Celebrate Poe
256 episodes - English - Latest episode: about 7 hours ago - ★★★★★ - 4 ratingsThis podcast is a deep dive into the life, times. works. and influences of Edgar Allan Poe - "America's Shakespeare." Mr. Poe comes to life in this weekly podcast!
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Episodes
Self Destructive Elements
July 22, 2024 06:00 - 27 minutes - 19.1 MBSend us a Text Message. This the final episode of a series that looks at what might have happened if Edgar Allan Poe had chosen a different path - if he had decided to become a soldier after his time at West Point, and not one of the greatest of all American writers. And we invariably go off to discuss other subjects as well including the creative process and how Mr. Poe responded to the structured environment of the military.
Waking at 6 AM
July 19, 2024 02:00 - 24 minutes - 17.1 MBSend us a Text Message. Welcome to Celebrate Poe - my name is George Bartley, and this is episode 257 - Waking at 6 AM This and the following podcast episodes are an alternate or what if history exercises. The episodes look at what might have happened if Edgar Allan Poe had chosen a different path - if he had decided to become a soldier after his time at West Point, and not one of the greatest of all American writers. And we invariably go off to discuss other subjects as well (including ...
Literary Ambitions
July 16, 2024 03:00 - 32 minutes - 22.5 MBSend us a Text Message. This and the following podcast episodes in this series are an alternate or what if history exercises. The episodes look at what might have happened if Edgar Allan Poe had chosen a different path - if he had decided to become a soldier after his time at West Point, and not one of the greatest of all American writers. And we invariably go off to discuss other subjects as well such as the rigid schedule at West Point and the influence of military life upon Poe’s writi...
A Dream and a Career
July 11, 2024 03:00 - 23 minutes - 16.2 MBSend us a Text Message. This and the following three podcast episodes were begun as what if history exercises. These episodes look at what might have happened if Edgar Allan Poe had chosen a different path - if he had decided to become a soldier after his time at West Point, and not one of the greatest of all American writers. And we invariably go off to discuss other subjects as well such as observations regarding life at West Point, the book of poems that Poe put together at West Point,...
Poe and Democracy
July 02, 2024 03:00 - 30 minutes - 20.9 MBSend us a Text Message. Welcome back to Celebrate Poe - This is episode 254 - Poe’s Views on Democracy. Today I would like to talk with Mr. Poe about his views of government - and especially about what he might have thought about the specter of Donald Trump. I had previously been under the impression that Edgar Allan Poe was somewhat reactionary in his political views - coming from a wealthy and rather privileged background in the South - but after doing a great deal of research, I was ...
Defending the Sacredness of Love
June 30, 2024 21:00 - 22 minutes - 15.5 MBSend us a Text Message. This podcast episode deals with an address given by Robert G. Ingersoll - one of the individuals who spoke at Whitman’s funeral. He was the poet of Love. He was not ashamed of that divine passion that has built every home; that divine passion that has painted every picture and given us every real work of art; that divine passion that has made the world worth living in and has given some value to human life.
Call Me By Your Name
June 28, 2024 02:00 - 22 minutes - 15.2 MBSend us a Text Message. The main title of this episode, Call Me By Your Name, is taken from the text of a letter written to Whitman by one of Whitman’s admirers - none other than Bram Stoker, the author of Dracula. Trickle drops! my blue veins leaving! O drops of me! trickle, slow drops, Candid from me falling, drip, bleeding drops, From wounds made to free you whence you were prison'd From my face, from my forehead and lips, From my breast, from within where I was conceal'd, press forth r...
When Walter Met Peter
June 27, 2024 19:00 - 22 minutes - 15.5 MBSend us a Text Message. Welcome to Celebrate Poe - Episode 251 - When Whitman Met Peter - this episode deals with an essential area of Walt Whitman’s life and creative spirit - in fact, you might even say that a twenty-something immigrant served as an inspiration and a muse for some of the poet’s greatest works. Of course, during Pride Month, this podcast concentrates on America’s poet - but today I want to look at a young man that Whitman deeply loved - a basically humble immigrant who b...
Whitman and the Civil War
June 21, 2024 23:00 - 20 minutes - 14.3 MBSend us a Text Message. Welcome to Celebrate Poe - This is episode 250 Whitman and the Civil War. Walt Whitman was forty-two years old when the Civil War started. Some critics would charge that he should have joined the Union Army, but anyone who knew him, like his friend and biographer John Burroughs, could hardly conceive of the mild and empathic poet as a soldier. "Could there be anything more shocking and incongruous than Whitman killing people?" Burroughs would write. "One would as ...
America's First Gay Bar
June 13, 2024 06:00 - 24 minutes - 16.6 MBSend us a Text Message. This is episode 249 - America’s First Gay Bar While the word gay certainly wasn’t used to connote same sex attraction during Walt Whitman’s lifetime, Whitman DID patronize an establishment at 647 Broadway that today might be considered a gay bar. And that drinking establishment was known as Pfaff’s - spelled PFAFFs. I have even heard a Whitman scholar compare Pfaff’s to the disco bar Studio 54. In fact, Whitman even wrote a brief poem about the bar in his 1861 p...
Same Sex Attraction in the 19th Century
June 01, 2024 01:00 - 20 minutes - 14.2 MBSend us a Text Message. Welcome to Celebrate Poe - My name is George Bartley, and this is Episode 247 - Same Sex Attraction in the 19th Century As I write the script for this podcast episode, tomorrow is the first day of LGBTQ month - and similar to previous years, I decided to devote the entire month to individuals who are viewed as gay heroes. The month of June is an appropriate time to look at some of the voices and narratives - some hidden and some not so hidden - that challenged soci...
My Home Town
May 27, 2024 04:00 - 24 minutes - 16.8 MBSend us a Text Message. Today I’d like to take a slight change of pace with a look at an area that is not often associated with Edgar Allan Poe, but an area in which the Allan family vacationed - White Sulphur Springs during the summers of 1812, 1813, and 1814. Prior to the Civil War, the White Sulphur Springs area was called western Virginia, but all that changed when West Virginia became a state in 1863. Now it would have taken roughly three days for the Allans to travel from Richmond ...
Byron's Influence on Poe
May 21, 2024 04:00 - 18 minutes - 12.8 MBSend us a Text Message. Welcome to Celebrate Poe - My name is George Bartley, and this is Episode 245 - Byron’s Influences on Poe. This episode is the third - and final - for now - episode about Lord Byron, and does not deal as much with Byron’s escapades in Europe, but how he influenced Edgar Poe. The episode delves into the young Edgar Poe as an imitator of Byron, and introduces the important concept of how Poe gradually developed his own voice.
Darkness
May 20, 2024 05:00 - 25 minutes - 17.3 MBSend us a Text Message. This is Episode 244 of Celebrate Poe - Darkness - the second of three episodes about Lord Byron Where we left off, it is said that Lord Byron awoke one morning and found himself famous. The first run of his latest book of 500 copies sold out in three days. Pretty impressive for the time! This episode also takes a deep dive into Byron's apocalyptic poem - Darkness, as well as a look at the concept of the Byronic hero.
Dangerous to Know
May 19, 2024 17:00 - 22 minutes - 15.2 MBSend us a Text Message. Welcome to Celebrate Poe, Episode 243 ˜- Dangerous to Know. This My name is George Bartley, and this is the first of three episodes about Lord George Byron. A few episodes ago, I talked about the love of Lord Byron and his dog - and hoped I got across the point that Lord Byron was a fascinating person. Then it struck me - it might be a good idea to talk a bit more about Lord Byron because he had such a strong influence on the young Poe. John Allan certainly did...
Dreamland, Continued
May 14, 2024 22:00 - 23 minutes - 16.2 MBSend us a Text Message. Welcome to Celebrate Poe - My name is George Bartley, and this is episode 242 - Dreamland, Continued . Hopefully this should be the last episode regarding Edgar Allan Poe’s Dream Poems - at least for now. And, hopefully, by the end of this episode, you will have an firm understanding of what Ultima Thule means.
Dreamland
May 11, 2024 23:00 - 22 minutes - 15.5 MBSend us a Text Message. This podcast to takes a deeper dive into some of Poe’s so-called Dream Works - or your works that dealt with the experience of dreaming. This episode will revisit A Dream With a Dream (perhaps the work most associated with the movie Inception.). But the majority of the episode will introduce the concept of Ultima Thule, as well as Poe’s metaphysical masterpiece - Eureka.
Animal Metaphors
May 06, 2024 15:00 - 17 minutes - 12.2 MBSend us a Text Message. This episode deals with the use of animal metaphors in Poe’s works - concentrating on The Conqueror Worm and perhaps the most well-known of all poetic metaphors - The Raven. And imagine that (instead or a raven) Poe used an owl - or a parrot. What differences might that change in metaphors make?
Twain and Poe on Cats
May 03, 2024 17:00 - 25 minutes - 17.5 MBSend us a Text Message. Welcome to Celebrate Poe - My name is George Bartley, and this is episode 239. This episode deals with arguably the two greatest writers of the 19th century - Mark Twain and Edgar Poe - and their fascination with (and love of) cats in their lives and literature.
Remains of a Friend
May 03, 2024 16:00 - 21 minutes - 14.9 MBSend us a Text Message. Welcome to Celebrate Poe - My name is George Bartley, and this is episode 238 - Remains of a Friend. Now I admit that examining Poe’s life - while certainly interesting and informative - can be a bit tedious at times. For a complete change of pace, I thought I would look at the pets of several famous writers for the next an episode or two - naturally ending with Edgar Allan Poe. This episode deals with the fascinating story of Lord Byron and his love for his dog, ...
Like Taylor Swift
April 29, 2024 17:00 - 19 minutes - 13.5 MBSend us a Text Message. This episode looks at how Edgar Poe was directly influenced by the works of William Shakespeare. This episode deals with a list of quotes from Shakespeare in Poe’s handwriting that can be seen at the Poe Museum in Richmond (when the author of this podcast saw that list, he became as excited as a young girl at a Taylor Swift concert!). George points out that Poe (a definite admirer of Shakespeare) later began to concentrate on writing shorter stories to produce “a un...
A Star is Born
April 28, 2024 05:00 - 26 minutes - 18.4 MBSend us a Text Message. Episode 236 - A Star is Born is the first of two episodes that deal with the influence of William Shakespeare (the anniversary of his birthday was earlier this week.). The first episode deals with the influence of Shakespeare's plays (and acting in general) on the marriage of David and Eliza Poe. Using some original information that I doubt you will find anywhere else, I would like to point out how Eliza Poe was the "star" of the family using the Shakespearean roles...
Was Poe Baroque?
April 22, 2024 04:00 - 25 minutes - 17.6 MBSend us a Text Message. This episode continues a series that compare’s elements of Christopher Nolan’s Inception with Poe’s dream works. The episode ends with Poe’s poem Dreams - a classic work that weaves a narrative transitioning from a sense of hope in dreams to a realization of their illusory nature. The speaker reminisces about reveling in dreams of light and loveliness, escaping into imagined realms apart from his own reality. However, as the poem progresses, the tone shifts to ackno...
Spinning Top, Part Two
April 14, 2024 06:00 - 23 minutes - 16 MBSend us a Text Message. Welcome to Celebrate Poe - episode 234 - Spinning Tops, Part Two In this episode, Celebrate Poe continues its examination of some of Poe’s works against the background of Christopher Nolan’s movie - Inception. First, it is important to remember that many of Poe's tales are narrated by characters with questionable sanity or motives. Stories like "The Tell-Tale Heart" leave readers unsure of what truly happened or if the narrator's perception can be trusted. The m...
Spinning Top, Part One
April 10, 2024 22:00 - 22 minutes - 15.3 MBSend us a Text Message. Spinning Top, Part One is a the first of five episodes devoted to an examination of Poe's "Dream Works" and Christopher Nolan's movie "Inception." This episode emphasizes that Poe's characters are often haunted by memories and past traumas, while Inception reflects this with Cobb (Leonardo DiCaprio) grappling with his deceased wife Mal, who manifests within his dreams. The film explores how unresolved issues and memories can shape our perception of reality, a them...
Despair!
April 02, 2024 23:00 - 21 minutes - 14.4 MBSend us a Text Message. This episode takes a deep dive into the three dreams of Richard III - from a dream about falling off a ship to the admonitions of "Despair and Die" before the Battle of Bosworth in The Tragedy of Richard III.
We Are Such Stuff
April 02, 2024 23:00 - 13 minutes - 9.31 MBSend us a Text Message. This episode delves into (for the most part) some of the some shorter passages from Shakespeare dealing with dreams passages that are also among the most well known. Sections vary from Julius Caesar to Henry IV, Part 1 to Romeo and Juliet to Hamlet to The Tempest, among others.
To Be or Not
April 01, 2024 03:00 - 26 minutes - 18 MBSend us a Text Message. Episode 230. To Be or Not Episode 230 continues an examination of Chronos time and Kairos times through an examination of Hamlet’s “to be or not to be” soliloquy from Shakespearae’s Hamlet. Special attention is paid to Hamlet’s decision NOT to act - that waiting for Kairos - or the right moment to make a decision - is a decision in itself - and Hamlet ends up being the story of a man who cannot make up his mind.
The Right Time
March 25, 2024 02:00 - 29 minutes - 20.5 MBSend us a Text Message. Episode 229 of Celebrate Poe is a continuation of an examination of the concepts or Chronos and Kairos - this time centered around the story of Easter - for example - how concept of kairos time is intricately related to the narrative of Jesus on the Road to Emmaus. The use of kairos time in the Easter Story emphasizes that Jesus' death and resurrection were not just historical events (Chronos) but pivotal moments orchestrated by God for the redemption of humanity (Ka...
What Is a Day?
March 18, 2024 02:00 - 28 minutes - 19.7 MBSend us a Text Message. Episode 228 of Celebrate Poe is entitled “What Is a Day?” The podcast (and several episodes after it) were influenced by a sermon given by the Rev. Julia Wentworth at Trinity Episcopal Church in Indianapolis earlier this year. This episode deals with Chronos and Kairos time, and delves into the role of time in the Creation story, Mark’s gospel, and the famous “to everything there is a season” verses from Ecclesiastes. 00:00 Intro 01:51 Chronos and Kairos introdu...
Oppenheimer and Poe
March 11, 2024 04:00 - 24 minutes - 17 MBSend us a Text Message. This episode deals with J. Robert Oppenheimer - the complex figure who is the subject of this year’s Best Picture. This episode compares the figures of J. Robert Oppenheimer and Edgar Allan Poe. Obviously, from different centuries, the two figures share many common complexities because of their backgrounds, talents, accomplishments, and complicated personalities.
Poe Review, 2
March 06, 2024 02:00 - 20 minutes - 14 MBSend us a Text Message. Episode 226 is the second part of a look at some of the high points of Celebrate Poe so far - from the Allans in England to Poe’s days at the University of Virginia, and at West Point. The episode takes a look at some secondary accounts of incidents of the time in the context of Poe’s life and career.
Poe Review, 1
March 04, 2024 02:00 - 25 minutes - 17.5 MBSend us a Text Message. Episode 225 - Poe Review, 1 is a brief look (through a conversation with the ghost of Mr. Poe and George) regarding the 1st half of Mr. Poe’s life - his earliest years up to Stoke Newington. Originally, I called this episode Catchup!, but I later decided that a better title might be Poe Review, 1. The idea is for this podcast to relate events in Poe’s existence up to the half-way point in the story of his illustrious life. Sources include: Edgar Allan Poe: A Crit...
Best Episode Yet?
February 29, 2024 23:00 - 22 minutes - 15.6 MBSend us a Text Message. In this episode, I talk about how I met the co-host of this podcast - the imaginary ghost of Edgar Allan Poe. Ok - I know it sounds strange - I still scarcely believe it myself - that this is the episode where Mr. Poe made his podcasting debut. You could say this "sets the stage" for the rest of "Celebrate Poe" and the detailed look at Poe's life and works to follow. So this episode is a look at the very beginning of Celebrate Poe, and a brief look into future ep...
Dangerous Missions
February 29, 2024 21:00 - 20 minutes - 14.3 MBSend us a Text Message. This is the final episode of a three part series dealing with Harriet Tubman. This episode begins with Tubman working for the Union forces, tending to newly liberated people, scouting into Confederate territory, and nursing wounded soldiers in Virginia. This episode ends with a comparison of the achievements of Tubman and Frederick Douglass, as well as a comparison of (surprise, surprise!) Tubman and Edgar Allan Poe.
A Real Railway?
February 29, 2024 20:00 - 21 minutes - 14.6 MBSend us a Text Message. Episode 222 is the second of a three part series dealing with Harriet Tubman, and her work with the Underground Railway. The episode deals with some of the brave efforts towards liberation that Tubman led, and ends with this description of the assault on Fort Wagner: And then we saw the lightning, and that was the guns; and then we heard the thunder, and that was the big guns; and then we heard the rain falling, and that was the drops of blood falling; and when we ...
Rescue Missions
February 19, 2024 03:00 - 21 minutes - 14.8 MBSend us a Text Message. Episode 221 is the first of a three part series for Black History Month dealing with Harriett Tubman - some of her ideas, philosophy, and earlier years.
Oration for Lincoln
February 17, 2024 00:00 - 17 minutes - 12 MBSend us a Text Message. Episode 220 deals with sections of an especially eloquent oration given by Frederick Douglas in honor of Abraham Lincoln.
Escape
February 13, 2024 00:00 - 17 minutes - 11.8 MBSend us a Text Message. Episode 219 deals with Frederick Douglas after his escape to the North, and his colorful and influential life as an abolitionist speaker and advocate. While he gave thousands of speeches supporting freedom for all races, perhaps one of his most famous is What to the Slave is the Fourth of July: "My subject, then, fellow-citizens, is American slavery. I shall see, this day, and its popular characteristics, from the slave’s point of view. Standing, there, identified ...
Bondage
February 09, 2024 03:00 - 22 minutes - 15.8 MBSend us a Text Message. This episode is the first of a three part series about the great Frederick Douglass. This episode deals with the early life of Douglass - how he was kept from his mother, the moments he first realized the importance of education, and some examples of his eloquence.
Racial Issues in Poe's Works
February 03, 2024 22:00 - 15 minutes - 10.5 MBSend us a Text Message. Episode 217 takes a brief look at 4 of Poe’s works where many critics believe his complex perceptions of racial issues are explored - The Murders in the Rue Morgue, The Adventures of Arthur Gordon Pym, The Goldbug, and Eureka.
Manumission
February 02, 2024 05:00 - 25 minutes - 17.6 MBSend us a Text Message. This episode deals with some of the complexities of manumission in 19th century United States. The main thrust of this episode is the time that Edgar Allan Poe actually sold a slave, Edwin, for his Aunt Maria Clemm using the process of manumission - not as beneficial as it might have seemed at first.
Poe 215, Part Three
January 30, 2024 03:00 - 27 minutes - 19 MBSend us a Text Message. This episode is the third and final episode of an "interview" between George and AI Poe (via Google Bard) regarding his first published work,, his life with and love for Virginia Clemm, some of his other loves, and Edgar Poe as a macabre maestro. An aside here - this certainly wasn’t planned - but the third episode dealing with Poe’s 215th birthday is episode 215 of this podcast.
Poe 215, Part Two
January 24, 2024 02:00 - 24 minutes - 17.1 MBSend us a Text Message. This podcast is the second part of three episodes - AI Poe talks in detail about his family, John and Francis Allan, Rosalie, and some of his works in a very moving account.
Poe 215, Part One
January 19, 2024 23:00 - 26 minutes - 17.9 MBSend us a Text Message. This podcast episode is the first part of an interview with the imaginary ghost of Edgar Allan Poe based on historical records - who is a running character throughout the podcast - using examples from his life and creative observations on the ghost’s part about what life and literature was like in the 19th century. Today I would like to start the first of several (if necessary) episodes regarding the birthday of Edgar Allan Poe. I would ask questions of the ghost of ...
You Are Not Alone
January 15, 2024 06:00 - 19 minutes - 13.3 MBSend us a Text Message. Resources for Practicing Drinkers: Self-Assessment and Support: • National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA): https://www.niaaa.nih.gov/ ◦ Provides information on alcohol use disorders, interactive tools to assess drinking patterns, and links to treatment resources. • Alcoholics Anonymous (AA): https://www.aa.org/ ◦ Worldwide support group network for individuals struggling with alcohol problems. Offers meetings, sponsors, and resources for recov...
Becoming Poe Again
January 07, 2024 05:00 - 31 minutes - 21.6 MBSend us a Text Message. Becoming Poe Again is basically a recap of most of Episode One of this podcast series - my background regarding Poe and how I became interested in the writer. One dynamic that seems to run through my interest is the factor of just "dumb luck," and a fascination with Poe that has resulted in over 200 podcast episodes regarding Poe - with that many more (at least) scheduled to come.
Athletics, Shakespeare, and Dualism
January 04, 2024 08:00 - 23 minutes - 15.9 MBSend us a Text Message. Episode 209 is a wide-ranging conversation with "AI Poe" regarding athletics, dualism, Poe's role in the Allan family, and Shakespeare.
Instrument of Death
January 04, 2024 07:00 - 27 minutes - 18.8 MBSend us a Text Message. Episode 208 (Instrument of Death) is the second part of the story Each Man Kills by Victoria Glad - the story develops until the characters are unquestionably involved in the “world of the undead”
Pronounced Dead
January 04, 2024 07:00 - 23 minutes - 16.4 MBSend us a Text Message. Episode 207 (Pronounced Dead) is the first half of the story Each Man Kills by Victoria Glad. This is the first time in the story where well-meaning several characters find themselves involved in situations completely beyond their control.