Poe reads in the dark
Murder, macabre, and mystery – a raven and a heart – and a little humor all were seen, Tuesday evening in the dark.
Tuesday night’s event, sponsored by the English honor society Sigma Tau Delta, was a night of fun, horror, surprises and a tribute to the Master of the Occult: Edgar Allan Poe.
“If you’re looking for anything to get you in the Halloween spirit, this is it,” said Aaron Johnson, secretary of Sigma Tau Delta.
“Poe in the dark is terrifying,” said Nicole Butler, president of Sigma Tau Delta and the evening’s host. “As you know, English teachers love stories and tonight they are performing scary Poe stories or scary stories of their own … in the dark.”
Johnson said, “What they read is a surprise. We know that maybe one or two will read something specifically from Edgar Allan Poe but other than that it’s left open to them to decide. Last year, we had Kristine Miller read a hilarious excerpt from a piece by Steve Martin. Once, someone actually read the graduation requirements for the English department. It was scary.”
The evening began with creative writing instructor Star Coulbrooke reading three short poems about murder, ending with a dramatic reading of “The Raven” – the first time Poe had been read at “Poe in the Dark” in more than two years.
“Until ‘The Raven’ was read just a moment ago, Poe had not been read at ‘Poe in the Dark’ for some time,” said Patricia Gantt, an associate department head and professor in the English department. “The reason is that people have not been able to read Poe, a Richmond Virginian’s son, with a southern accent. That is, until I got here. I have been in touch with the dark-side. I am the great-great granddaughter of Edgar Allan Poe himself: I am Edgar Allan Poe.”
Gantt then went on to read one of Poe’s most well-known stories, “The Tell-tale Heart.” Getting the audience involved with sound effects ranging from a squeaking mouse to a pounding heart, Gantt brought “The Tell-tale Heart” to life.
Keith Grant-Davie, an associate professor of English, took advantage of his predecessor’s selections by reading four parodies based on both “The Raven” and “The Tell-tale Heart,” beginning with a piece by Edgar Allan Seuss entitled, “Horton Hears a Heart.”
The poem begins, “True, I’ve been shaken – and true, I’ve been bad. But how can you say that this elephant’s mad? This loopity sickness has sharpened my brain! My ears are quite large, and I hear things quite plain. So before you pass judgment, please let me explain …” and then goes on to explain and report the murder of Sam by Horton the elephant, who does not like green eggs and ham (he does not like them, Sam I am).
Three parody poems came in steady succession, each playing off Poe’s “Once Upon a Midnight Dreary,” by discussing “The End of the Raven” by Poe’s cat, the annoyance of the old computer message, “Abort, Retry, Ignore”, and the “Cravin'” of a pregnant woman for a chocolate bar.
After Grant-Davie finished, the reading took a turn in the form of Mark Damen, a history associate professor. Taking the time to read some of his own writings, including a retelling of the story of Theseus, this professor had the audience clutching their sides and rolling in the aisles.
In the end, the evening was a hit.
“My favorite part of the evening is that they actually read Edgar Allan Poe this year,” said Deserae Mangus, a junior majoring in political science. “Because, for the past two years they haven’t, and I think it adds a nice bit of darkness to what the night is. I like this one so much better than the previous years. This year there was just a great atmosphere, I mean, murder and humor are so close together. It was perfect.”
Marisa Feinstein, a junior majoring in English, said, “I loved it when Grant-Davie read ‘Horton Hears a Heart’, because no one was expecting it. I mean, no one was picturing a Dr. Seuss version of morbid death. It was different in that I expected it to be in Old Main or the Ray B. West to give it more of the ambiance of Halloween, but it was good. You cannot fully enjoy or appreciate Halloween without a good creepy, morbid story; it just makes Halloween what it is.”
-mattgo@cc.usu.edu