Poe House in Baltimore Threatened by Budget Crisis

The sour economy's effects on municipal treasuries is beginning to take its toll on weird horror's rare shrines. The Poe house in Baltimore is due to have its public funding cut in 2012. It will be left in the hands of a consultant, as a sink-or-swim approach gives it one last chance to become self-sustaining (details from this Associated Press article).

The troubles in Baltimore highlight the dangers of taking city funding for granted. It's also a sad indication that even weird fiction's most popular writer faces historical degradation as local governments go bankrupt. There has to be a better way. Unlike other authors and artists, Poe is renowned across the literary spectrum for his influence. Or so it seems.

Surely, with all the successful writers, film makers, musicians, and others who give a nod to Edgar Allan Poe, there should be a few willing to throw a percentage of their profits to historical preservation. And what about publishers? There are multiple firms that continue to publish large editions of his work, such as the book, Edgar Allan Poe: Complete Tales and Poems with Selected Essays. The books may not be flying off the shelves, but there's got to be some profit taking going on. It's time for real patrons of the arts to step up. Otherwise, a conclusion can only be reached that's nearly as unpleasant as seeing places like the Poe house shut down. That is, Poe appreciation is not as popular or as serious as it seems, and must only be a hollow shadow of itself.

-Grim Blogger