Friends, I am so excited to share this with you and invite you to celebrate my birthday with me this weekend! Last August my dear friend Melanie hosted a big birthday buddy read, and that was such a fun experience for me so it’s been on my mind subconsciously for a while but I honestly wasn’t planning on doing anything unless the right idea came along. And goodness did it!
I was chatting with the wonderful Bex and for some reason, I told her that I share my birthday with one of my favorite authors Edgar Allan Poe. (Hopefully, I don’t end up dying destitute in a gutter.) We then got to talking about how much we adore Poe and how I haven’t cracked open my Complete Works for at least a decade… And then I got an idea about how I wanted to share my birthday with my bookish family: the #poeathon!
What is the #poeathon?
The #poeathon is a group buddy read that runs from January 19 (Kal & Poe’s birthday) to January 21! I’ve put together recommended reading for each of the three days that is made up of some of my favorite stories and poems, and I would be so honored to read along with you!
✨ Want to join along but don’t own any Poe? Have no fear! The Complete Works of Edgar Allan Poe is available on Kindle for free!
The reading schedule
You are welcome to read as much or as little as you want for the #poeathon, but in terms of discussion I’ve come up with the schedule below. I’ve linked to where you can read the short story or poem online, but you can get the Complete Works on Kindle for free if you prefer!
☠️ January 19: The Raven (poem), The Balloon Hoax, The Fall of the House of Usher, The Masque of the Red Death
☠️ January 20: Annabel Lee (poem), The Murders in the Rue Morgue, The Black Cat, The Pit and the Pendulum
☠️ January 21: For Annie (poem), The Tell-Tale Heart, The Cask of Amontillado, The Premature Burial
I might read more from my Complete Works so if you read more please feel free to share your thoughts with me!
Because I am so extra, join the daily #poeathon Twitter chats!
Feel free to use this Twitter image!That’s right I am extra as hell in case you didn’t know! Each day over on Twitter I will host a mini Twitter chat for the #poeathon where everyone can share their thoughts with one another! The tweets will be posted at 4 p.m. Pacific time (midnight UK, 8 a.m. Philippines) but you are welcome to chime in at any time that works for you. I’ll be sharing my thoughts on the #poeathon hashtag, and I would love for you to join in on the conversation!
I am so excited to be sharing my birthday 🎂 with all of you in a fun way and cannot wait to read some Poe with you! Whether you are a lover of his work or new to his writing, I sincerely hope you will join me this weekend!
Let’s go on another adventure together!
Happy birthday! I’m busy revising for exams so I can’t take part, but. I wish you all the best 🙂
Thank you so much Liam, and good luck with revising!
I’M SO EXCITED TO SPEND YOUR BIRTHDAY WITH YOU AND POE <3
AHHH I AM SO EXCITED OMG! This will be great!
I’ve been thinking about reading some Poe for the last week or so. I’m in!
It’s a SIGN! I am so excited to have you joining us and I hope you love the works I’ve chosen.
Happy early birthday!!!! I love Poe! I think, being from Baltimore, it’s kind of a requirement haha.
Thank you, Lisa! And omg I want to go to Baltimore so bad and just do all sorts of Poe things. Are there Poe things to do there?
Yes, lots of Poe things! I have to confess that even though I LOVE Poe’s work and have lived here all my life I have never went out and done any Poe things! But he is buried here, and there’s a museum I believe, you can also go to the last bar he was at iirc, it’s still open! (I have actually been there, but only because it’s a bar a lot of my old coworkers used to hang out at,)
ALL THE POE THINGS! *plots a trip to Baltimore for them* And I know what you mean, when you live a place with toursity stuff you don’t really do them. I grew up in San Diego and never did anything remotely touristy ha
Yes, exactly! Although every once in a while I do some tourist stuff. A couple of years ago we had a big celebration of the 200th anniversary of the Star Spangled Banner (it was written in our harbor during the war of 1812). Anyway, my husband was volunteering so I went with him and did a bunch of stuff around the harbor. He laughed at me because when we met up later I had bought and was wearing a Baltimore sweatshirt and a Baltimore Orioles hat (it had started raining and I hadn’t dressed properly!). Definitely was full on tourist that day lol.
Awww that does sound fun! I definitely do have like tourist days now in my adulthood, especially since I moved away. I think when I lived there I was just “ugh the people & I have time”. That sounds like a fun and once in a lifetime celebration though!
How cool that you share a birthday with Poe! I love his work. I’m not sure yet of my weekend schedule but I can find some time to fit in some of his works, I most certainly will. Until then, happy early birthday!
Thank you so much for the birthday wishes, and most of these are short so I hope you will be able to squeeze in a poem or two!
You’re welcome! And I think I should be able to find some time! 😊
YAY! I honestly can’t wait
What a fun way to celebrate your Birthday! I hope you have an awesome day on Saturday! 🎈🎁🎊 And for what it is worth – I honestly don’t think the gutter will be your destiny! 😃🤞
Thank you so much, Vera – and I appreciate you alleviating my concerns of a gutter-death!
Oooh I’m definitely going to try and join the buddyreads! I’m not sure I’ve ever read anything by Poe but I’ve always been intrigued!
YES now is the perfect time to dive in! I am so excited to have you joining me!
I AM SO IN FOR THIS! I love this SO much! And I’m so excited! Also, I love you more than words! 💗xx
I LOVE YOU TOO, and I can’t wait to read some Poe with you this weekend, love! xoxox
What a lovely idea! And a very Happy Birthday to you!!! 💚💚
Thank you so much!
ooooh looks like fun! I’ve been meaning to read more Poe but so far only read The Raven, though I got the full benefits of the audio version of Cask of Amontillado in the high school freshman English class I TA’d 😂
Ooooh I want audio for Poe, that would be super fun. My Extra Ass is considering doing a live reading of The Raven because I have it memorized but I also feel like that may be too much.
👀 queen of spreadsheets and live reads?
hahahaha oh goodness. at any rate your comment inadvertently reminded me to grab my mic from my work drawer, so mayyybbeeee
do it do it do it 👀
Ahhh, it’s your birthday! This sounds amazing I do have a copy of the book. I am still not sure with my schedule. But I’ll try my best. Sounds really amaaazing!
Thank you so much, and I hope you will have time to read a bit with me!!!
AHHH HAPPY EARLY BIRTHDAY, LOVE!!! I’ve NEVER read any works by Poe, but this sounds like so much fun, and I love you so much, so I might have to participate! Hehe. 😉
Thank you so much for the birthday wishes, sweets! This is the PERFECT TIME for you to read some Poe and I hope you join in!
Oooooh that’s such a nice idea !! and HAPPY EARLY BIRTHDAY in case I forget 😅
Not sure if I’ll hop in … but I guess I can still get that poe collection as it’s free, right ? Not sure i’d understand it though ahahah (last time I read Poe’s was in my last year of high school’s, and I was just beginning to understand english at that point so..)
Thank you so much for the birthday wishes!
The poems are probably a little harder to understand than the short stories, but I love discussing literature so if you do join in please feel free to poke me with questions!
Omg that’s so awesome you share a birthday with Poe!! FAMOUS!! And it’s such a good idea to celebrate it this way ✨
Thank you so much, Cait! Honestly this is my one claim to fame and it isn’t even that cool, but I love it all the same!
What the heck, you share a birthday with Poe?? That’s so cool!! I probably won’t be able to make it this weekend, but this is such a neat idea and I hope you have a wonderful time. Happy early birthday! <3 <3
Thank you so much for the birthday wishes, and I like to think it is cool!
Happy soon to be Birthday, book bestie 💕💕💕
Thank you for the birthday wishes, Christine! xoxo
This is such a great idea! happy birthday in advance!! <3
Thank you so much for the birthday wishes! xoxo
This is such a good idea!
Happy Early Birthday!
I will try and participate but I have an exam to revise for 🙁
But I might try and read some to break up my studying.
Thank you so much, and I hope you join in if you have the time! Even if it is just the poem each day (well, maybe not the Raven lol). Most of the short stories are only a couple of pages, too. But studying comes first!
This is such a good idea, Kal! I will join in on the fun, like I told you on Discord. I’m excited. I’ve never read anything Poe before so I’m very excited!
I am so excited you will be joining in on the fun, Ruby!!!
Happy Bday weekend! I’ve never read any Poe, I will give it a try with a poem this weekend! Thanks for the Amazon link, I’ll have to give it a look!
Yay I am glad you will be joining me! If you decide not to grab the complete works, I linked all the stories to read for free online as well
I’ll try my best to!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY!! This is such an awesome idea. I wish I shared my birthday with someone cool! Idk if I can do the whole thing, but I might have to get in on some of this Poe action. And I hope you have an awesome birthday! Crossing my fingers you avoid that destitute in a gutter situation…
Thanks for the birthday wishes, Loretta! I am so glad you will be joining me, however much you can be is great! And I think the time for me to die drunk in a gutter passed… I stopped drinking like that when I was 30 ahaha
I am too excited for this — and happy early birthday, sweet friend ♥
I am matching your excitement with glee, love! I am so excited to share this with you!
What a cool idea! I love Poe, and Annabel Lee is one of my favourite poems, ever. Happy birthday too! ❤
Thanks for the birthday wishes, and yay for another Poe lover! Annabel Lee is one of my alltime fave poems as well!
eeeek your birthday is sooooo close alas I can’t join in on the readathon as I own no Poe nor do I have a kindle but I’ll cheer you all on and may pick up a book…since I need to read another 2 this month still hehe.
Aww Clo, no worries! I know you prefer to read physical books but if you don’t mind reading the poems and short stories online they are published on web pages and I can get you the links. No pressure, though! xoxo
I’ll try my best to!
Happy birthday! I’ve never read any Poe but strangely seem to know a few of his stories anyway, I guess they’re just very much ingrained into the public! What would you recommend to someone as their first Poe?
Thank you for the birthday wishes, and Poe definitely is kind of ubiquitous! The Raven is definitely a classic and just a beautiful poem about a man’s slow descent into madness after the death of a loved one. other than that poem, The Tell-Tale Heart is an excellent horror short story, and Annabel Lee is my favorite poem by him.
I’ll have to take a look!
Oh wow this is such an excellent idea! I really want to join but sadly I’m really busy preparing for exams this weekend 🙁
But good luck for it and happy birthday in advance 💕
Thanks for the birthday wishes, and I hope exams went well!
They’re still going on but that one went well 😊
Happy birthday! And this is such a cool concept. ❤️
Thank you, Rae!
Happy belated!! I hope EAP was good to you. 🎉🎁🎈
Thank you, and EAP is always good to me! 😀
Happy happy birthday! I will pick up some Poe tomorrow during the snowstorm that’s headed my way – enjoy!
Thank you for the birthday wishes, and I hope you snuggled up with some Poe during the storm!
Happy birthday, lovely 🤗
What a cool way to celebrate with a readathon!
I read most of Poes stuff, but not in English. He’s actually one of the few oldschool authors whose stuff i really enjoy.
I found a free version on UK amazon, but they got a version with illustrations for like £0.49, so got myself a copy. Yay! 😁
Thank you so much for the birthday wishes, love! Oooh an illustrated version sounds so cool!