Doings of Gotham: Edgar Allan Poe in New York City

Edgar Allan Poe was part of a far-reaching web of writers, newspapermen, editors, critics, and other influential New Yorkers who touched on many facets of life in the antebellum metropolis. Boroughs of the Dead founder and author Andrea Janes will explore Poe’s New York framed by his own writings, such as his Doings of Gotham, which chronicled current events in the city in 1844, including the newly opened Croton aqueduct and the changing architecture of Brooklyn (spoiler: he didn’t love it). Also discussed: The Balloon-Hoax, the Mystery of Marie Roget, The Facts in the Case of M Valdemar, and The Raven.

Janes will also delve into some of Poe’s myriad interests: phrenology and mesmerism as well as true crime, murder, and scandal. Along the way, she will address and clarify myths and urban legends. Was it really the cellar of what is now the restaurant Il Buco on Bond Street that inspired Poe to write The Cask of Amontillado? Did Poe become addicted to opium after a visit to The Northern Dispensary on Waverly Place?