Edward G Pettit

Baltimore Magazine writer John Lewis, who made the trip for the Great Poe Debate, posted this account on his blog:

I knew we were in for an unusual evening when the moderator, Grover Silcox, did five minutes of Poe-related stand-up—which set the tone for the good-humored, free-wheeling discussion to come—and introduced a Poe impersonator to witness the proceedings.

Silcox then called the participants to the stage, and each man strode up the aisle from the back of the room. Boston’s Paul Lewis, Professor of English at Boston College, entered first, flanked by a raven-haired beauty (appropriately dressed in black) dangling a stuffed raven from a wooden cane. Then came Baltimore’s Jeff Jerome, curator of the Poe House and Museum, tossing rolled posters to the crowd. Finally, Philadelphia Poe Scholar Ed Pettit appeared with a boisterous entourage as the theme from Rocky blared over the p.a. Pettit clutched a shovel, wore a hooded boxer’s robe with “Philly Poe Guy” stitched across the back, and thrust both fists in the air after taking the stage. The crowd went nuts.

Lewis also includes a photo of the three representatives and video footage of the Philly Poe Guy taking the stage: