Morbid Curiosities: An Evening With Edgar Allan Poe
By Caroline Rosacker
The Guttenberg Library Foundation will host Cedar Rapids storyteller Darrin Crow as he presents Morbid Curiosities: An Evening With Edgar Allan Poe on Thursday, Oct. 24, at 7 p.m. at the Municipal Building auditorium.
Audience members should prepare themselves for a spine-tingling journey through the life and stories of the great horror master.
Meet Poe
Crow will portray Edgar Allan Poe, the master of Gothic horror, as he comes from beyond the veil to talk with audiences about his life and share his best stories and poetry, which include The Masque of the Red Death, The Raven, and The Tell Tale Heart.
Edgar Allan Poe was best known for his poetry and short stories, particularly his tales involving mystery and the macabre. He is considered the inventor of the detective fiction genre, and credited with contributing significantly to the emergence of science fiction. He is the first well-known American writer to earn a living by writing alone, which resulted in a financially difficult life and career.
Lifelong storyteller
Storytelling has been a part of Crow's life as far back as he can remember. He always enjoyed listening to family stories and immersing himself in Jules Verne and Tolkien as a young man in his tree house.
As a high school student, he volunteered at a living history museum. He discovered he could use his love of storytelling to enhance the visitor experience. In college, he studied interpretive speech. After college, he worked as an actor and itinerant storyteller in Pennsylvania and Florida. He returned to Cedar Rapids in 1999 and has been telling stories ever since.
For additional information call the Guttenberg Public Library at 563-252-3108.