Edgar Allan Poe (1809-49) was born in Boston, Massachusetts. Poe is well known for being an author, poet, editor and literary critic during the American Romantic Movement. He is generally considered the inventor of the detective fiction genre as well as being an important influence on early science fiction, and his works are famously filled with terror, mystery, death and haunting. The dark, mystifying characters from his tales have captured the public's imagination and reflect the struggling, poverty-stricken lifestyle he lived his whole life. Dr. Simon Marsden (Introduction) focuses his research on intersections of literature, theology and religion from the Romantic period to the present. He has a particular interest in the Gothic genre in both the Victorian and contemporary periods. His book The Theological Turn in Contemporary Gothic Fiction explores forms of theological engagement in Gothic and horror literature of the late-20th and early-21st centuries.

His current research focuses on the uses of literature and literary criticism in the work of Black Liberation and Womanist theologians from the 1960s onwards. Judith John (glossary) is a writer and editor specializing in literature and history. She has worked as an editor on major educational projects, including English A: Literature for the Pearson International Baccalaureate series. Judith's major research interests include Romantic and Gothic literature, and Renaissance drama.