“They who dream by day are cognizant of many things which escape those who dream only by night.” — Edgar Allan Poe

Baltimore, MD, July 31, 2023  – Today, Poe Baltimore, with the support of La Cite Development, announced that they have received a major investment from Wells Fargo Bank to support the Annual International Edgar Allan Poe Festival & Awards taking place October 7 & 8, 2023.  The commitment of $300,000 over a three-year period will provide for the Edgar Allan Poe House & Museum’s largest program, keeping the festival a free community event and premier tourist destination for Poe-lovers from all over the world.

“Wells Fargo’s investment to the International Edgar Allan Poe Festival helps to support and maintain an important institution that not only continues Poe’s legacy, it also promotes the significance of education, the arts, and literature. This is a great opportunity for Well Fargo to contribute to the preservation of a literacy heritage for future generations to appreciate and celebrate,” said Wells Fargo Vice President and Senior Social Impact and Sustainability Specialist, Traci N. Horne. “We believe this is an opportunity for Wells Fargo to help bring excitement and legendary entertainment to a city we have supported over the years. Baltimore has been a city where Wells Fargo has been a pillar for many local nonprofit organizations and now the International Edgar Allan Poe Festival can be a part of our legacy that reflects positive impact for our communities.”

The funds for the festival will assist Poe Baltimore in expanding educational components and providing the festival with additional ways in which to partner with the community to promote art, culture, and literacy.

“We are extremely honored to work with the City of Baltimore, Poe Baltimore, and our local partners to help implement our shared vision of making communities stronger and more prosperous,” said Dan Bythewood, La Cité Development’s President. “Equally so, we are thrilled to have worked closely with Wells Fargo in securing this substantial commitment and look forward to continuing our efforts to building a broader, more inclusive neighborhood.”

 

Enrica Jang, Executive Director for Poe Baltimore, the nonprofit that maintains and interprets The Edgar Allan Poe House & Museum, says this level of funding from Wells Fargo is transformative: “We are extremely grateful for Wells Fargo’s investment in our vision to highlight Baltimore history, gothic literature and art, as well as educational programming.”

 

The 6th Annual International Edgar Allan Poe Festival is set to take place this Fall, October 7 & 8, 2023. For information about the festival, visit https://poefestinternational.org.

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Poe Baltimore is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization created to fund, maintain and interpret The Edgar Allan Poe House and Museum, and to celebrate the legacy of one of Baltimore’s most famous residents.  The organization is dedicated to maintaining the museum as a vibrant experience for the thousands of visitors who come from around the world each year, and as part of a broader mission of city-wide events and educational opportunities celebrating Poe’s legacy in Baltimore and beyond.

Poe Fest Int’l Tickets On Sale July 1!

We’ve been a little quiet the last two months, preparing for a very, very big announcement about the future of The Edgar Allan Poe House & Museum. Final details remain a tantalizing distance away, but I can assure you we are looking forward to a very exciting festival season and anouncements in the coming weeks. Click to watch our sizzle reel!

For now, only three days left to see your Paver for Poe Fest at the festival in October as pre-sales for the International Edgar Allan Poe Festival & Awards are happening now thru Friday. 2022 festival merch is on sale now as we get ready to stock the store with all new 2023 festival gear! And this year’s exhibit at Westminster Hall is 2-for-1 and includes a PREVIEW WEEK: tickets for the Poe in Comics & Poe Death Exhibits are available now. See it for half off before the festival begins.

Festival weekend event tickets, Black Cat Ball, and Poe House tours go on sale to the public when the clock strikeds midnight July 1. But all you really have to do is SAVE THE DATE: Poe Fest International is for everyone, October 7-8, and General Admission is FREE! Click to read this month’s newsletter. 

Yours in Poe,
Enrica Jang
Director, Poe Baltimore

A WellSPRING at Poe

Wherever you are, Poe Nation, you too are more than likely experiencing some kind of maddening weather. Warmer temperatures in Baltimore = a rising pollen count + an uptick in visitors darkening Poe’s chamber door at Amity Street. The season has officially begun!

Festival weekend dates have been announced and pre-sales for the International Edgar Allan Poe Festival & Awards are happening now thru June 30. We are also very pleased to announce our 2023 Saturday ‘Visiter’ Awards Guest of Honor, Rodney Barnes, and our distinguished panel of Judges from Poe Places and Maryland Arts organizations. In May, look for changing hours (now open Wednesdays in May.) If you plan to stop by, be sure to pick up NEW “Legend of the Poe Toaster” Mystery Mugs in the Poe House gift shop! Read this month’s newsletter for all this and more details.

Yours in Poe,
Enrica Jang
Director, Poe Baltimore

 

Goodness! Keeping time, time, time is a task as Poe House is looking ahead to several wonderful events this month. To wit:

  • March 16, The Baltimore Symphony Orchestra invites Poe fans to an open rehearsal of Sergei Rachmaninoff’s adaptation of Poe’s last poem, “The Bells”
  • March 18, May the road rise to meet you and point your steps to Annabel Lee Tavern for a special “Pints for Poe” fundraiser to benefit Poe House
  • March 30, Join us online with 92Y New York’s Roundtable.org for a virtual course about the hidden histories of women in the Poe family.

Not fast enough for you? Snapping at the heels of March, you can expect several April 1 announcements, including the return of Edgar Allan Poe’s Death in Baltimore Bus Tours and Pavers for Poe Fest International Pre-Sales! Follow us on socials or watch PoeBaltimore.org for upcoming details.

Finally, because our annual Spring fundraiser falls in March once again, click to read our newsletter and see the newest page in the Poe House Yearbook is a spin through memories from Pints for Poe in years past. Enjoy these photos and then come on out next week to raise a pint for Poe!

Yours in Poe,
Enrica Jang
Director, Poe Baltimore

Edgar Allan Poe is without doubt one of the most beloved writers in the world, but there are only a few people who can rightly claim they love Poe the most: our volunteers! Over the last decade as stewards of The Edgar Allan Poe House & Museum in Baltimore it has been our honor to work with individuals who gift their time to help us preserve Poe’s legacy. Without pay (and sometimes only half a second to grab a quick bite to eat before our next tour or program) volunteers have worked countless hours to keep Poe’s chamber door open to visitors and ensure our mission’s success. This month’s page from the Poe House Yearbook is a valentine for their work, and invitation to our Poe Nation to join us in the coming year. Volunteer at Poe House and Poe Fest International in 2023!

Of course, love is on all our minds. Still in need of a gift for your Poe lover? We recently announced the return of Edgar Allan Poe’s Death in Baltimore Bus Tours. Poe Baltimore is also partnering with New York’s 92Y Roundtable.org for a series of virtual courses. And of course, Poe House offers tours weekly and tickets can be purchased on our website now. Printouts have saved more than one V-day at my house, just sayin’… (un)Happy Valentine’s Day to all!

Yours in Poe,
Enrica Jang
Director, Poe Baltimore

P.S. Next month we’ll announce our slate of judges for the 2023 Saturday ‘Visiter’ Awards. In case you didn’t know, call for entries is open now!

New beginnings are always “dreamy.” And 2023 is truly a dream come true for our Board and Staff as Poe Baltimore celebrates its tenth year as stewards of The Edgar Allan Poe House & Museum. Beginning this month we will share pages from our Poe House Yearbook, highlighting some of our best memories of the past decade even as we look ahead to exciting events and programs in the New Year.

Besides, January is always thrilling in Poe-land: (un)Happy Birthday to Edgar Allan Poe! Festivities will kick-off in Baltimore on January 19th for our Poe Birthday Celebration & Poe Toaster Murder Mystery at Westminster Hall. Stay for the Poe Mystery Weekend at The Lord Baltimore Hotel, or travel with me to other “Poe Places” in New York and Richmond as we celebrate Poe’s 214th: our Poe Death Exhibit will be part of the weekend celebrations in both cities and we’ll even be streaming live from The Poe Cottage on Saturday to share a toast to Poe! We look forward to seeing you at these Poe events–and of course, Poe House!–very soon. Read our newsletter to learn more!

Yours in Poe,

Enrica Jang
Director, Poe Baltimore

P.S. Call for entries for the 2023 Saturday ‘Visiter’ Awards opens at midnight, January 19!

2022 Poe Baltimore & The Edgar Allan Poe House & Museum Year-In-Review

To read a PDF copy of our retrospective, download it here: 2022 Poe Baltimore Year-in-Review

 

See previous years below.

2020 and 2021 Poe Baltimore Retrospective

Poe Baltimore and Poe House 2019 Year-in-Review

We can all go back to cold and melancholy when it’s over, but for now we wish our Poe-nation friends and family a warm, happy holiday. May it be filled with love and poetry.

CLICK HERE to read about upcoming events at Poe House, holiday schedules, and the Official 2022-23 Young Saturday Visiter Nominees.

2022 continues to be an historic year for programs at Poe House: on the heels of our most successful International Edgar Allan Poe Festival to date, we will wrap up the Virginia Poe Bicentennial year with two more sessions from the discussion series, to stream on our Facebook & YouTube pages.

If you have enjoyed this year’s poetical offerings from Poe Baltimore, please consider the following options to support The Edgar Allan Poe House & Museum in Baltimore–some of them cost nothing!

  • List Poe Baltimore (501c3) as your non-profit of choice for Giving Tuesday, Holiday, and End-of-year giving. One-time and monthly donations will help us keep Poe’s chamber door open to visitors. (Yes! We ARE on Facebook!)
  • Subscribe to our YouTube Channel. Our goal before December 31 is 1000 subscribers!
  • Use Amazon Smile to shop for the holidays and make Poe Baltimore your org of choice: Amazon sets aside a portion of your shopping total as a donation to Poe House with no charge to you!
  • Make a donation or purchase in the Poe House gift shop!

We are already preparing for a sinister start to 2023, beginning with a Poe Toaster Murder Mystery at Westminster Hall for Poe’s 214th Birthday and Call for Entries for the 2023 Saturday ‘Visiter’ Awards. And of course, Poe House is open year round for visitors. Please support Poe Baltimore this and every year, and a very Happy Thanksgiving to you all!

Yours in Poe,
Enrica Jang
Director, Poe Baltimore

The 2022 International Edgar Allan Poe Festival & Awards is less than a month away! This FREE community event is two days of Poe-themed programs, including performances, books, music and art. The stage program and vendor list has posted! Special tours and exhibits at The Edgar Allan Poe House & Museum and Westminster Hall & Burying Ground will also continue even beyond festival weekend.

There’s a lot to remember. Know Before You Poe! Read the latest newsletter to check out our list of 10 Things everyone should know about Poe Fest International, then watch our Facebook & YouTube channel every Thursday this month for more information about Poe Festival events!

Yours in Poe,
Enrica Jang
Director, Poe Baltimore