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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)
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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.
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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. |
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