NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — There is a name in classic literature that just brings all things horror and mystery to mind. A local group has used that work for something pretty great.
"Okay, it says it's streaming!" Carmen Bouldin said, sitting behind a computer screen as a podcast went live. "Should I start the intro?"
Podcast partner Jeanie Smith nodded as they began.
Guest Dr. Jeff Thompson started reading from a text to a live audience;
"A maiden there lived who you may know by the name of Annabel Lee."
There's a good chance that line sounds familiar. It's a line from a poem written in 1849. Who was it by?
"Poe!" Carmen said.
"Yes. Mr. Edgar Allan Poe himself," Jeanie smiled.
Carmen and Jeanie do The 6 Degrees of Edgar Allan Poe podcast. They call it a POEcast.
Just the name Edgar Allan Poe conjures imagery of the gothic, the macabre.
"He creates a vision as you're reading," Jeanie said.
"They come in for the horror and come out with so much more," Carmen added.
Jeanie and Carmen aim to give a fuller understanding of Poe, including the general belief he invented the detective novel and his contributions to science fiction. They also address the longevity of interest in Poe, something they partly chalk up to the adaptability of his works.
"He's shown up in The Simpsons, he's shown up in SpongeBob SquarePants!" Jeanie said.
In their POEcast, Jeanie and Carmen found a new Poe-tential.
"We thought, 'hey. He loved animals," Jeanie said. "He would sit and write with a cat on his shoulder called Catterina."
There's also Poe's story, The Black Cat.
"In the end, the cat got its revenge!" Jeanie said.
A POEcast on Saturday raised money to benefit the Nashville Humane Association. The continuous reading of Edgar Allan Poe works ran eight hours.
"I think it's 12 of us total that are going to be reading," Carmen said at the start of the POEcast.
It was actually one of several Poe reading marathons that happened all over the world for Doomsday 2025 hosted by The National Edgar Allan Poe Theatre.
"He was an artist who did not get his fame, his fortune, his recognition until after his death," Jeanie said.
Yet, today, Poe's work has been adapted in every way you can imagine and used for causes with a whole lot of...heart.
Jeff continued reading in the POEcast.
"Tear up the planks! Here! Here! It is the beating of his hideous heart!" he read.
If you still want to donate to Nashville Humane through the POEcasters, visit here.
Do you have a positive, good news story? You can email me at forrest.sanders@newschannel5.com.
Happy Birthday to the YMCA of Middle TN. They just celebrated their 150th anniversary! A lot has changed with the Y over the years. I have personally seen some of that firsthand when I was a long-time board member at the Northwest Family Y and part of their Black Achievers Program. Forrest Sanders has a look back.
- Lelan Statom
