And so we find Edgar Allan Poe in Baltimore. Those who look to unravel the mystery of how Poe died here are chasing windmills or chasing a buck. There’s a good reason we’ll never know the truth about Poe in Baltimore on his fateful last visit. It’s none of our business. Dying is a private […]
The Secret of the Raven: At the end of Poe’s life, one finds the unexpected … hope
I spent much of the past eighteen months living with Edgar Allan Poe. I can’t say I knew the man when I first started. I had some travel experiences with him, basic biographical sketches and of course, his tales and poems. But it wasn’t enough. I wanted to get into his skin. I needed his […]
The Ash Tree by M.R. James
M.R. James nearly always appears at the top of the lists for the best gothic horror story authors, and for good reasons. His Ghost Stories of an Antiquarian (1904) is perhaps one of the best collections of spine tingling short stories ever written. + + + Everyone who has travelled over Eastern England knows the […]
A history of winter tales and Christmas ghost stories, to make the blood run wintery cold
CHRISTMAS GHOST STORIES were a traditional part of the season’s festivities, and was greatly influenced by Washington Irving, most famous for his tale set in Sleepy Hollow. Above is Philipsburg Manor in Sleepy Hollow, a place Irving incorporated into his own tale. “When I returned to the drawing-room, I found the company seated around the […]
Experiencing another sunrise at Avebury stone circles and henge
A year to the day from this morning, I awoke at sunrise to find Avebury blanketed in snow. I hadn’t been that excited to see snow since I was a little kid, realizing there would be no school today. I had dreamt of photographing Avebury in the snow. H had warned me not to get […]
The Secret Life of Photographers and Trees
I live in southern Illinois. The middle of nowhere. There’s not much in the way of dramatic subject matter to shoot around here. Once spot looks pretty much like the rest. The difference is in the small details. And in the weather. There’s not a lot to recommend this place, but we do have four […]
