Poe-Land (by J.W. Ocker)
Like most people, I was introduced to Edgar Allan Poe in high school. Honestly, I kind of left him in high school…until I met my husband who is a ginormous Poe fan and has been for as long as he can remember. My husband reintroduced me to Poe’s work and had me reading poems I had never read and rereading poems I had forgotten. Throughout our decades together, Poe has been a constant presence, whether reading his work, watching old videos on Youtube, listening to readings of the The Raven by James Earl Jones, collecting Poe books (old and new), and adding to our collection of Poe pop culture.
I purchased this book, Poe-Land, when it was initially published and like a lot of books in my library, it sat on the shelf in our Poe shrine begging me to read it. I was fully motivated to move it to the top of my TBR (to be read) list when we planned our trip to the Poe Museum in Richmond, Virginia. Unfortunately, I didn’t get to it before our visit. I saw Poe-Land on display in the gift shop…likely another nudge to get to reading. You can read about our visit to the Poe Museum here.
Okay, so now to review Poe-Land by J.W. Ocker. The author does a fantastic job telling Poe’s story from a geographical perspective rather than chronological. He spent one year traveling seven states, D.C., and Great Britain searching out locations specific to Poe and meeting a lot of great people in the Poe Community. (I didn’t even know there was such a thing as a “Poe Community” until I read this book. I’m not sure why I was surprised as I kept turning the pages. It now makes perfect sense.) This book provides a lot of information about Poe’s life and is an excellent guide if you want to visit Poe-related sites. Sadly, a lot of buildings Poe actually lived in or spent time are long gone. It’s sad, but also understandable considering he died in 1849; a lot of things don’t stand the test of time. What I found absolutely touching and amazing are the people dedicated to celebrating, honoring, and preserving Edgar Allan Poe’s legacy.
Of all the locations described in this book, I feel grateful to have visited the Mecca site, The Poe Museum, in Richmond, Virginia. I now know we missed a couple of other cool stops like Eliza Poe’s grave, the Poe statue, and Sarah Shelton’s home during our quick stop in Richmond. Oh well, that just leaves something to look forward to the next time. I will definitely pull this book off the shelf again if I’m ever headed to Providence, Rhode Island. I would love to visit the Providence Athenaeum; not just for the Poe relevance, but to see that library!
Ocker, is a great writer who uses humor appropriately and keeps the reader entertained. This is my first reading of his work and I look forward to checking out his other books. I think he has a cool niche for subject matter and writing style. I appreciate his efforts and sacrifices to bring the Poe Community such a different and much needed piece of art. Ocker and his interviewees inspire me to read more of Poe’s work. (We definitely have enough Poe books to choose from in this house.) I’m also interested in reading The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket. I’ve only seen negative reviews and Ocker doesn’t necessarily give the book praise, but he offers enough interesting comments to pique my curiosity.
So, in the spirit of the Poe Community…suddenly I feel as though my husband and I would fit right in…I thought I would share some pictures of our Poe pop culture collection. As you can see, we don’t really have a dining room, but a Poe shrine…books, bobble heads, comic books, Little Thinkers doll, Living Dead Dolls, Funko Pops, ravens, and a miniature figurine where the head comes off and heart is inside. The tiny figurine is absolutely adorable! I gave it to my husband for Christmas a few years ago. I can’t find it on Amazon anymore, or I would gladly link it for you.
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