“Words have no power to impress the mind without the exquisite horror of their reality.” — Edgar Allan Poe

Virginia Poe was Edgar Allan Poe’s devoted wife (and first cousin.) Though widely believed to be the inspiration for Poe’s writing and recurring themes of dark beauty and doomed devotion, only one piece of writing from his wife survives: an acrostic Valentine to Edgar in 1846, less than a year before she would die at the age of 24. Listen to a special recording of Virginia’s own love words to her husband, then join us for a graveside chat with Dean Knight of the Poe Museum (Richmond) for a talk about the marriage of Edgar Allan Poe to Virginia, including Edgar’s proposal of marriage.

 

Debbie Phillips of Richmond, Virginia, is a freelance lecturer, tour guide, and living history interpreter. She enjoys bringing history to life for audiences of all ages, and has worked in public history for 15 years. Her living history repertoire ranges from mid-18th century through World War II, including several women from Edgar Allan Poe’s life. Debbie and her husband have two wonderful boys, and in what spare time she can find, she enjoys singing, acting, backpacking, camping, knitting, cooking, and reading.

 

Dean Knight is the Programs Coordinator at the Poe Museum in Richmond, Virginia, in charge of scheduling and delivering tours and programs for groups of all ages both on-site and virtually. He is a Standardized Patient at the Medical College of Virginia, portraying patients with a variety of psychiatric ailments for the education of medical and nursing students, which helps him better understand what a genius Poe was at portraying mental illness in literature. He is also a regional stage actor, having performed in over 40 mainstage productions throughout Central Virginia over the past 15 years.
This is the second in a series of monthly programs for the Virginia Poe Bicentennial released in 2022; follow us on social media to be alerted when events are happening! The Virginia Poe Bicentennial is presented by Poe Baltimore, Westminster Hall & Burying Ground, Maryland Women’s Heritage Center, the Poe Cottage at Fordham (Bronx, NYC,) with generous help and participation from Poe Studies Association, The Edgar Allan Poe Society of Baltimore and The Poe Museum (Richmond.)

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Valentine’s Day falls on a Monday this month and thus the immutable laws of marketing dictate we must celebrate/endure a weekend of romantic bliss… or misery… likely both if you’re a Poe fan. Your favorite restaurants will be booked, so consider a Bus Tour of Edgar Allan Poe’s Baltimore for your beloved instead. And while you’re in the cemetery, leave a rose for Edgar and his wife, Virginia (she’s buried right next to him) as in 2022 we commemorate the Virginia Poe Bicentennial.

Those staying in V-day evening can enjoy our special Valentine’s program, In Her Own Words: A Valentine for Edgar Allan Poe, featuring Virginia’s poetic Valentine to her husband and Edgar’s fraught proposal of marriage. The program will stream on Facebook and YouTube at 7PM Eastern. Stay to the end to learn how you can participate in our next recording!

Read about all upcoming events and dates to look for in our February newsletter!

Meet Virginia, Edgar Allan Poe’s devoted wife (and first cousin.) Born August 15th, 1822, she died January 30th, 1847 and was buried in New York. Several years his junior, Virginia preceded her doomed husband in death. And yet here she lies in Baltimore, forevermore next to her darling Eddy at Westminster Hall & Burial Ground.  Join us for a graveside chat at Westminster where we’ll share the history of this obscure-yet-important figure in Edgar Allan Poe’s family story and learn about why the Poes had such a hard time finding a permanent place to rest their bones.

This is the first of several monthly programs; follow us on social media to be alerted when events are happening! The Virginia Poe Bicentennial is presented by Poe Baltimore, Westminster Hall & Burying Ground, Maryland Women’s Heritage Center, the Poe Cottage at Fordham (Bronx, NYC,) with generous help and participation from Poe Studies Association, The Edgar Allan Poe Society of Baltimore and The Poe Museum (Richmond.)

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