Brownwood Bulletin: "Cross Plains welcoming fans of Robert E. Howard
By Gene Deason — Brownwood Bulletin
CROSS PLAINS — Cross Plains is the destination of dozens of Robert E. Howard enthusiasts this week as over 150 people have registered for three days of events celebrating the fantasy fiction author.
Era Lee Hanke, president of Cross Plains Project Pride, said many those who have registered to attend the annual celebration of the Conan creator will come from 20 states, the District of Columbia and four foreign countries.
“We have such interesting people come to this event every year,” Hanke said Tuesday. “You see them enough times that we feel like we know them. It’s so good to see them every year.”
The schedule calls for a series of discussions on Howard’s literature and the potential work he appeared poised to create in various fields. The screening of movies dealing with Howard and his life will also be offered, along with displays of Howard memorabilia.
On Saturday, Cross Plains will host its eighth annual Barbarian Festival downtown with exhibits and games throughout the day.
While Project Pride hosts the Howard celebration each year, it has partnered with the Robert E. Howard United Press Association in co-hosting this year’s activities. The amateur press association founded in 1972 is dedicated to the study and discussion of Howard and his writings.
Increased interest in the event was expected because this year in the 100th anniversary of Howard’s birth, and planning for it began almost as soon as last year’s program was over.
Featured as guests of honor at this year’s event will be Glenn Lord and Roy Thomas, two of the world’s top authorities on Howard and this literary genre."
6 comments:
I really wish I could be there this year (or any year for that matter). Hope everyone who attends has fun and sees the damage that the wild fires nearly caused.
And to think, Robert E Howard did all of this before the age of 30! He died at the age, tragically.
Sometimes I wonder whether it's worth living past the age of 35. Scott Fitzgerald wrote the Great Gatsby at 29. Melville wrote Moby Dick at 32. My best years are already behind me. Wasted!
Remember Grandma Moses!
In all fairness, Raymond Chandler didn't publish his first novel until he was about 50 or so. Robert Parker didn't start until his mid 40s. Laura Lippman and Jan Burke didn't publish until their late 30s. And so on.
I'm glad they are doing so many things this year to honor the centennial. I am a relative newcomer to the wonder that is Robert E. Howard, having only started to read his works a few years ago when Darkhorse started the newest Conan comic series. I liked the art and stories so much that I had to go out and devour the source material. It is excellent stuff.
When your new bio of REH comes out, they'll work you even harder.
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