1809-2009 Some Great Beginnings....

The upcoming (extended) weekend is a pretty exciting one in the U.S. On Monday we will commemorate Martin Luther King Day with celebrations all over the country. Of course, Tuesday is the inauguration of President-elect Barack Obama. There are loads of activities around DC for the inauguration, including the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian's Out of Many: A Multicultural Festival of Music, Dance, and Story.

Being from Illinois, Abraham Lincoln's life was a huge part of my elementary school education, so I'm happy to see that the 200th anniversary of his birth will be commemorated in the Inaugural Theme (For those of you visiting DC, Ford's Theater is closed, but the Petersen House, where Lincoln died is apparently open). Interestingly, there is someone else who was born 200 years ago, who is being honored (though, perhaps appropriately, his celebrations are a bit over-shadowed) this weekend too. Someone who was as much, if not more a part of my youth than Honest Abe. My favorite childhood author...Edgar Allan Poe.

Let's face it, he put the Poe in poetry! Edgar Allan Poe was born on January 19, 1809 (less than a month older than Abe). I'm not going to give you his life's story because that would take forever. I am, however, going to point out some things you can do between inaugural and MLK activities this weekend. Here are a few:

• Visit Poe's House in Philadelphia (It just opened for this weekend!) - I went years ago and loved it.
• Visit Poe's House in Baltimore (It's opening briefly from 11-3 this weekend to accommodate a nearly sold-out Poe celebration) - Oddly, I've never been, so I'm going. I have been to the grave a few times, though.
• Visit the Poe Museum in Richmond - This is my favorite.
• Visit Poe's Cottage in the Bronx - If you go, let me know what it's like. I'm going next summer.

If you're not in the DC, VA, PA, NY area, you can at least read his works. Check out these:

• Online Books by Poe
• Poetry Lovers Poe Collection