‘Poe in the Dark’ hits its mark
Although Halloween was still a few days away, Sigma Tau Delta, the English Honor Society, got into the spooky season on October 29th with their annual ‘Poe in the Dark’. The lights of an Old Main auditorium classroom are dimmed, with only a single light along with ghostly orange twinkle lights and flickering fake candles. Pumpkins carved with frightening faces line the front table stacked with Spudnuts and apple cider along with an iconic stuffed Raven, paying homage to the poet who inspired the event. The classic overture to Andrew Lloyd Webber’s The Phantom of the Opera plays playing quietly from a speaker completes the aesthetic. Then, the music starts, the audience quiets, and the real horror begins.
This is Poe in the Dark, a fall tradition that has been put on by the English Honor Society since 1995.
“The purpose of Poe in the Dark is to celebrate literary fiction that is not normally celebrated in our department.” Explains Jack Bylund, vice president of Utah State’s Sigma Tau Delta chapter, “We particularly celebrate horror fiction and just the horror genre in general.”
This event was organized and implemented almost completely by the student officers of the honors society. The advisors oversaw the main planning and ordering of the refreshments, although the rest is completely up to the students. They are in charge of the reservation and set up of the room, collection of raffle prizes, as well as selecting participants. Staff are invited while for students, auditions were held in front of the officers on October 22nd. On the night of the event, President Stephanie Pointer and Vice President Jack Bylund emceed while the students and staff selected to read and performed original as well as published and classic works of fiction that have a spooky or sinister nature.
“Horror is a genre commonly overlooked,” Says Jack, “It is often viewed as low-quality or just trashy. However, I believe that horror as a genre can serve a deeper purpose than just getting a few thrills and chills. Horror has the capacity to highlight deep-seated fears, both those fears that we recognize and often those we don’t. It can have subversive and critical commentary on society and its flaws. The most meaningful horror literature out there often features a monster, killer, or terror that reflects the climate of its time.”
“It’s really fun to hear diverse literature, from all kinds of writers and (sometimes) many historical periods, chosen by readers for its creepy or campy or funny-scary elements.” Says Phebe Jensen, the Sigma Tau Delta’s chapter advisor, “I especially love it when students and faculty read original work.”
Well, Dr. Jensen was in luck, because the majority of the pieces read this year were original: poems depicting inner monsters, short stories about the peculiar behaviors of mysterious neighbors, and even a rap song told from the viewpoint of death himself.
As a ticket of entry into the event, students were asked to bring a canned food item to be donated to the Logan food pantry. For this donation, they were placed in raffles drawings in between the readings. This year’s prizes included coupons for free boxes of Crumbl, $20 to Lucky Slice pizza, $15 to Angie’s, and Sigma Tau Delta beanies.
“For those intending Poe in the Dark, I hope they gain a deeper appreciation for literature as a whole as well as the horror branch of literature.” Says Jack.
To learn more about Poe in the Dark and be alerted about other literary events, follow the Honor Society’s Instagram at @usu.sigma.tau.delta
@daramarie815