Ayrshire pair off to Baltimore to celebrate Edgar Allan Poe

Neil Smith and Steven Duffy will stage a performance and a lecture at Poe Fest International in Baltimore, where the legendary poet, horror and crime writer lived and died.

This year marks the 175th anniversary of the author's death and Poetic Justice were invited to take part by the The Edgar Allan Poe House and Museum, which is celebrating its own 75th anniversary this year.

Writer Neil, whose day job is chief reporter at Ayrshire Weekly Press, and actor Steven, fly out to Baltimore on Thursday, with performances set for Saturday and Sunday.

Edgar Allan Poe (Image: Contributed) Neil said: "We'll be talking about Edgar Allan Poe's time spent in Ayrshire as a child. His stepfather John Allan, who was born in Dundonald and raised in Irvine, brought a six-year-old Edgar across the sea from America to Ayrshire in 1811.

"During his short stay in Irvine, young Poe attended the town's grammar school and also spent some time in Kilmarnock."

Steven, who has starred in films such as Small Faces and hit TV shows Looking For Jo Jo and Tinsel Town, added: "We have a theory that Edgar's time in Ayrshire may have been a big influence on his later career.

"After, all the school was right next to Irvine Old Parish Church, where he was sent to copy the gravestone epitaphs of murderers, drowned sailors and children, martyrs and graverobbers. That must have had some effect on a six-year-old."

Neil added: "The relationship between teenaged Edgar and his foster father was acrimonious, to say the least. The stern Ayrshireman, who went on to inherit a huge estate in Virginia, would fall out with Poe... usually over money and his choice of career.

"Luckily for us we have access to the letters between Allan and Poe, which document their disagreements and these form the basis of the show we will perform in Baltimore."

The Poe House and Museum in Baltimore (Image: Poe Baltimore) Other special guests at the festival include Victoria Price, author and daughter of actor Vincent Price who starred in many Poe adaptations, and Michael Connelly, bestselling author of The Lincoln Lawyer and the Hieronymus Bosch detective series.

Poetic Justice Productions formed just before lockdown and have held Poe readings across Ayrshire, as well as one day events in Irvine. They also run an annual short story competition for work in the style of Poe, which has attracted entries from around the world - including one from Irvine, California.

Neil, from Ardrossan, said: "In the last few years, we've built up a great relationship with the team at The Edgar Allan Poe House and Museum and have taken part in a couple of online lectures and conferences.

"We were delighted to be invited to perform in Baltimore, especially on the 175th anniversary of the author's death."

The company ran a fund-raiser to pay for the flights with the Poe Museum providing accommodation.

Steven, who lives in Saltcoats, said: "We'll be staying in the Lord Baltimore Hotel, which has the reputation of being one of the most haunted buildings in the US. It seems appropriate."

Poetic Justice have just completed a new short documentary on Edgar's time in Ayrshire which features a lot of footage from Irvine - including the legendary Marymass Festival.

Neil said: "We've even included footage from the town's annual Greasy Pole competition. I'm looking forward to explaining that to an American audience..."

Community Interest Company Poetic Justice, whose other directors include Ardrossan's Helen Aitken and Kilbirnie's Jools Walls, would like to thank all who helped fund the trip, as well as those who put up some amazing prizes to help them reach their target.

To find out more about the company and their short story competition, visit here.