13
8:30 – 9 am: Coffee and donuts at the Pavilion, compliments of Project Pride
9 am – 4 pm: Robert E. Howard House Museum open to the public.
9 am – 4 pm: REH Postal Cancellation at Cross Plains Post Office
9 am – 11 am: Bus Tour of Cross Plains & Surrounding Areas
10 am – 5 pm: Cross Plains Public Library open
11:00: PANEL: In the Guise of Fiction
Noon: Lunch hosted by Project Pride. Donations welcome.
10:00 am to 4 pm: Pavilion available for REH items Swap Meet
1:30 pm: PANEL: Patrice Louinet, Guest of Honor
2:30 pm: PANEL: Presentation of the REH Foundation 2013 Awards
5:30 – 6:30: Silent Auction items available for viewing & bidding at Banquet site
6:30: Robert E. Howard Celebration Banquet & Silent Auction at the Cross Plains Community Center.
9:00 pm PANEL: Fists at the Ice House (behind the Texas Taxidermy building on Main St.)
Afterward there will be some extemporaneous REH Porchlight Poetry reading directly from Bob's front porch!
SATURDAY JUNE 14
9 am – 4 pm: Robert E. Howard House Museum open to the public.
9 am – 4 pm: BARBARIAN FESTIVAL at Treadway Park, 3 blocks west of REH House
10 am – 3 pm: Cross Plains Public Library open
10:30 am PANEL: The Legend Continues
10:00 a.m. to 4 pm: Pavilion available for REH items Swap Meet
Lunch & Festival Activities at your leisure during the day
2:00 pm PANEL: Fists of Iron
3:30 pm PANEL: What’s Up with REH? (at the Pavilion)
5 pm: Sunset BBQ at the Caddo Peak Ranch
PLEASE NOTE: The Robert E. Howard House Museum will be open again this year on Thursday June 12th from 2-4 pm. No docents on duty but the Gift Shop is open.
PLEASE NOTE: All panels at REH Days last about one hour and are held at the Library unless noted.
HOWARD DAYS PRE-REGISTRATION
PLEASE NOTE: You do not have to pre-register to partake of the weekend’s festivities. All are welcome to attend, visit the House and enjoy all of the activities free of charge. Project Pride likes to pre-register folks primarily to get a head count of how many will be attending the Banquet on Friday night and the BBQ on Saturday night. All the panels, tours, Swap Meet, Pavilion activities etc. are presented at no cost. Your registration fee covers coffee & donuts Friday morning, lunch at the Pavilion Friday noon, the Friday Banquet and the Saturday BBQ.

The cost for pre-registration this year is only $15 per person. Please send your name(s) & address with a check or money order to Project Pride, POB 534, Cross Plains, TX 76443 or register via PayPal: ProjPride@yahoo.com