The COVID-19 outbreak has disrupted a lot of things. The worlds of Robert E. Howard publishing and REH fandom are not immune to the fear of Corona-chan that stalks the land, it seems. While the info below was announced last week, I know of several REH fans I talked with in the past few days who were unaware of some or all of the things that have been affected.

On Tuesday, March 17, 2020, Howard Days honcho, Bill “Indy” Cavalier announced this:

HOWARD DAYS 2020 IS CANCELED

We are saddened to report that, due to the ongoing novel-coronavirus pandemic, and after consulting with our friends in Cross Plains, we have decided that we will have to cancel Robert E. Howard Days, scheduled for June 12-13. The uncertainty of the current timelines for the outbreak, the potential risks involved in bringing people from all over the US and other countries, from places with varying rates of infection, to a very small town with limited health care resources, and the need to make a decision now so everyone can adjust their plans, have led the Board of the Robert E. Howard Foundation and our partners at Project Pride to this extremely difficult decision. Ultimately, we had to come down on the side of everyone’s safety. We will look now toward next year, when we hope that Roy Thomas will join us as Guest of Honor, and we will all get to experience again the Best Weekend in Howard Fandom.

Wow, talk about a buzzkill on Saint Patrick’s Day. I was planning on attending Howard Days this year, my first time since 2013 and my fifth since 2006. I was figuring on catching up with the regulars and usual suspects, as well as meeting some fellow Howard-head buds that I only know by way of the Net and the telephone. This is not the greatest news, at all, though I have to agree with the rationale behind it. Here’s hoping that Roy Thomas can make it next year.

For several years, Project Pride has commissioned a special Howard Days “postal cancellation” stamp so that Howard fans could have letters/whatever postmarked from Cross Plains while attending the event. Artist Becky Cloonan did the one for 2020. Bill Cavalier has hinted that something may yet be done with the design, but has revealed no details.

Meanwhile, Jason M. Waltz of the Rogue Blades Foundation dropped this bombshell on March 18:

I am disappointed to announce this, but unfortunately we are postponing release of REH Changed My Life to 2021 as of now. In addition to Howard Days being cancelled, much of the funding this foundation was just about to receive toward this project has been 'delayed pending the economy.' Both events are understandable, but there really is no viable way for RBF to proceed on this title at this time. However, with a year+ for the funding to continue, RBF will publish this book in June 2021 with or without Howard Days. To that end, we have extended the Special Pre-Release Deal from RBF through November 30th, 2019.

Another bummer. REH Changed My Life has quite the roster of contributors. Everyone from Roy Thomas to Michael Moorcock to Keith Taylor to John C. Hocking, among many, many others. Yours truly wrote a chapter for this book and I was very much looking forward to having Roy Thomas sign my copy at Howard Days this year. Jason Waltz is a good guy with a solid reputation as a publisher, so I’m not worried about the book seeing print eventually. I just hope things come together at Cross Plains in 2021.

Oh well, for all of you out there sheltering in place, I hope you spend a few hours of your new-found spare time reading some Robert E. Howard. I find it is good for the soul, especially in trying times.