For a third consecutive year, the Atlanta History Center's Literary Center at the Margaret Mitchell House presents the Atlanta Metro campaign, the Big Read. An initiative of the National Endowment for the Arts, the Big Read is designed to revitalize the role of literary reading in American popular culture. It is the largest reading program in American history and a multi-faceted initiative uniting communities across the nation through great literature.
This year’s Big Read promotes Edgar Allan Poe’s classic tales and poems. The Atlanta History Center encourages the public to get involved with the Big Read by reading their favorite Poe stories and poems, attending free programs, and promoting the initiative in their community.
The Big Read launches on October 14, 2010, with a variety of free programs, including a masquerade ball kick-off party, book discussions and lectures, captivating living history performances, and a classic film series based on the works of Poe.
Whether an avid reader or simply making up for lost time, everyone in Atlanta can take part in the Big Read. Read alone, read to another, join or start a book club or discussion group, and discover what happens when all of Atlanta reads the same book.
For more information, call 404.814.4000.
About the Author:
Edgar Allan Poe invented the detective story, perfected the horror tale, and was the first author to articulate the theory of the modern short story and the idea of pure poetry. A hero of Fyodor Dostoevsky, Charles Baudelaire, and Vladimir Nabokov, Poe has never been entirely respectable to American critics because of his perceived twin faults: being too eccentric and too popular among common readers.
Nevertheless, no author stays internationally popular for 150 years by accident. Poe is one of the classic authors of American literature and was a master of the short story, a magician of the poem, and a literary critic of brilliance and originality. No small part of his artistic sleight of hand is that he appeals to readers from childhood to old age. Let readers underestimate him nevermore.
Kick-Off Party: Masquerade Ball
Atlanta History Center
Thursday, October 14, 2010
6:00 – 9:00 PM
Join us as we kick-off the Big Read with a spooky and fun-filled after-hours program in celebration of Edgar Allan Poe. Enjoy a dramatic Poe performance by Steve Anderson, live music, and lantern-led tours of the mid-nineteenth century Smith Farm. Design a masque at the event and enter for a chance to win a Poe prize pack in a Best Masque Contest. Refreshments from Six Feet Under and a cash bar will be available. The first fifty visitors receive a free copy of Great Tales and Poems of Edgar Allan Poe. Reservations are required. For more information and to make reservations, call 404.814.4150.
Refreshments provided by:
Keynote Lecture with Dr. Elliot Engel
Decatur Public Library (Presented by the Georgia Center for the Book)
Thursday, October 21, 2010
7:15 PM
The Georgia Center for the Book presents a keynote lecture with literary scholar Dr. Elliot Engel on The Tortured Genius of Edgar Allan Poe. Using anecdotes, analysis, and large doses of humor, Dr. Engel addresses Poe’s extraordinary and tragic life, and delves into why youth, beauty, women, and death are always found in his haunting fiction and poetry. Published in Great Britain and America, he is the author of seven books, including A Dab of Dickens & A Touch of Twain: Literary Lives from Shakespeare's Old England to Frost's New England. Engel’s articles have also appeared in a number of magazines, including Newsweek.
Big Read Film Festival
House of Usher and The Masque of the Red Death
Atlanta History Center
Saturday, October 23, 2010
Noon – 4:00 PM
Enjoy an afternoon film festival showcasing two films by producer and director Roger Corman, House of Usher and The Masque of the Red Death, both starring film legend Vincent Price. B ased on the stories of Edgar Allan Poe, these films explore the parallels between writing and movies.
Help BOOst the Blood Supply
Location: American Red Cross Midtown Donation Center (1955 Monroe Dr, Atlanta)
Thursday, Friday and Saturday, October 28, 29 & 30 2010
Halloween is a fun time of year, with decorations, costumes, treats, and, of course, spooky stories from author Edgar Allan Poe. Donate blood at the American Red Cross center at 1955 Monroe Drive in midtown Atlanta, October 28-30, and receive a free reader’s guide to the works of Edgar Allan Poe. In addition to special treats for all donors, there will be raffles for free copies of The Essential Tales and Poems of Edgar Allan Poe.
Bring your friends, dress up, read scary stories, and help save lives!
Go to redcrossblood.org or call 1-800-RED CROSS to make an appointment.
Lecture with Dr. Thomas McHaney
The Poe We Don’t Know
Margaret Mitchell House
Monday, November 8, 2010
7:00 PM
In his lecture, “The Poe We Don’t Know,” Dr. Thomas McHaney, an author and recently-retired Professor of Southern Literature at Georgia State University, discusses Edgar Allan Poe’s stories, poems, and extensive writing career as a reviewer, essayist, and magazine editor. Dr. McHaney counters the popular image of Poe and reveals him as a highly rational genius with a poverty-induced reliance upon writing witty imitations of scary stories as a source of livelihood. Dr. McHaney will discuss how to re-read "The Raven" as a psychological poem and "The Fall of the House of Usher" as a personal tale with a happy ending.
All Big Read programs are free of charge. Reservations are required. For more information, call 404.814.4150.
The Big Read is a program of the National Endowment for the Arts in partnership with the Institute of Museum and Library Services and Arts Midwest.
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