October 04, 2023
Provided Image/Aversa PR
A pop-up Edgar Allan Poe speakeasy will be at Craft Hall in Northern Liberties from Oct. 12-15.
Edgar Allan Poe's penchant for Gothic fiction and poetry was heavily shaped by his years living in Philadelphia. The author's adopted city served as an inspiring backdrop for the gloomy tales he penned between 1838-1844, including "The Cask of Amontillado" and "The Tell-Tale Heart."
In October, admirers of the literary master can celebrate his legacy by listening to his stories over cocktails at Craft Hall in Northern Liberties.
The Edgar Allan Poe Speakeasy will be in town between Oct. 12-15, with designated 90-minute time slots available on each of those days. Tickets to the traveling pop-up event are $55 per person and include four drinks inspired by four Poe stories, which will be retold and reimagined during the event. They each pay homage to the mysterious symbolism in Poe's work: Edgar's Twisted Brandy Milk Punch, the Pale Blue Eye, the Cocktail of Red Death and The Nevermore.
Poe is thought to have drawn inspiration for his most famous poem, "The Raven," while living in Philadelphia and struggling to support his family. He met Charles Dickens, who had a pet raven named Grip, while the English novelist was traveling in the United States in 1842. The symbol of the raven became central to the poem Poe later wrote at the Brennan Farmhouse on New York's Upper West Side. It made Poe a household name in the U.S. and endures as one of the most recognized works of American literature.
After Dickens' pet raven died, he had it stuffed and put in a case that's now displayed in the Free Library of Philadelphia's Rare Book Department.
Poe spent his final months in Philadelphia living at what is now the Edgar Allan Poe National Historic Site at 532 N. 7th St., located about a mile west of Craft Hall. It will also be open on Friday through Sunday between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., with an hour-long closure at noon.
Those who attend the pop-up speakeasy are encouraged to come to the event dressed in Poe-themed costumes.
Thursday, Oct. 12 - Sunday, Oct. 15, 2023
Various times | $55 per person
Craft Hall
901 N. Delaware Ave. Philadelphia, PA 19119
