Oh man are you going to love this!

We at READ are currently working like crazy on an Edgar Allan Poe electronic issue. It is going to be posted on January 19, 2009. Wow, that seems like a really long way away, huh? Well it's not. Not really.

Anyway, you may be asking yourself, why Poe? Why now? Well, the long dead literary genius is turning 200 years old in January and we're celebrating! And guess what? We need your help!

We know that many of you are very VERY electronically jacked. You've got your cell phone and your iPod and your myspace and your youtube and... well, let's just say that when you try to talk to Grandma about these things she's baffled.

So here is the contest you have been waiting for!

Create an electronic birthday card for Poe! Yah! ... Wait, what does that mean, exactly? Well, you can make a video of one of his short stories or poems. You can get your whole class to throw a birthday party for him and send us the highlights. Or write an original script that has Poe as a main character. Send us the footage. Use your imagination! The opportunities are endless!

We're still working out how exactly you can send us this stuff so don't worry about that just yet. We'll post more announcements in the coming weeks and months. For now, just get to work creating your electronic birthday wishes!

WINNING VIDEOS (etc.) WILL BE POSTED ON OUR POE WEB SITE! Also, winners and runners up will receive these awesome Poe dolls that we have. You know you want one.

Any questions can be directed to word@weeklyreader.com. Just make sure to put "Poe Contest Question" in the subject. Or you can leave a comment below.

OK! Have fun! Can't wait to see what you come up with!