Poe Baltimore will host the third annual International Edgar Allan Poe Festival and Awards (Poe Fest International) online October 3 & 4, 2020, to include virtual tours, workshops and watch parties. The FREE festival will be live-streamed via poefestinternational.org, Facebook and YouTube.
Special ticketed events include Virtual Death Weekend Tours, Virtual Tours of the Edgar Allan Poe House, and the new Virtual Poe in Film & Fashion Exhibit, which explores the ways in which Poe’s life and works continue to inspire popular culture. NOTE: Death and funeral imagery (including body in an open casket) during some events may not be suitable for young children. Viewer discretion advised. (See details at ticketing.)
The two-day online event will feature Edgar Allan Poe-themed performances, vendors, readings, music, and art workshops. Programs will be presented by The Edgar Allan Poe House & Museum, The Poe Museum (Richmond, VA), The Poe Studies Association, The Enoch Pratt Library, The National Cryptologic Museum, The United States Military Academy at West Point, The Edgar Allan Poe Society of Baltimore, National Edgar Allan Poe Theatre, Chesapeake Shakespeare Theatre, and others. After the festival, Poe Baltimore members can enjoy the festival video library thru October 31, 2020. A complete schedule of festival events and ticket information will be regularly updated.
Highlights and Special Event Information:
- The online International Edgar Allan Poe Festival & Awards, October 3 & 4, 2020, 11:00 AM – 4:00 PM, free to the public
- Special Event: The Edgar Allan Poe Film & Fashion Exhibit – 1-hour webinar
$12 plus fees (purchase via Eventbrite), 12 PM, 3 PM and 6 PM each day
Get a sneak peek at upcoming Poe-movie adaptations; view historical exhibits of 1800’s fashion, and discuss the mysterious circumstances of Poe’s 1849 death in Baltimore and how the very clothes in which he was found are a clue to the mystery of his final days
A live tour guide presents each webinar and can answer attendee questions.
- Special Event: Edgar Allan Poe House Live Virtual Tour – 1.0 hour
$12 plus fees (purchase via Eventbrite) 12 PM, 3 PM and 6 PM each day
Tour inside Baltimore’s historic Poe House; enjoy readings by a special un-dead mystery guest
A live guide will share the history of Poe’s life in Baltimore, explore the poet’s 1849 mysterious death in the city, and discuss poems and short stories Poe wrote while residing at Poe House
- Special Event: Virtual Death Weekend Poe Places Tour – 1.5 hours
$20 plus fees (purchase via Eventbrite) 12 PM, 3 PM and 6 PM each day
Explore the enduring mystery surrounding Poe’s tragic death, and view four important Poe Places around Baltimore and scenes from a special re-enactment of Poe’s first funeral
- On Saturday, October 3rd, 8 PM, Poe Baltimore will present The Saturday ‘Visiter’ Awards, an honor recognizing Poe’s continuing legacy in the arts and literature around the world. Film Director Eric Stange, director and producer of PBS’ American Masters documentary, Edgar Allan Poe: Buried Alive, will keynote. The prizes honor art, performance and writing that adapts or is inspired by Poe’s life and works.
Proceeds from The International Edgar Allan Poe Festival and Awards (Poe Fest International) will benefit The Edgar Allan Poe House & Museum and Poe Baltimore, a non-profit organization. While the festival is free, donations are encouraged: http://www.poeinbaltimore.org/