Edgar Allan Poe came to Manhattan in April of 1844 hoping to make a name for himself in the literary world, and two years later found himself moving to a cottage in the Bronx with his wife Virginia who was suffering from tuberculosis (she died there a year later). Poe eventually moved to Richmond, Virginia, but his time in New York is still making headlines; recently a letter was discovered in which he apologizes for his drunken behavior while in town, and now it's 163 years later and the Bronx County Historical Society is trying to save his old home. more ›

Dead authors and compost go together so poetically don't they? The Brooklyn Paper reports on one woman who thinks so, and she's been placing her unusual compost boxes all around her neighborhood. The first was a Kurt Vonnegut inspired chest on Sacket Street, and soon after the local, Noon Gourfain, announced to the paper that her next was an homage to Edgar Allan Poe—let's hope she buries a fake beating heart in the soil! She explained, “I like what he said about the descent into the maelstrom. I like the idea of linking a dead literary figure to composting.” While vandals knocked over the Vonnegut, other residents are invited to be more productive in their contributions, for example: "toss in shredded paper, banana peels, egg shells or other organic waste. The worms will do the rest." If you'd like to do some of your own indoor composting, here's a tip sheet on how—and if someone could convert dumpsters into gardens and swimming pools that would be super. more ›

A letter from Edgar Allen Poe apologizing for his drunken behavior in New York City is being made public for the first time. In the letter, sent in 1842, Poe attempts to explain the reasons for his unspecified "queer" behavior to publishers J. and H.G. Langley: "Will you be so kind enough to put the best possible interpretation upon my behavior while in N-York? You must have conceived a queer idea of me - but the simple truth is that Wallace would insist upon the juleps, and I knew not what I was either doing or saying." The explanation comes amidst Poe's attempt to sell an article to the Langleys (they passed), and his pitch is prefaced by the confession that he's "desperately pushed for money." (Those juleps don't come cheap, even by 19th century standards.) Now The University of Virginia has acquired the letter, which until last week had been in private hands, and will include it in an exhibition celebrating the bicentennial of the author’s birth. (Poe attended U.Va. in 1826, where his beer pong skills are still legendary.) [Via Maud Newton.] more ›

For those not wanting to hit the big Halloween parade (led by today's interviewee) there are other options: Park Slope's Halloween Parade (info here), Clinton Hill's Halloween Walk (info here) Prospect Park South's Halloween Parade (info here) and Williamsburg's Witches Walk (info here). more ›

After seeing Liao Yusheng's beautiful photograph of the Morgan Library's addition, we decided that we should head over to the museum soon. The Morgan has a collection of early books, historical manuscripts, and more. And one exhibit catches our eye: The Morgan has some of its "Masterworks" on display, and we're particularly interested in the literary and historical manuscripts:

Manuscript drafts that show works in progress include Oscar Wilde's play An Ideal Husband and Bob Dylan's lyrics for the song "It Ain't Me, Babe." Manuscripts that made their way to the printer include Edgar Allan Poe's "Tale of the Ragged Mountains," Jane Austen's Lady Susan, and Ezra Pound's Guido Cavalcanti, shown in corrected proof. Sketches and manuscripts of the beloved children's story about the elephant Babar illustrate the entire composition process from early drafts to finished product.

Metropolitan Playhouse hosts Poe-Fest, starting tonight. As you may have guessed Poe-Fest is inspired by the life and the works of Edgar Allan Poe. Performers from all over the country congregate for a two week festival of Poe saturated theatricals. Included are performances, musicals, monologues, dances, jokes and whatever else the Poe-esque style can be injected in to. more ›

It's our favorite weekend of the year, Halloween weekend! Ghosts are always roaming our streets and sitting on our ancient pub stools in this city, and this is the best weekend to go out and see them face to invisible face in some good 'ol fashioned walking tours. Yeah, we ain't afraid of no ghosts! more ›

Trying to figure out what to do this Halloween weekend? We've got some ideas that are just slightly better than *bobbing for PBR... more ›

As suspected, the TriBeCa kidnapping yesterday was over real estate. The Time spins it as an Edgar Allan Poe tale, detailing the the ordeal of the alleged victim, Lawrence Schlosser, 63 year old real estate investor. It was a real estate meeting gone sour, with the alleged kidnapper, Lawrence Omansky, forcing Schlosser to sign over buildings after punching and threatening him with a knife for a few hours. Then he tied Schlosser up and hid him in the crawlspace of his building. Schlosser got out 18 hours laters, after prying open the trapdoor with a pipe. Omansky's lawyer is Benjamin Brafman, who defended P. Diddy during the club shooting case. more ›