Toast Poe

Take a selfie with Poe

Local artist Joe Pagac has painted a mural featuring Edgar Allan Poe in the UA Poetry Center’s Children’s Area.

Pagac, who has was recently nominated for a 2015 Lumie Award for Best Artist by the Tucson Pima Arts Council, painted Poe with a black cat on his shoulder in honor of Poe’s beloved cat, who sometimes sat on his shoulder while he wrote.

The Poetry Center and Big Read Connects Tucson invite you to come by and take a picture of yourself in front of the mural.

For the duration of this installation, come and take a selfie and post it to your favorite social media platform using the hashtag #HeadToPoe.

 University of Arizona Poetry Center

This is the third in a series of columns about ways to get involved in The Big Read.

It’s been an incredible year for Big Read Connects Tucson. Edgar Allan Poe has successfully infiltrated Tucson, and we are having a blast. There’s a lot in store to look forward to in the coming weeks.

Pima Community College Theatre Arts presents Richard McElvian’s β€œPoe’s Midnight Dreary,” performed by seven Tucson area high schools

When: 7:30-9:30 p.m. Jan. 9.

Where: PCC Center for the Arts Proscenium Theatre, PCC West Campus, 2202 W. Anklam Road.

Pima Community College Theatre Arts, in conjunction with Literacy Connects and Big Read Connects Tucson, presents a series of haunting dramatizations of Edgar Allen Poe’s most popular works woven into one story by Richard McElvian.

β€œMidnight Dreary” threads together the events of Poe’s life and his work as he deliriously remembers each story on his deathbed in a Baltimore hospital.

β€œMidnight Dreary” is produced by PCC Theatre Arts and performed by the following Tucson area high schools: Desert View (β€œThe Telltale Heart”) directed by Ericka Quintero; Mountain View (β€œThe Black Cat”) directed by Shannon Kerstetter; Sabino (β€œThe Raven”) directed by Kris Kissel; Tanque Verde (β€œAnabel Lee”) directed by Debbie MacKinney; Canyon Del Oro (β€œThe Fall of the House of Usher”) directed by Rob Cannon; Rincon/University (β€œThe Premature Burial”) directed by Maryann Green; and Salpointe (β€œThe Poetic Principle”) directed by Dana Miline. PCC theatre students will act as ambassadors to the high school students and assist with backstage coordination and technical support. The event is free and open to the public.

For ticket information, contact the box office at 206-6986 or centerforthearts@pima.edu

The Heiresses of Edgar Allan Poe

When: 2-3:30 p.m. Monday, Jan. 11.

Where: Dusenberry-River Library, 5605 E. River Road.

Join mystery writers Elizabeth Gunn (author of the Jake Hines mystery series and the Sarah Burke mysteries) and Susan Cummins Miller (author of the Frankie MacFarlane, geologist, mystery series) in a conversation about Poe, the undisputed father of the modern detective novel.

Locked-room murders, analysis of clues, eccentric amateur sleuths, stories based on true crimes β€” Poe left behind a literary legacy that for generations has inspired the mystery authors who are his heirs. It’s no surprise the Mystery Writers of America honor distinguished authors with the Edgar Award.

As heiresses of Poe, Gunn and Miller will discuss his numerous and frequently surprising contributions to the art and craft of mystery writing, his impact on literature’s most popular genre, and his influence on their own popular sleuths. A book sale and signing will follow.

Moonlight, Starbright, Poe Night for the Whole Family

When: 5-8 p.m. Friday, Jan. 15.

Where: Steward Observatory and Flandrau Science Center, 1601 E. University Blvd.

Poe has long been known as the father of the mystery and detective novel, but he also helped to pioneer science fiction.

Take part in a night of interactive activities for the whole family as Poe’s interest in cosmology is highlighted.

Bring the kiddos and look through telescopes at Steward Observatory and Flandrau Science Center. Enjoy the meteorite show and the Lunar Planetary Lab, interactive writing activities and a hot chocolate bar.

A special planetarium show at Flandreau will feature images of the night sky as Poe may have seen it, while listening to experts read excerpts of his work set to music by the local alt-classical group Chamber Lab.

Lectures and demonstrations by UA science and literature experts will showcase what Poe knew about science, where his imagination departed from fact, and how what we know today about the cosmos has changed.

A Toast to Poe at Borderlands Brewing

When: Tuesday Jan.19, (time TBA, visit website for updates).

Where: Borderlands Brewing, 119 E. Toole Ave.

For seven decades, an unidentified man visited Poe’s gravesite in the wee hours of his birthday and made a toast in honor of this great American writer.

Big Read Connects Tucson will revive this long-standing tradition in true Tucson style at Borderlands Brewing. A special release β€œPoe Brew” will be featured along with free books. Come join the fun and pay tribute.

For more information about Borderlands Brewing, visit borderlandsbrewing.com

Call for Poe art

Deadline: Jan. 31; email submissions to calltoartists@pima.gov

The Pima County Public Library and the Tucson Pima Arts Council invite youth and adults (ages 11+) to submit one to three pieces of visual art for a multimedia show inspired by Poe and his work. Email submissions will be accepted in January.

A jury of community members will select works to be displayed in the gallery spaces of the downtown Joel D. Valdez Main Library and the Pioneer Building lobby April 1-28.

Want to get involved in Big Read Connects Tucson?

Contact Daniel Armenta, the community engagement/Reach Out and Read program manager for Literacy Connects, at darmenta@literacyconnects.org

Become a #ThisIsTucson member! Your contribution helps our team bring you stories that keep you connected to the community. Become a member today.

The nonprofit is the recipient of a National Endowment for the Arts Big Read grant. The NEA, in partnership with Arts Midwest, created The Big Read to support organizations across the country in developing community-wide reading programs that engage diverse audiences. As part of The Big Read, Tucson is exploring and celebrating Edgar Allan Poe and his work.