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Annual Edgar Allan Poe Commemorative Lecture






Since 1923, the Poe Society has sponsored an annual commemorative lecture on the life and/or works of Edgar Allan Poe, presented by a noted Poe scholar. This lecture is always held on the first Sunday in October, more-or-less coinciding with the anniversary of Poe's death. Prior to this event, it is traditional for members of the Poe Society to gather at Poe's grave, placing flowers on the monument in a brief and informal ceremony to honor Poe's memory.

These Poe Society events are free and open to the public.

Sunday, October 5, 2008:

1:15 p.m. - Tribute to Poe at the Poet's Grave

Location: Westminster Burying Ground, at the corner of Fayette and Greene Streets
(This is a very brief and informal ceremony. Anyone wishing to bring flowers to be placed on Poe's grave is welcome to do so.)


2:00 p.m. - 86th Commemorative Edgar Allan Poe Lecture

Location: The E. A. Poe Room of the Enoch Pratt Free Library, 400 Cathedral, second floor

Welcome, and Introduction of the Speaker and Respondents


Address:
“Poe's Charleston / Charleston's Poe” by Dr. Scott Peeples (College of Charleston)


Abstract of the lecture:

“Poe's Charleston / Charleston's Poe

Poe didn't leave much evidence of his life as a soldier at Fort Moultrie on Sullivan's Island or of any time he might have spent across the Cooper River in Charleston. But that hasn't kept Charleston from building up a local Poe mythology, or from celebrating Poe's connection to the Carolina Lowcountry. This talk will examine what might be called the “Charlestonian Face” of Edgar Allan Poe,  particularly the persistent legend that “Annabel Lee” was written in memory of a Charleston woman, “The Gold Bug”'s place in local lore, and some recent Poe-themed commercial endeavors on Sullivan's Island. This lecture should promote discussion of the ways Poe's image became and continues to be a source of civic pride not only in Charleston but in more significant Poe places such as Richmond, Philadelphia, and, of course, Baltimore.


Response/Discussion and Questions from the audience.
 

3:00 p.m. - Reception

Location: The E. A. Poe Room of the Enoch Pratt Free Library, 400 Cathedral, second floor. Punch and cookies will be available. This reception is co-sponsored by the Division of English and Communications Design of the University of Baltimore.













Other (Society and Non-Society) Events

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[S:1 - JAS] - Edgar Allan Poe Society of Baltimore - Poe Society - Annual Edgar Allan Poe Commemorative Lecture