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Daniel P Quinn's avatar

POE was a genius and victim as well.

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Catherine Baab's avatar

Couldn't agree more, Daniel. It's sad and inspiring at the same time.

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Daniel P Quinn's avatar

Much appreciated-----it appears in my "organized labor" book and was featured in The Record newspaper and WLIW-FM radio with Bonnie Grice as well.

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Anne Byrn's avatar

Wonderful piece, and it resonates with me because I wrote a book in 2000 called the Cake Mix Doctor, which the food snobs turned their noses up at. Yet, it was a madly successful book and helped me get to know readers who desperately needed to make a cake using a box mix. They were hard-working people with families and commitments, worried less about whole grains than celebrating over cake with family and friends. The challenge lies once you have a big market to keep it growing and also keep yourself growing and satisfied, too. Thank you!

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Catherine Baab's avatar

Anne, I really like this story because, among other reasons, I've never made a cake from scratch, only from box mix. I'll keep an eye out for your book!

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Anne Byrn's avatar

You are not alone. I used mixes when my kids were younger because they were fast and reliable. So unlike Poe my motives were completely selfish! My new book comes out Nov. 9.

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Catherine Baab's avatar

Ooooh, link please!!

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Anne Byrn's avatar

Here’s Amazon but it will be at indies and bn too: https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/059323359X/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?ie=UTF8&qid=&sr=

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Daniel P Quinn's avatar

ArtsPRunlimited, Inc

Edgar Allan Poe (1809-49): with his Rise and Fall in Baltimore in 2021.

Poe has been part of my Literary life for decades from The Fall of the House of Usher and The Library of America compilation.

In Poe's original story there was a striking allusion to Carl Maria von Weber (1786- 1826) the noted German composer and Romantic. We used a wild orchestral piece by Weber that Poe alluded to in his short USHER story.

Equally astonished that their lives both ended at age 40.

Poe appears in my "organized labor" as a Tribute. USHER was a mythical mystic figure like Poe. Yet, very different and a phenomenal challenge on the stage. Suddenly, I feel the presence of POE and must now turn to this verse.

Poetry in Transformation.

I’ve been to Baltimore,

and

to the Bronx.

I’ve seen your cottage

as an outsider

looking in.

I’ve read

some of your books

and hear your name.

I can see you:

dead in the gutter.

This is in homage

to you:

POE A Tree.

It might be useless,

But I do think of you

for support.

In the same way

you

could not

support yourself,

While swaying

to

support me.

"organized labor" (Author House 2005)

Your comment has been approved on Baltimore with The New York Times community.

danielpquinn | Newark, NJ 3/9/21

Baltimore was a destination for me on several occasions from the late 1970's to the Inner Harbor about 12 years later. More recently for a job interview at Johns Hopkins. Like Newark in many ways it was laid to waste by all the corporations that left town.

On that last trip I also bought an original page of the 1862 Harper's Weekly. Baltimore too must be remembered as a bulwark for the Catholic Community post-American revolution in the US.

Baltimore Cathechism as a prime example, to this day. $35- an hour was an enormous hourly wage. Thank God Biden is now in charge to help make that happen for more of us and not the few uber-rich.

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Suhas Baliga's avatar

Brilliant piece that I enjoyed so much, I read it twice. A lesson for all creators, entrepreneurs or for that matter, everyone of us waiting to make that SPLASH.

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Catherine Baab's avatar

Suhas, thank you so much the kind words and for for reading (twice)!

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