Poe as a Writer Panel Discussion

News item published on: 2015-10-06 15:40:30

Department of English faculty will participate on the panel “Poe as Writer” on October 19, 2015, at 6 p.m. in the USM Cook Library Art Gallery. To celebrate the work of Edgar Allan Poe and the National Endowment for the Arts’ Big Read, faculty from the University of Southern Mississippi’s Department of English will speak on different aspects of Poe’s work and influence on literature.

Panel members and topics include: Dr. Angela Ball - Poe’s “Theory of Composition” and Poe as a Poet; Dr. Kate Cochran - Poe as a Southern writer; Dr. Luis Iglesias - Poe as the originator of science fiction; Mr. Andrew Milward - Poe’s “Theory of Composition” and Poe as a short story writer; Dr. Alexandra Valint - Poe as the originator of detective fiction.

In May 2014, University Libraries received a Big Read grant from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) to fund programming promoting Poe and his works to the local community. This initiative will support innovative reading programs designed to encourage people to read, discuss, and celebrate the Poe’s writings. The Big Read is a program of the National Endowment of the Arts in partnership with Arts Midwest. Big Read activities are a result of collaboration between University Libraries, the College of Arts & Letters, and the Library of Hattiesburg, Petal and Forrest County. This event is free and open to the public. If you have any questions about this event, contact Jennifer Brannock at  or 601.266.4347. For more information about upcoming events, visit www.lib.usm.edu/bigread.