Edgar Allen Poe is well-known for his mysterious and macabre short stories and poems, including The Raven. But few may know that there was a spiritual side to the famous 19th-century writer, too.
St. Richard’s Episcopal Church, 5151 Lake Howell Road, Winter Park, will explore all of that and more when it holds its Fall Summoning the Divine Series. The series recently concluded its first session (Sept. 17-18), and will hold two more (Oct. 22-23, Nov. 26-27) for literary fans.
Entitled “The Spiritual Side of Edgar Allen (1808-1849),” the fall series is held on Mondays from 6:30 to 8 p.m., and then repeated on Tuesdays from 9:30 to 11 a.m. Literary fans can pick up a reading packet for each session in the St. Richard’s church office or by emailing session designer/facilitator Dr. Pamela Glenn Menke at menkepamela@yahoo.com
“Not many people realize that Poe was raised an Episcopalian and that not long before his death he wrote a treatise on God and the Universe,” Menke said. “In fact, his most famous poem The Raven is about a grieving man who is seeking reassurance that there is an afterlife.
“Although no such reassurance is given, Poe’s short story The Pit and the Pendulum does provide such reassurance: “Even in the grave, all is not lost,”” Menke said “The image of Poe as a dissolute drunk was created just after Poe’s death by a bitter northern critic whose work Poe had criticized. Few realize that Poe’s writing influenced composers as well.”
Menke said she is expecting bigger turnouts for this fall’s sessions. “The attendance may be higher this time since a conservation about Poe is generating a lot of interest,” she said.
For more information, call the church office at 407-671-4211, or email Menke at menkepamela@yahoo.com