You may know Rob Velella from him attending historical events with Nerd Fun, but did you know that he is also a National Park Ranger who worked at the Edgar Allen Poe house and the Longfellow House in Cambridge? Rebecca -- another Assistant Organizer of Nerd Fun -- and I bumped into him last summer and told him about this group we just joined, when there was a Longfellow Poetry reading with selections from Hiawatha read at the Longfellow House.

Rob's giving a walking tour at Mt. Auburn Cemetery with an Edgar Allen Poe theme... which I would -definitely- put on the Nerd Fun Calendar, except that my family and I are going on a three-hour Boston By Foot walking tour on the Freedom Trail that morning and we might not be able to walk after that. ;)

Anybody want to put this event on the calendar and act as a human landmark for the group? Just write to Heather, the Organizer, and she can give you Assistant Organizer permissions.

Sunday April 19, 2009: 2:00 pm to 3:30 pm. $10.00:

History & Preservation Walks
Edgar Allen Poe and his Literary Contemporaries
http://www.gifttool.com/registrar/ShowEventDetails?ID=1217&EID=4510

"A walking tour with Rob Velella, independent Poe scholar. As part of the bicentennial year of Boston-born Edgar Allen Poe, this walking tour will discuss his relationship to several literary figures buried at Mount Auburn. Poe as a critic had much to say about many of these figures, both well-known and lesser-known. Some were friends, and some were enemies".

... Hrm, I wonder if the tour will involve Rufus Griswold http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rufus_Wilmot_Griswold , Henry Wadsworth Longfellow http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_Wadsworth_Longfellow , James Russell Lowell http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Russell_Lowell or Margaret Fuller http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Margaret_Fuller ?

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Other tours Rob has given, involving Nerd Fun - Boston:

* 9/27/2009: This is the Place: A Literary Walking Tour of Cambridge @ Longfellow House http://www.meetup.com/NerdFunBoston/calendar/8743785/

* 10/09/2008: Poe - Longfellow Talk @ Longfellow National Historic Site in Cambridge http://www.meetup.com/NerdFunBoston/calendar/8893088/

* 10/24/2008: Haunted Houses @ The Longfellow House http://www.meetup.com/NerdFunBoston/calendar/8830878/

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Rob also created an interesting "Edgar Allen Poe" desk calendar http://edgarallanpoe200.com/artists/robvelella.html which is being sold at the Longfellow House.

"Edgar Allan Poe was born January 19, 1809. Two hundred years later, events are being planned around the United States (and the world) in honor of the man whose writings still strike a chord today. Known for his dark tales of horror, Poe is also credited as the inventor of the modern detective story ("The Murders in the Rue Morgue"), the progenitor of modern science fiction ("Balloon-Hoax" and several others), and for his many 19th-century humor pieces (like "Never Bet the Devil Your Head"). He was also one of the most important literary critics of his day.

"This calendar will take readers from his birth in January through the mystery of his death in October. The year ends on December 31 with a quote from Poe's unique (and little-known) essay 'Eureka.' Along the way, listings will tell you about anniversaries - large and small - including events that shaped Poe's work and world. Throughout the year, Poe will write letters to people like Nathaniel Hawthorne, witness the Bank Panic of 1837, and travel overseas". ... There appears to be a Paypal link on the bottom of the page http://edgarallanpoe200.com/artists/robvelella.html where you can buy a copy of the calendar through eBay. ( I really hope I haven't embarassed you too much, Rob, by plugging your work. I tend to go overboard in my research on events. - T.J Maher ). 438

Rob branches out on the daily topic listed on his calendar on his blog at http://poecalendar.blogspot.com/