An Evening with Edgar Allen Poe

Presented by actor Campbell Harmon.

There will be a brief business session at 7:00 pm, followed by the program & refreshments. Free and open to the public. Bring a friend. Just in time for the Halloween season, we cordially invite you to spend a very special evening with Edgar Allan Poe, as the author and poet is brought back to life by Actor Campbell Harmon through dramatic readings, historical biography, and audience interaction. Speaking in-character as Poe, Campbell Harmon will explore the author’s life, death, and profound influence on American literature, while dispelling myths that have surrounded Poe’s legacy, and showing how his works continue to affect us today. This one-hour program will feature dramatic performances of Poe’s popular short story, “The Tell-Tale Heart,” as well as poems, and a question-and-answer period. Regarded as the architect of the modern short story, Poe was the first American writer to attempt to support himself solely by writing alone. He wrote the first modern detective story, the first modern science fiction story, and founded the modern horror genre. His famous, tragic love for his wife, Virginia, helped to inspire his landmark poem, “The Raven.” Speculation over the cause of his mysterious death in Baltimore, Maryland, in 1849 continues to this day, while his writings still speak to us more than 170 years later and have inspired countless stage and film adaptations. Campbell Harmon has performed as Edgar Allen Poe since 2009, bringing the Master of the Macabre to life for audiences across America. Harmon has worked with libraries, schools, and the National Endowment for the Arts to further historical education and spark a love of reading in both young and old alike. A displaced Kentuckian and graduate of the Yale Divinity School, Mr. Harmon lives in Wallingford in a 120-year-old house with a 102-pound dog! You’re Invited!

Canterbury Historical Society monthly meetings, which always feature a history-themed program, are free and the public is warmly invited. Bring a friend, stay for complimentary refreshments, mingle, and get to know us a little. We will do our best to make you feel welcome. The business session, which begins at 7:00, rarely lasts more than half an hour. If you want to skip it and just come for the program, plan to arrive about 7:30. The Canterbury Historical Society’s regular monthly meetings are on the second Friday evening of the month, except for July and August, when we take a summer break. We are happy to send email announcements of regular meetings and special events to nonmembers. If you’d like to be added to our list, please send a note, including your full name and the email address where you want to receive notices, using the email form on the Contact page on this website. Even better, please consider becoming a member of the Canterbury Historical Society. Membership is open to any person interested in the objectives of the society and willing to uphold its policies and subscribe to its bylaws, without regard to race, color, creed, sex, sexual preference or orientation, disability, or national origin. To remain or become a member, please click here for membership information. And don’t miss us on Facebook and Twitter. You might be surprised at what you’ll find—there’s bound to be something interesting every time you look.

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