Greatly affected by the untimely deaths of both his mother and his wife, Edgar Allan Poe lived a remarkable yet strikingly dark life. Known as an exemplar of Victorian Gothic horror, his poem “The Raven” is ubiquitous in high school lit anthologies—you’re sure to have encountered its haunting rhymes before. Though there’s been a dispute as to whether Poe belongs to Philly or to Baltimore, we like to claim Poe as our own. To get inside Poe’s mind, visit the Edgar Allan Poe National Historic Site (532 N. 7th St.), where he lived during the six most productive years of his life, working as an editor of two monthly magazines and publishing over thirty works.
This Penn alumnus and former Quad resident led an eccentric and controversial life. A figure at the forefront of 1920s literary modernism, Pound headed to Europe several years after receiving his masters degree from Penn. He got involved with the fascist movement and was later accused of treason by the U.S. government. Some of his most renowned works include "The Cantos" and "Hugh Selwyn Mauberley."
This noteworthy Penn alumnus is the author of more than 40 volumes of poetry, short stories, novels and plays—all on the side of his day job as a doctor. During his time at Penn, he was a member of Mask and Wig, an arts editor for his medical school yearbook and a varsity fencer. Listed as "most versatile” in his yearbook, he was also known for shaping modern poetry through his use of imagery and his innovation in form. His poems “The Red Wheelbarrow” and “This is just to say” are well–known exemplars of the Imagist literary movement. Stop by the Kelly Writers House (3805 Locust Walk) to see a sampling of his poetry carved in the sidewalk.
This midcentury modernist was noted for her irony and wit. While attending Bryn Mawr College, Moore served as editor of the literary and cultural journal The Dial. She went on to publish various collections of poetry and criticism. Center City's Rosenbach Museum and Library (2008 Delancey St.) holds the Marianne Moore Collection, featuring the complete intact contents of her former Greenwich village living room.
Philadelphia's current and first poet laureate, an activist and an educator, Sanchez has authored over a dozen books of poetry in addition to plays and children's books. Serving an influential role in the Black Arts Movement, Sanchez writes plays and books about the struggles and lives of black America. She is also known for her melding of musical forms like the blues with traditional poetic forms, like haiku and taka. In 2012, Philly's Mural Arts Program collaborated with Sanchez to create a mural (1425 Christian St.) commemorating her public art project "Peace is a Haiku Song"
