SUMMER 2011 ___ THE EDGAR ALLAN POE MUSEUM RICHMOND, VA

Due to increased demand from local day care centers and others look-ing for ways to introduce Poe to children a bit younger than our mid-dle and high school bailiwick, the Poe Museum has recently imple-mented a special tour just for primary school students. Pupils receive a special tour of the museum focused on what it would have been like for young Eddy to grow up in Richmond in the early 1800s. After their tour, the students enjoy a special activity in which they make a Raven puppet to take home and receive an introduction to The Ra-ven, Poes most famous poem. Tours have been very successful so far and are set to become a regular part of our educational programming. The children (and the museum guides) all seem to have a great time with it. We at the Poe Museum are excited by any opportunity to introduce Poe to a new generation of readers, writers and artists. Guided tours are not the only educational program the Poe Museum has to offer. We can send Poe to Go to your school or library, and next summer, we will host our fourth Edgar Allan Poe Young Writers Conference from June 17 to June 23, 2012. For more information or to book a tour call the Poe Museum at 1-888-21E-APOE or visit us on the web at http://www.poemuseum.org/teachers-group-tour.php. MAA The ravens at left are actually puppets made at the Poe Museum by students from Childtime Learning Center.

This Guy is Having a Really Bad Day The rather pained-looking fellow to the left is about to be chopped in half in our new installa-tion based on Poes classic terror tale The Pit and the Pendulum. Visitors to this temporary exhibit have the rare opportunity to step inside one of Poes stories. See the next page to learn more about this summers temporary exhibits at the Poe Museum. Read page 3 to find out how the Poe Museum is finding new ways to interpret Poes works for audiences of all ages at the monthly Unhappy Hour.

Mission: The Poe Museum in Richmond, Virginia interprets the life and influence of Edgar Allan Poe for the education and enjoyment of a global audience.

Ravens Invade Museum

POE FOUNDATION TRUSTEES

Dr. Harry Lee Poe President Annemarie W. Beebe Vice President Kassie Ann Olgas Treasurer Benjamin A. P. Warthen Secretary John Astin Robert Buerlein Edward D.C. Campbell, Jr. W. Holt Edmunds Peter Fawn Claire Guthrie Gastanaga Norman George Dr. M. Thomas Inge Dr. Richard Kopley Christopher Kulp Dr. Joseph Kyle Stephan Loewentheil C. Samuel McDonald Rose Marie P. Mitchell Marika Rawles Katherine M. Smith Antoinette Smith Suiter Susan Jaffe Tane Thomas W. Williamson Martha Womack

ADVISORY BOARD Michael Deas

MUSEUM STAFF Christopher P. Semtner Curator Melanie Armstrong Education and Events Coordinator Jamie Ebersole Rentals Coordinator Keith Kaufelt Visitor Services Coordinator Bill Fitzgerald Groundskeeper Jennifer Camp Collections Coordinator Cynthia Hollingshead Bookkeeper

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Dont Miss These Temporary Exhibits ___________________________________________________ This summer, the Poe Museums guests have been treated to three new temporary exhibits focusing on different aspects of Poes legacy. The Pit and the Pendulum: Fact and Fiction, interprets Poes popu-lar terror tale with a life-sized installation of a scene from the story as well as a selection of illustrations for the story. Vincent Price and Edgar Poe ex-plores the eleven cinematic adaptations of Poes works starring the late actor Vincent Price. Photos of Poes Richmond features recent images of Poe sites in Richmond by former Poe Museum tour guide Margery Knight. These exhibits will be closing in mid-September, so be sure to see them while you can. In the months ahead, visitors can look for-ward to a number of special exhibits including a once-in-a-lifetime chance to see all forty-three of James Carlings original 1882 drawings for The Raven. Because these delicate ink and wash drawings can be damaged by exposure to light, the originals were taken off display in 1975 and replaced with black-and-white photographs, which ,in turn, were taken down in 2005. Now, for the first time in a generation, the public will be able to see the series in its entirety. The exhibit will open at Poes birthday party on January 14, 2012.

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Photos (clockwise from top right) The Enchanted Garden by Margery Knight, Vincent Price doll from Vincent Price and Edgar Poe, 1884 illustration for The Pit and the Pendululm

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Poes Works Come to Life at Unhappy Hour _____________________________________________

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The Poe Museums popular Unhappy Hour series has been full of fun activities this sum-mer. The May Unhappy Hour was graced by the presence of Poes mother, Elizabeth Arnold Hopkins Poe (as portrayed by Debbie Phillips), who met and mingled with our guests and regaled her rapt audience with stories of her life as an actress in the early 1800s. She even favored us with a few songs that she made famous in her day. Flautists Linda Simmons and Stacie Snyder provided beautiful music for the event when Mrs. Poe was not performing. For the June Unhappy Hour, the Spanish Inquisition (left) was not entirely unex-pected as the theme was Poes tale The Pit and the Pendulum, which is set during the time of the Inquisition. Visitors to this Unhappy Hour were among the first to experi-ence the Poe Museums terrifying exhibit featuring a life-sized replica of the most famous scene from the tale. Visitors also participated in a scavenger hunt in which they searched for paper rats with answers to trivia questions and enjoyed some Spanish guitar music courtesy of the Robinson Guitar Duo. The July Unhappy Hour centered on Poes classic tale of wine and revenge, The Cask Of Amontillado. As Poes tale is set in Italy during the supreme madness of the Carnival season, we had a carnival of our own in the Enchanted Garden. The event fea-tured tarot readings by a fabulous fortune teller, the

opportunity to make your own Carnival mask, face painting, a Wheel of Mis-fortune, Coffin Races and other fun and games (right). Un-happy Hour visitors also partook in an Amontillado tasting with the help of the nice folks from The Wine Seller of Williamsburg. Local band Beggars of Life provided an excellent musical accompaniment to the evening and a great time was had by all (photos below). If you have not been able to attend one of our Unhappy Hours this year, fear not there are three more scheduled! On Au-gust 25th, the theme will be Poes tale A Descent into the Mael-strom, so we will have sea shanties with renowned folk musician, Bob Zentz as well as a whirl of other nautical activities. On Septem-ber 22nd, we celebrate Poes most famous poem The Raven with music by the Jack Winn Duo and activities to help you get an early start on the Halloween season. Of course, nobody does Halloween like the Poe Museum, which will feature The Tell-Tale Heart for the October 27th Unhappy Hour. Wear your costumes and come prepared for an eerie evening featuring live music from the (Un)Happy (Un)Lucky Combo, performances, games, and refreshments. And remember, the Poe Museum has the only Halloween party in Richmond featuring actual ghosts! So come on out and get Unhappy with us. Check our website (http://www.poemuseum.org) for more information. MAA

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The Next E.A. Poe?

If you missed last summers unique performance/tour of Shockoe Hill Cemetery, youre not alone. Every performance sold out in advance. Thats why Edgar Poe, the Allans, Elmira Shelton, and the rest of Poes Richmond friends and family will returning Sep-tember 22-24 for two performances each night. Dont miss this opportunity to walk in Poes footsteps as he (portrayed for the second year by Chris Patrick) guides you through the historic final resting place of many of his closest friends. Poe will relive pivotal moments from his life either in the places they happened or next to the graves of the people involved. For the event, the Poe Mu-seum is teaming up once again with the Friends of Shockoe Hill Cemetery and the Haunts of Richmond. To purchase tickets, visit hauntsofrichmond.com or call the Poe Museum at 888-21-EAPOE. Poe Museum members will be eligible for discounted admission.

On June 25th, 2011 the Poe Museum was one of 56 arts and cul-tural organizations that participated in the Cultsha Xpo event at the Science Museum of Virginia. The Cultsha Xpo was spon-sored by CultureWorks, a consortium that plays a leading role in advocating and strengthening local arts and cultural organiza-tions. The event allowed thousands of local residents to have a fun-filled day of learning about all the diverse art and cultural opportunities the Richmond area has to offer. At the Poe Museums table (above with volunteer Katie Skiff), we featured a puppet making activity children had their choice of making a raven or a black cat - as well as a carnival-style cutout featuring characters from The Cask of Amontil-lado. (below with Will and Kate Vehrs) Our staff was on hand throughout the event to talk to attendees about all the wonderful tours and activities that the Poe Museum has to offer throughout the year. It was great getting to meet folks and seeing some of the same folks come out to the museum in the ensuing weeks to pay us a visit. The Cultsha Xpo seems to have been a win-win event both for visitors and the organizations in attendance. - MAA

Whats a Cultsha Xpo? Poe Returns to Shockoe

The Poe Museums Rentals Coordinator Jamie Ebersole (seen here donning a Poe mustache at the CultshaXpo) has a story in the upcoming anthology Richmond Macabre. You can hear him read at a boo