Chris Semtner is an internationally recognized expert on Poe’s work with 20 years’ experience at the Poe Museum. He has written books on topics including Poe, visual art, and cryptography, in addition to contributing articles to Biography.com, Resources for American Literary Studies, Crime Writers’ Chronicle, and The Edgar Allan Poe Review.
He has curated exhibits for museums and galleries across the country. His Library of Virginia exhibit, Poe: Man, Myth, or Monster, garnered the praise of The New York Times while his Poe Museum exhibits have earned that institution honors from TIME Magazine, USA Today, and others. In search of exciting ways to bring Poe to new audiences, Semtner has collaborated on Poe-themed performances with groups including the Latin Ballet of Virginia, the Garth Newel Music Center, and Shockoe Hill Cemetery. In addition to appearing on BBC, PBS, Travel Channel, Military History, NPR, CNN, and other networks, Semtner regularly speaks about a variety of unusual, obscure, and macabre subjects to groups of all ages around the country and as far away as Japan. Semtner is also an internationally exhibited visual artist whose paintings have entered several public and private collections.
