Poe's Terrifying Tales Brought to Life at Lemont Library

The haunting tales of Edgar Allan Poe were brought to life Sunday during the Lemont Public Library's The Ghosts of Edgar Allan Poe event.

Brian "Fox" Ellis -- a veteran performer, author and poet -- led the program. He told Poe's life story and how the many tragedies experienced in the personal life of the legendary macabre author were reflected in his work.

"We're all introduced to Poe in junior high and high school, when we see his work as fun and scary," Ellis said. "But as an adult, we can peel back the layers and understand things about his work that we didn't notice before. We bring our life experience to it, and it's not until you've experienced loss yourself that you can understand Poe's motivations."

The performance was intended to get attendees in the spirit of Halloween, Ellis said.

"Everybody likes a good 'jump' tale that startles you," he said. "But Poe is a lot deeper. He's someone who faced his demons through fiction. He grappled with the darkness that is in all of us and resolved it in his stories."

Dressed in full period attire, Ellis performed multiple stories, including The Raven and The Tell-Tale Heart, and spoke in character about the poet's life.

"It was terrific to see Poe's words come to life through an actor -- someone who has an intimate knowledge about the poet," said Bob Lucas, a Lemont resident who attended the program.

Ellis's style appealed to a broad range of attendees, from high school students to senior citizens.

"His storytelling was very realistic," said Monika Siliunas, a Lemont High School freshman who was told about the performance by her English teacher.

"I like Edgar Allan Poe and enjoyed learning more about his background and how his stories related to his life," said Brian Hoster, a Lemont High School senior.

The program was one of the numerous seasonally-themed, free events offered by the library.

"We like to have programs around holidays that celebrate literature," said Sandra Pointon, director of the Lemont Public Library. "If the library doesn't celebrate the arts and literature, who will?"

Ellis is the author of numerous books, and performs hundreds of times each year as historical characters such as Poe, John James Audubon and Abraham Lincoln.