Press Release
This year, Poetry Downtown Festival 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. In Philadelphia, five events will be organized, with the most important the Poetry Downtown Philadelphia Reading at Philadelphia Ethical Society on September 28.
Poetry Downtown Philadelphia Readings
Each year, Poetry Downtown invites the finest poets to participate in its festival. This year, the festival’s jury selected the following emerging poets to read in Philadelphia:
8.00-8.20 pm Susan DiPronio from Philadelphia, PA
8.20-8.40 pm Chris Andrew from Philadelphia, PA
9.40-9.00 pm Shaketa Giftofthepen Ellison, from Philadelphia, PA
9.00-9.20 pm Cosmic Karike, from Windsor Mill, MD
Competition
Those four poets will read each 20 minutes. They will read their selected “The Raven” work as published in the annual Poetry Downtown anthology and additionally their own work. To be considered for selection, poets had to submit a poem inspired by “The Raven” by September 1, as the festival celebrates the 175th anniversary of Edgar Allan Poe’s death on October 7, 1849.
Jury
The poets were selected by this year’s panel:
– Erik van Loon: Dutch artist and founder of the Poetry Downtown Festival
– Chris Semtner: Curator of the Edgar Allan Poe Museum, author and artist
– G.H. Mosson: Poet with with multiple nominations and prestigious journal publications
Philadelphia Ethical Society
In each city, the poets read at unique locations. In Boston, they read at the Long Wharf Pavilion, in Baltimore at Protean Books & Records, in New York at the Edgar Allan Poe Cottage, and in Philadelphia at the Philadelphia Ethical Society. The Philadelphia Ethical Society is a humanist community dedicated to ethical living and social justice. Its location on Rittenhouse Square places it at the heart of Philadelphia’s cultural and social life, making it an accessible and prominent landmark for both members and visitors. The park is one of the five original open-space parks planned by William Penn and his surveyor Thomas Holme during the late 17th century.
All events on September 28 and 29 in Philadelphia
September 28
7.00-7.15 pm Opening Poetry Downtown Philadelphia
Erik van Loon will official open the festivities in Philadelphia, he will welcome the poets and its audience, and introduce John Greusser.
7.15-8.00 pm Lecture Edgar Allan Poe in Popular Culture
In the Philadelphia Ethical Society, John Gruesser will discuss Edgar Allan Poe’s writings and their legacy in popular culture, particularly detective fiction, Gothic literature, film, television, and popular music, in his entertaining and informative lecture “Quoth the Raven: ‘Eat My Shorts’: The Literature and Legacy of Edgar Allan Poe.”
8.00-10.00 pm Reading Poetry Downtown Philadelphia Reading
see above
10.00-11.00 pm PATCH Poetry And Tales Cocktail Hour Philadelphia
At PATCH (Poetry And Tales Cocktail Hour) poets and audience can meet, talk, drink and dance with eachother.
10.00-11.00 pm Tournament Ultimate Typewriter Showdown
At PATCH we will have each night also the Ultimate Typewriter Showdown: where speed, accuracy and skill determin the ultimate typewriter champion.
September 29
8.00-12.00 am Tour Poetry Cycle Philadelphia
Join us for a bicyel tour along the most important Edgar Allan Poe sites in Philadelphia.
* all events are free
Boston – New York – Philadelphia – Baltimore
As mentioned before, 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
