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Mohrbooks Literary Agency
Sebastian Ritscher
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English
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POE FOR YOUR PROBLEMS

Catherine Baab-Muguira

Uncommon Advice from History's Least Likely Self-Help Guru

When life's got you down and things aren't going your way, who better to turn to than Edgar Allan Poe? Discover how to say "nevermore" to your problems in this darkly comedic and refreshing self-help guide.
Of all the writers anywhere, Poe might be the least likely person you'd ever turn to for advice. His life was a complete dumpster fire: he married his cousin; got fired from one job after another; constantly feuded with friends and rivals; and he was always broke. But that's also precisely the point. Though Poe failed again and again, he also persevered.

Drawing deeply on his works and life, Catherine Baab-Muguira takes the familiar image of Poe in a new and surprising direction in this darkly inspiring self-help book. Despite what you might think, Edgar Allan Poe is the perfect person to teach you to say "Nevermore, problems!" and show you how to use all the terrible situations, tough breaks, bad luck, and even your darkest emotions in novel and creative ways to make a name for yourself and carve out your own unique, notorious place in the world.

An inspirational tale for black sheep everywhere, Poe for Your Problems will teach you how to overcome life's biggest challenges to succeed at work, love, and art - despite the odds and no matter your flaws.



Catherine Baab-Muguira is a writer and journalist who has contributed to, among others, Slate, Quartz, CNBC and NBC News. A frequent podcast and radio guest, with appearances on NPR and Lifehacker's Upgrade, she lives in Richmond, Virginia with her husband and baby son.
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Published 2021-09-07 by Running Press

Comments

How the Work of Poe Inspires Us To Use Our Struggles To Strive - A conversation with Catherine Baab-Muguira. Read more...

Beautifully written, funny, clever, and wise ... Baab-Muguira not only provides us with invaluable takeaways from Poe's antisocial behavior, but also implores us to embrace our own madness, or as she calls it, our "own weird-ass, occasionally combative truth."

Why was one of history's most celebrated writers vastly underpaid? What can Poe teach us about the gig economy and getting ahead in our own careers? Catherine Baab-Muguira answers those questions and shares other highlights from her new book, Poe for Your Problems: Uncommon Advice from History's Least Likely Self-Help Guru. Read more...

On the surface, it is something of a self-help satire, mining Poe's difficult life to make readers feel better about theirs. Scratch that surface, though, and you find a deeper, more profound purpose... a book that is witty yet weighty, designed to provide smiles but also a lift.

An excerpt was the lead story in Literary Hub's daily email on September 30th Read more...

Slate's Big Mood, Little Mood podcast interview - Talking polyamory gone wrong, secret rooms, and guest Catherine Baab-Muguira's new book. Read more...

Spanis: Planeta Mexico

Fresh, page-turning, deeply informed and often funny, Catherine Baab-Muguira's Poe for Your Problems brings us a sorely overdue Poe-meets-modernity perspective that won't simply make its readers happier but smarter and even saner, too.

This week Ken welcomes writer, and author of the new book Poe for your Problems: Uncommon Advice from History's Least Likely Self-Help Guru, Catherine Baab-Muguira. Read more...

Books about people's successes are common. Books where you can learn from someone's painful demons and failures are rarer - but far more meaningful. Cat's writing on Poe is insightful, funny and important.

This is more like an anti-self-help book, a guide to accepting yourself for the substance-abusing, sexually suspect fuckup you already are; a how-to for cultivating grudges, nurturing petty jealousies and vendettas, scheming the destruction of your enemies and indulging delusions of grandeur. I endorse this.

A Brilliant Visionary of Terrible Decisions: The Millions Interviews Catherine Baab-Muguira Read more...

Catherine Baab-Muguira's essay on Poe's struggles as a writer, adapted from the book, appeared online at The Wall Street Journal. Read more...

I loved this! A book Poe himself might've written: fun, dangerous, a little dark, semi-autobiographical, ambitious but not pompous, and funny and outrageous!

Ron Charles's Washington Post Book Club e-newsletter as one of the recommended spell-binding literary trick-or-treats for your favorite ghoul!: "Poe for Your Problems by Catherine Baab-Muguira, contains 'uncommon advice from history's least likely self-help guru.' Say nevermore to your troubles! The lessons in this Poe-sitive thinking guide include 'Embracing Your Inner Neurotic' and 'Thriving Through Self-Sabotage.' It turns out that the author of "The Cask of Amontillado" is the perfect therapist for folks who've been walled up indoors for 18 months."