As Legacy Circle members already know, membership has its benefits. At this year’s Howard Days, not only did they enjoy a meal and fellowship at Jean’s Feedbarn (who says there’s no such thing as a free lunch), they also received a membership pin and a copy of The Hyborian Age. This limited edition chapbook contains Howard’s important essay, as well as the three, never before published drafts leading up to it. Hyborian scholars are having a field day.

Legacy Circle and Friends of REH members also received the latest Foundation Newsletter. This issue contains the first complete publication of Howard’s 1925 gag letter to Tevis Clyde Smith and an early draft of “Nekht Semerkeht”; both are copies of Howard’s actual typescripts. There’s also a News section, and a photocopy of Doctor Howard’s inscription from one of the books in the Robert E. Howard Memorial Collection at Howard Payne Library in Brownwood.

Finally, all of our members—Legacy Circle, Friend of REH, and Supporting—are enjoying their 10% discount on the REHF Press’ latest releases: The Collected Letters of Doctor Isaac M. Howard and School Days in the Post Oaks. And we’ve got several more items in the pipeline, including the forthcoming Spicy Adventures.

It’s not too late to receive these benefits. Sign up today and you’ll receive the goodies for that membership level. This offer is good for the rest of the year, but don’t delay—join today!

Another good thing about attending Howard Days is that fans get first crack at new releases. Foundation treasurer Paul Herman unveiled a new issue of The Howard Collector on Saturday. There are still a few copies left, and Paul provides ordering details below:

That’s right, after 28 years of quiet, THE HOWARD COLLECTOR, the first and greatest REH journal, has returned. Started by Glenn Lord in 1961, THC served as a venue for REH studies, and set the standard for REH periodicals. Collecting rare and previously unpublished REH stories, poems and letters, along with book reviews, and interesting historical information from REH’s friends and associates, THC was uniquely situated to provide the best of everything. Glenn acquired the famed Trunk of lost materials, and he served as the literary agent for the REH heirs for more than 30 years. Glenn also tracked down and visited with several of REH’s friends, and accordingly gaining access to even more material. AND finally, Glenn is the kind of person who crafts a book with class, subtlety, and care, to create a book without silly flash, just great meat on them bones.

THC ran for 18 issues, ending in 1973, as Glenn got too busy with the business of REH to deal with cranking out a fanzine. Those original 18 issues are now highly collectable, and contain all sorts of rare and interesting REH works and discussion. Go check them out on eBay, sometime, and see the prices these fetch.

Glenn has been retired from the world of REH for more than a decade now. But Dennis McHaney had the idea of seeing if Glenn would be interested in doing another issue in his spare time. A group of us chatted with Glenn, and he decided to do it. With the kind permission of Paradox, and the efforts of a few friends (including Rob Roehm), the latest issue is now available. A LOT of research and work went into trying to properly match fonts, styles, paper, etc. Contents include an introduction by Glenn Lord, a previously unpublished REH poem, a previously unpublished REH drawing, a previously unpublished Breck Elkins fragment, and the infamous first draft of “Black Canaan”, the one that REH said the editors “cut the guts out of”. The guts are back in. And finally some book reviews by the great Fred Blosser.

The print run is limited to 200 copies total. The book is a fat 52 pages, and sells for $20. As Glenn has better things to do, I’m handling the shipping. Shipping in the US is $3 First Class, $6 Priority. Insurance is $2. For non-US destinations, please contact me at piherman@yahoo.com. Checks or money orders can be sent to:

Paul Herman
PO Box 250526
Plano, TX 75025

or PayPal to godzilladude@sbcglobal.net. Profits go to Glenn.

Note this book was debuted and on sale for a couple hours in Cross Plains, and that sold about a third of them, without many folks even getting to see it. When they are gone they are gone.

On Friday, June 11, 2010, the first annual Foundation Awards Ceremony took place after the banquet during Howard Days. The ceremony covered two years worth of awards as no awards were given last year. To see the list of winners and nominees, go here.

We’ve received a few questions about book availabilty. The Collected Poetry of Robert E. Howard is SOLD OUT, but copies remain of all our other publications.

For members who couldn’t make it to Howard Days this year, start checking your mailboxes for the latest Newsletter; Legacy Circle members can also look forward to the never before published alternate version of “Black Canaan,” which we made a nifty little booklet of and handed out (with this year’s membership pin) at the Legacy Circle luncheon in Cross Plains.

The departure of The Cimmerian early last year left a gaping hole in Howard fandom; not only were we used to receiving a bi-monthly publication devoted to Robert E. Howard, we were also surprised two or three times a year with a Cimmerian Library chapbook, yearly slip-cases, and the annual Cimmerian Awards, which honored the best in Howardian scholarship for the previous year. While no other publication has stepped up to match editor Leo Grin’s brainchild, the Robert E. Howard Foundation has decided to pick up the awards concept, which began in 2005, and continue where they left off.

The nominees for the 2009 and 2010 Foundation Awards can be found here. The rules for voting are at the end of each year’s nominees. For this year only, anyone who was a member of the Foundation (Supporting, Friend, or Legacy Circle) at any time prior to January 1, 2010 can vote. The 2011 awards will be decided by those who were members in 2010.

Browse the categories and nominees, read the rules for voting, and send your ballots to REHFAwards@gmail.com Be sure to include your name with your ballot if you want your votes to count. Polls close March 31, 2010. Winners will be announced at Robert E. Howard Days in June.

Membership in the Robert E. Howard Foundation certainly has its benefits. At this year’s Howard Days, Legacy Circle members will receive The Saga of Faring Town, a nice little booklet that contains all of the Faring Town items created by Howard: “Sea Curse,” “Out of the Deep,” and ”A Legend of Faring Town.” Legacy Circle members not in attendance will have to wait on the postal service for this, as well as the 2009 membership pin. We’re also working on something special for the Legacy luncheon in July at the San Diego Comic-Con. Complete details of this event are included in the next Newsletter, also scheduled for release at Howard Days and distributed to Friends of REH as well as the Legacy crew. This Newsletter presents the first appearance of the Steve Costigan version of “The Jade Monkey,” complete with the editorial markings that change it into a Dennis Dorgan story.  We also announce the winner of the 2009 REH Foundation scholarship and throw in a couple other REH nuggets for good measure. Sound good? Membership details here.

UPDATE: Only a few copies of the second printing of The Collected Poetry of Robert E. Howard remain. We are discussing a third printing, but that would be at least two months away. Grab the second printing while you can. All members receive a 10% discount.

Robert E. Howard Days 2009 will be here before you know it. This year’s theme is the Poetry of REH. The Guest of Honor is the 2008 Texas Poet Laureate, Larry D. Thomas, with Special Guest, Donald Sidney-Fryer. You won’t want to miss it.

For complete details, click here.

Project Pride and The Robert E. Howard Foundation are pleased to announce that this year’s guest for Robert E. Howard Days in Cross Plains will be Mark Finn.

Finn is the author of Blood & Thunder: The Life and Art of Robert E. Howard (Monkeybrain Books, 2006), the 2007 Cimmerian Award winner for Book by a Single Author, which was also nominated for a World Fantasy Award and was a finalist for the Locus Award for Best Non-Fiction.

Finn has written about REH for The Dark Man, The Cimmerian, and Dark Horse Comics, among others, and his “Fists of Robert E. Howard” in The Barbaric Triumph won the 2005 Cimmerian Award for Best Essay. He also writes regularly for The Cimmerian Blog. As Creative Director for The Violet Crown Radio Players, Mark has adapted several of Howard’s Steve Costigan stories for performance. He has been one of the most instrumental voices in bringing Howard’s boxing fiction greater exposure and critical attention, and he is a lively and entertaining speaker and raconteur.

We are delighted to have Mark join us the weekend of June 13-14, 2008, as we celebrate Robert E. Howard Days in Cross Plains.

On June 8, 2007, the first ever Legacy Circle Members Luncheon was held near Brownwood, Texas at the Star of Texas Bed & Breakfast. It was a beautiful day, with a few clouds and mild temperatures, just right for an outdoor event in the wonderful gardens of Star of Texas which were done up in Texas motif. A hot Texas barbeque with all the fixin’s was served, along with cold drinks, and apple cobbler for dessert.We were fortunate to be joined by Greg Manchess, artist for Del Rey’s The Conquering Sword of Conan. Everyone enjoyed the company, as well as the birds, the butterflies, and the battleaxes on display (Don, the owner of the B&B, made them!). Afterwards, Rusty Burke gave a short talk on the history of Lake Brownwood (just over the hill) and the related REH story “Wild Water”. The event then closed with the LC members receiving a package of goodies, including the first ever REHF Newsletter, a chapbook titled Rhymes of Texas and the Old West, a copy of an original typescript of an unpublished early draft of “Wild Water”, and their 2007 REHF lapel pins.

A couple pictures taken at the event are shown below. Here’s hoping next year’s REH Days Legacy Circle event is twice is big! How to become a Legacy Circle member? See here.

The first Annual Robert E. Howard Memorial Poetry Slam which was to be held in Fort Worth, Texas, on Jan 13th had to be postponed due to the ice storm. We’ll post as soon as the event is re-scheduled.

The Robert E. Howard Foundation is proud to announce that the first Annual Robert E. Howard Memorial Poetry Slam will be held Saturday, January 13, 2007, at the Black Dog Tavern, 2933 Crockett Street, in Fort Worth, Texas, from 3-5 PM.

Robert E. Howard loved poetry. He read and wrote it his entire life, and by the time of his death he had composed over 800 poetic works. His poetic voice flows through much of his prose writing. REH’s poetry covered a range of topics and styles, from ballads and sonnets to free verse, from humor and anger to challenge and lament.

“Sponsoring a poetry event is a natural for the REH Foundation” said Paul Herman, one of the Directors of the Foundation. “These events will expose new people to REH’s lesser known but very intense poetry, and will encourage others to actively work with poetry. It’s a win-win situation for everyone.”

For basic information on what a “poetry slam” is, please refer to www.poetryslam.com. In a slight modification of the usual format, participants in each round will be allowed to perform either their own work or poetry by REH. At the end of the competition, not only will participants get a portion of the gate, the best performer will receive a $100 prize, second place will receive a $50 prize. The most “Howardesque” performance, featuring either an actual REH poem or a poem based on REH’s style and themes, will also receive a $100 prize, with second place again receiving $50, for a total of $300 in prize money.

The Black Dog Tavern in Fort Worth is the Metroplex’ premier poetry venue, an eclectic stop that one night may have a heavy metal band, jazz the next, and a poetry slam the following night. The Black Dog is also the sponsor of one of the nation’s best slam teams, lead by the renowned Michael Guinn. And indeed, the Black Dog slam team is planning to participate in the event.

If you are interested in reading some of REH’s poetry, there are several published volumes of REH poetry that can be obtained through a local library, including Always Comes Evening, Echoes from an Iron Harp, Night Images, Shadows of Dreams, and Singers in the Shadows. A new poetry volume, A Rhyme of Salem Town and Other Poems, is expected out in late December.

For additional information, contact the Robert E. Howard Foundation at info@rehfoundation.org.