Misery loves company, and The National Edgar Allan Poe Theater is here for the gloomiest of folks with the third annual Doomsday 2024.
For 24 straight hours on May 18-19, 2024, the Poe Theater will hold its nonstop livestreamed marathon of the reading of Edgar Allan Poe’s legendary writing. This year, the celebration will go international, with coordinated events in Brazil, the UK, and Italy in addition to Baltimore.
To help raise money for Doomsday 2024, a donation page has been established at this link. Funds raised will also help finance the Poe Theater’s award-winning Poe-themed radio dramas. Early supporters have already begun to contribute.
In Baltimore, the Doomsday 2024 Readathon takes place at the Carroll Mansion and is free for all to attend. There will be arts and writing activities for people of all ages to enjoy, Poe trivia, and open access to the Poe Death Exhibit.
Participants in other nations doing their own version of Doomsday 2024 include the following theater groups:
- Vigor Mortis in Curitiba, Brazil
- Grand Guignol de Milan in Milan, Italy
- Threedumb Theatre in London, England
Each country’s livestream, including Baltimore’s, will be hosted from The National Edgar Allan Poe Theater’s website and its Givebutter donation page.
People who have already committed to read Poe’s works during Doomsday 2024 in Baltimore include Maryland State Delegates Luke Clippinger and Mark Edelson; Rachel D. Graham, CEO of The Baltimore Office of Promotion and the Arts; Poe House and Museum Executive Director Enrica Jang; Loyola University’s Dr. Kaye Wise Whitehead; and many more.
“Poe’s legacy as one of the most influential American authors has been embraced globally, and his works are translated into languages spoken around the world,” said Alex Zavistovich, founder and artistic director of Poe Theatre. “It’s gratifying to see an idea that started three years ago in my basement in Baltimore City begin to grow into a truly international event.”
The Edgar Allan Poe connection to Baltimore runs deep, even though his residence here wasn’t lifelong. He worked in Baltimore for three years, during which he wrote “MS Found in a Bottle,” “Berenice,” and “Shadow – A Parable.”
The writer met his Baltimore-born wife here, and his grandfather David Poe helped found Baltimore’s historic First and Franklin Church. His home has been turned into a museum in downtown Baltimore, the city’s NFL football team is named after his famous poem “The Raven,” their team mascot is named “Poe,” and his gravesite was visited annually for decades on his birthday by “The Poe Toaster” — a mysterious, anonymous figure who would leave three roses and a bottle of cognac at Poe’s tombstone.
Last year’s Doomsday event took place at Greedy Reads in Fells Point. Doomsday is Baltimore’s unique take on Ireland’s Bloomsday, which is their annual celebration of writer James Joyce.
This year’s 24-hour Doomsday Poe Readathon will be held at Carroll Mansion, located at 800 E. Lombard St., Baltimore, Md. The event is free, though donations are welcomed.
