June 12, 2009

Poe Celebrations

There are some fabulous events happening this year to mark Edgar Allan Poe's 200th birthday (in addition to the stamp issued by the USPS mentioned below in a previous blog entry).

Poe Conference:
"The Third International Poe Conference will meet in Philadelphia Oct 8 to 11, 2009, at the Hyatt Hotel. At the conference, Poe scholars will present new scholarship, participants will attend a premier of a musical composition, inspired by Poe, and written by Augusta Reed Thomas and see a performance by Norman George as Poe." The National Park Service maintains the Poe National Historical Site in Philadelphia, where a number of additional events will be held.

Baltimore's Year-long Celebration: "The city of Baltimore will host Nevermore 2009, a yearlong celebration of the life and works of one of Baltimore's most famed residents. The year will be filled with a variety of events, including birthday celebrations, lectures, wine tastings, art exhibitions, theatrical performances, special tours and more." These events include an October reburial of Poe next to his grandfather.

Feature Articles: The New York Times has put together a slide show of images from Poe manuscripts and published works in the Berg Collection of the New York Public Library. The New Yorker recenlty featured a lengthy article by Jill Lepore on Poe.