Press Release
This year, Poetry Downtown proudly honors the legacy of Edgar Allan Poe with a four-city celebration. The festivities will take place in Boston, New York, Philadelphia and Baltimore. On September 29, Professor Amy Branam Armiento wil kick off Poetry Downtown Baltimore in The Depot with the lecture Edgar Allan Poe – A Mad Genius!
Lecture Edgar Allan Poe – A Mad Genius!
Many readers today consider Edgar Allan Poe a combination of brilliant and mad. In this lecture Amy Branam Armiento covers how that reputation came to be and why it has persisted. What readers today consider strange or unusual in Poe’s poetry and tales was actually much more commonplace in the literature of Poe’s day. Poe’s influences, including the Gothic, lyric poetry, and women writers, will be discussed. In addition, this lecture will factor in personal struggles and tragedies that led to the perception that Poe was erratic—mad—at times.
Topics:
This inspiring and thought-provoking lecture will cover the following topics, offering a comprehensive overview about Edgar Allan Poe ongoing struggle:
– Poe’s influences
– Gothic storytelling
– Lyric Poetry
– Women writers as collegeaus
– Personal struggles and tragedies
Amy Branam Armiento
Amy Branam Armiento is professor of English at Frostburg State University, and she is immediate past president of the Poe Studies Association. In addition to publishing articles on Poe, she is the editor of More Than Love: The Enduring Fascination with Edgar Allan Poe (Mercer UP, 2024) and co-editor, with Travis Montgomery, of Poe and Women: Recognition and Revision(Lehigh UP, 2023).
The Depot
We are very proud to organise the opening of the Poetry Downtown Baltimore festivities in The Depot, Baltimore. At this welcoming nightclub in Station North, just a few blocks from Penn Station, you’ll find a lively spot run by the charismatic Margaret. Although the bar typically opens at 7 pm, Margaret has made an exception for none other than Edgar Allan Poe. Poets, welcome to Baltimore! This place is yours, and if you just woke up, their signature cocktail—aptly named “Margaret”—will be sure to jolt you awake, whether you’re ready for it or not!
All events on September 29 in Baltimore
2.00-2.15 pm Opening Poetry Downtown Baltimore
Erik van Loon will official open the festivities in Baltimore, he will welcome the poets and its audience, he will present the Poetry Train Zin and introduce Amy Branam Armiento.
2.15-3.00 pm Edgar Allan Poe – A Mad Genius
See above
3.30-6.00 pm Poetry Cycle Baltimore
A literary cycle of 5 miles in which we follow Edgar Allan Poe from the Edgar Allan Poe House / Museum till Frederick Douglass Head at Fell’s Point from where Edgar Allan Poe often took a schip to Philadelphia, Richmond and/or one of the other cities he frequently visited.
8.00-10.00 pm Poetry Downtown Reading Baltimore
In Protean Books & Records 13 selected poets will read their work.
10.00-11.00 pm PATCH Baltimore
At PATCH (Poetry And Tales Cocktail Hour) poets and audience can meet, talk, drink and dance with eachother. At PATCH we will have each night also the Ultimate Typewriter Showdown: where speed, accuracy and skill determin the ultimate typewriter champion.
* all events are free
Boston – New York – Philadelphia – Baltimore
As mentioned earlier, the 4th Poetry Downtown Festival will take place in Boston, New York, Philadelphia, and Baltimore. This year’s festival promises a rich array of events and culinary delights, including 12 distinct dishes, four poetry readings, four lectures, three poetry cycles, three Ultimate Typewriter Countdowns, one talk show, and one radio play. Poets will journey on the Poetry Train, traveling between cities and towns across eight states from Boston to Baltimore. This unique and affordable experience offers poets the chance to network and collaborate, connecting poets in twenty different cities and towns.
Poetry Train
Erik van Loon envisions leasing a dedicated Poetry Train by 2025, equipped with restaurant, sleeper, disco, bar, and library cars. This year, he aims to welcome 40 poets aboard the Poetry Train, further expanding this unique festival. Support Erik’s American dream and help unite the country through the power of poetry. Visit https://poetrydowntown.com/crowdfunding for more information on how to become a sponsor.
More info:
4th Poetry Downtown Festival
Erik van Loon
+316 E VAN LOON / +316 3 826 5666
www.poetrydowntown.com
Poetrydowntownfestival@gmail.com
