Poe's Bros
Stagione 1
Edgar A. Poe
Confluence
"Take Care of My Eddy..."
...a Midnight Dreary
Ink and Ambition...
The Forgotten Poe's...
Becoming Poe...
Before he was Poe...
Lets start at the beginning...
di Kimiko Sanders
Edgar leaves Richmond on 27 September 1849. Days later, he reappears in Baltimore desperately ill, dressed in clothes that aren’t his own, and unable to explain where he has been. In the final episode of Poe’s Bros, we follow Edgar through his last days, the mystery surrounding his death, the tiny funeral that followed, and the battle over his reputation after he was gone. We also look at what became of the people he left behind, and the extraordinary legacy that followed. Because Edgar’s story did not end in Baltimore. His legacy lives on. And we will tell his story.
Virginia is gone and Edgar Allan Poe is trying desperately to rebuild his life. But instead of one neat love story, he finds himself caught in a confluence of women, grief and impossible choices. This week we untangle his whirlwind romance with Sarah Helen Whitman, revisit the unwavering kindness of Frances Osgood, spend a little time on Annie Richmond’s emotional support couch, launch The Stylus, survive one very concerning night in Philadelphia, and finally return to Richmond where Edgar comes face to face with his first love, Elmira Royster. It’s messy. It’s heartbreaking. And somehow… it all leads to the moment Edgar Allan Poe disappears. New to Poe? Welcome! Already obsessed? You're among the Bros.
Virginia is gone. After years of illness, Edgar loses the person who had quietly been at the centre of his world. But grief isn’t the end of his story. It’s the beginning of one of the most chaotic chapters of his life. In this episode, we follow Edgar through the aftermath of Virginia’s death, his mysterious collapse, a surprising medical diagnosis, the publication of Eureka, and a whirlwind of relationships that have left historians arguing ever since. Because Virginia’s final request was heartbreakingly simple: “Take care of my Eddy.” Unfortunately, everyone had a different idea of what that meant. New to Poe? Welcome. Already obsessed? You're among the Bros.
Before The Raven made Edgar Allan Poe a household name, there was Virginia. In this episode, we explore the devastating illness that cast a shadow over some of the most important years of Edgar’s life, the emotional toll it took on his marriage, his worsening relationship with alcohol, and the stories that emerged from living alongside grief. We’ll also dive into the creation of The Raven, why it became a literary sensation almost overnight, and why the poem that made Edgar famous did almost nothing to solve the problems waiting for him at home. By the end of 1845, Had Edgar finally become the writer he’d always dreamed of being? New to Poe? Welcome. Already obsessed? You're among the Bros.
With his military career behind him and his relationship with John Allan beyond repair, Edgar Allan Poe arrives in Baltimore with little more than his talent and determination. As he builds a new life with Maria “Muddy” Clemm and Virginia, Edgar sets out to achieve what many believed was impossible: earning a living as an American writer. In this episode, we explore Poe’s marriage to Virginia, the complexities surrounding one of history’s most debated relationships, his rise as a fearless literary critic, and the financial struggles that never seemed far behind. From borrowing money and changing jobs to writing some of the most influential short stories in literary history, this is the chapter where Edgar’s ambition burns brighter than ever… even if his bank balance doesn’t. Before The Raven made him a household name, there was a decade of relentless work, impossible odds, and a man determined to prove that genius could survive by the pen. New to Poe? Welcome. Already obsessed? You're among the Bros.
in 1831 Edgar Allan Poe's military career was over, his relationship with John Allan had all but collapsed, and the future before him was uncertain. But before we continue Edgar's story, we're stepping back to meet two people history has largely forgotten. His siblings. In Episode 4, we're exploring the lives of William Henry Leonard and Rosalie Poe, two siblings whose stories have been overshadowed by one of literature's greatest names. We'll try to trace their lives after the death of Eliza Poe, the heartbreaking separation of the Poe children, Henry's life as a sailor and Rosalie's quiet existence in Richmond and the very different paths each sibling was forced to walk. Along the way we'll uncover the remarkable similarities between Edgar and Henry, the mystery surrounding Rosalie's life, and the family that remained quietly woven through Edgar's story, even when history chose not to remember them. This is the story of the forgotten Poe's New to Poe? Welcome. Already obsessed? You're among the Bros.
Long before The Raven, before the literary feuds, and before the world knew his name, Edgar Allan Poe was just young man trying to find his place in it. In Episode 3, we're following Poe through some of the most formative and turbulent years of his life. We'll explore his romance with Elmira Royster, his troubled relationship with John Allan, his brief time at the University of Virginia, and the debts and disappointments that would alter the course of his future. Along the way, we'll watch Edgar leave Richmond, publish his book of poetry, enlist in the United States Army under an assumed named, and rise through the ranks before finding himself at West Point, where another chapter of his life would come to abrupt and dramatic end. This is the story of a young man standing at a crossroads. A poet before he was a legend. A solider before he was and author, and a dreamer trying to become something more than the world expected of him. New to Poe? Welcome. Already obsessed? You're among the bros.
Long before The Raven, the detective stories, and the literary legend, there was simply Edgar. In Episode 2, we're heading back to Poe's earliest years. We'll explore the brief and turbulent lives of his parents, the tragedy that left him orphaned at the age of two, and the wealthy Richmond family who would change the course of his life forever. Along the way we'll follow young Edgar from Virginia to England and back again, discovering how loss and privilege shaped the boy who would one day become Edgar Allan Poe. This is the story of the child before the poet, the dreamer before the legend, and the first chapter in one of literature's most fascinating lives. New to Poe? Welcome. Already obsessed? You're among the bros.
Why does a writer who died in 1849 still have such a hold on us today? In the very first episode, I am sharing my own journey into the wonderfully strange world of Edgar Allan Poe. From my first encounter with The Raven to the rabbit holes I followed, this is the story of how a long-dead poet became one of my biggest creative inspirations. Along the way, we'll cover an abridged timeline of Poe's life, including his difficult childhood, literary ambitions, personal tragedies, famous works, mysterious death, and the legacy that continues to captivated readers almost two centuries later. If you ever wondered who Edgar Allan Poe really was, or why so many of us can't seem to stop talking about him, this is the perfect place to begin. New to Poe? Welcome. Already obsessed? You're among the bros.
Edgar Allan Poe enters New York’s literary salon scene, meets celebrated poet Frances Sargent Osgood and immediately begins making choices with the discretion of a man firing a pistol in a drawing room. What follows is poetry published in plain sight, private letters, public gossip, one extremely complicated pregnancy, Elizabeth Ellet inserting herself into everyone’s business, threats of legal action, a deeply unnecessary firearm and two literary men rolling over furniture. But beneath the absurdity is a much sadder story about reputation, double standards, Virginia’s declining health and the way history has too often reduced Frances to a lovesick footnote in Edgar’s life. So grab a whiskey, hide your letters and join me as we untangle one of the messiest chapters in the PoeVerse. New to Poe? Welcome. Already obsessed? You're among the Bros.