"whether madness is or is not the loftiest intelligence"

[eldritchhobbit]

Edgar A. Poe
Originally uploaded by monicarc80

Happy birthday to scribblerworks, and best wishes for many happy returns of the day! scribblerworks is the author of the wonderful The Scribbler's Guide to the Land of Myth: Mythic Motifs for Storytellers, which is terrific reading for anyone interested in myth, writers and non-writers alike.


And, speaking of birthdays, I'm hosting a 200th birthday party, and you're invited! Edgar Allan Poe turns 200 years old this month, and today I've taken over the StarShipSofa Audio Science Fiction Magazine to host an hour-long tribute to this pioneer of the short story, luminary of Gothic horror, father of detective fiction, and giant of science fiction. You can stream the podcast live at the StarShipSofa website, or download it here, or access it via iTunes. I hope you enjoy my celebration of Poe's life, works, and legacy!

The following are some of my favorite links about Edgar Allan Poe:
* PoeStories.com: An Exploration of Short Stories by Edgar Allan Poe
* The Edgar Allan Poe Society of Baltimore
* The Poe Museum of Richmond


"Men have called me mad; but the question is not yet settled, whether madness is or is not the loftiest intelligence– whether much that is glorious– whether all that is profound– does not spring from disease of thought– from moods of mind exalted at the expense of the general intellect."
- Edgar Allan Poe, "Eleanora"

Comments

[vulpine137.livejournal.com]

In honor of his bday, the Post Office is releasing stamps.

http://shop.usps.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?catalogId=10152&storeId=10001&productId=42501&langId=-1

I think I need to get some.

[cookiefleck.livejournal.com]

That's great news... I definitely want some of those! Now I'm in the mood for some Poe. *pulls neglected book from shelf*

[eldritchhobbit.livejournal.com]

Brilliant! I need to get some, too. Thanks for the link!

[vulpine137.livejournal.com]

No problem :)

[st-crispins.livejournal.com]

Thanks for the links! My son is studying Poe right now so I forwarded the link to your show and the other sites to the teacher.

Loved your show. You have such a great voice!

[eldritchhobbit.livejournal.com]

Thanks so much for your kind words - and for telling your son's teacher about the show and the sites. I appreciate it!

[scribblerworks.livejournal.com]

Thanks for the birthday greeting! And the nice words on the book (always a pleasure to hear from satisfied readers!).

Shifting some books in the household brought my copy of Selected Writings of EAP to the surface. I set it aside into the "current to-read" pile, thinking of how I haven't read Poe in a long time and now would be a good time to do so. I hadn't realized this would be the 200th anniversary -- so, even more appropriate than I thought.

[eldritchhobbit.livejournal.com]

Very appropriate reading indeed!

I've been dipping into the Scribbler's Guide and thoroughly enjoying it. Great job!

[lizziebelle.livejournal.com]

I once went to a benefit concert at Yaddo in Saratoga, where Poe purportedly wrote The Raven. It's such a gothic place, I can totally see it!

Next time I'm in Baltimore, I must make a point to go see his grave.

[vyrdolak.livejournal.com]

Church Hospital has been redeveloped into condos. It's still a beautiful old building, but the exterior plaque marking the site of his death at the northeast corner was removed long before the development. I'd been inside it once or twice but never saw the other plaque.

[eldritchhobbit.livejournal.com]

It's such a gothic place, I can totally see it!

Ooh, what a great setting for a concert!

If you time your visit to Baltimore right, you might see the Poe Toaster! ;)

[belleferret.livejournal.com]

Happy birthday Edgar!

[eldritchhobbit.livejournal.com]

*raises toast*

[cookiefleck.livejournal.com]

I looooooooooove Poe; one of my most favorite authors. Thanks for the info!

[eldritchhobbit.livejournal.com]

Fantastic! I'm so glad this is of interest. I hope you enjoy it.

[serpentcoils.livejournal.com]

I was just watching that creepy animated 1950s version of the Telltale Heart! :D And thinking I need to replace my old VHS of The Fall of the House of Usher with *dreamy sigh* Vincent Price.

[eldritchhobbit.livejournal.com]

my old VHS of The Fall of the House of Usher with *dreamy sigh* Vincent Price.

Okay, now I want to drop everything and go watch this again! Yum.

[vaklam.livejournal.com]

Woo! Poe! Yay!

Er, that's all I've got.

[eldritchhobbit.livejournal.com]

LOL! I'm right there with you: Woohoo! Yay for Poe!

[mrwednesday7.livejournal.com]

Loved the podcast. What a tragic life he had.

[eldritchhobbit.livejournal.com]

Thank you so much for listening! I'm so glad you enjoyed it.

It was a very tragic life, wasn't it? And much too short. Imagine what he might have written if he'd had another twenty or thirty years.

[abbie (from livejournal.com)]

Oh man! Where was this when I was preparing to do a biographical speech on him? :)

You did a really fantastic job! This was informative and entertaining...overall very interesting!

"I mean strange, even for Poe."
"But wait, there's more!"
You crack me up. And I didn't know about Virginia's bones hanging out under William Gill's bed. That's...wow. I don't think I'd be able to sleep at night.

You own in so many ways.

[eldritchhobbit.livejournal.com]

Ha! You've put a huge smile on my face with your kind words. Thanks a million for listening - and for your lovely feedback! This show was a real treat to do.

The part about Virginia's bones gives me chills, I must admit. Then again, I'm kind of fuzzy on the whole etiquette of where to store the final remains of the wife of someone whose biography you've written. Still, I can't imagine that's standard operating procedure. And it wasn't for a night or a week, either, but for ages!

I don't think I've ever been told before that I own. You've made my day. It's an especially nice compliment to get if you receive it from someone who, in turn, also owns - which, by the way, in case you didn't know, you do.

[abbie (from livejournal.com)]

Why, thank you!!

P.S. Your accent is totally just as interesting as Tony's, if not more. It's definitely easier for me to understand anyway.