What: The Loft Presents, Raking Through Books âÄî Dead Poets Party

When: 7 p.m., Oct. 31

Where: KieranâÄôs Irish Pub

Cost: Free

The guest list last year included F. Scott Fitzgerald, Walt Whitman and âĦ Ann Coulter? DonâÄôt fret âÄî this isnâÄôt a case of your grandpaâÄôs imagination running away with him again, and itâÄôs definitely not Fox News.

KieranâÄôs Irish Pub and The Loft Literary Center have teamed up for a second annual Dead Poets Party, celebrating Halloween in a truly stimulating way.

There will be candy and delicious drinks, of course, but an altogether different type of Halloween entertainment is also on the agenda.

âÄúWe encourage folks to bring their favorite readings âÄî poems, short stories and so forth âÄî by their favorite dead authors,âÄù said Lorena Duarte, board member at The Loft and coordinator of the event. âÄúIt doesnâÄôt have to be a dead author, but, you know, thatâÄôs the Halloween theme. And they can bring their own [writing], too.âÄù

At this time last year, Duarte and other coordinators were scrambling to put this project together, with dubious hopes about how many people would be interested in it. Not surprisingly, it was a great success.

âÄúThere was a great zombie F. Scott Fitzgerald, and he had kind of an old-fashioned outfit with zombie face paint,âÄù Duarte said. âÄúAnd then the winner of last yearâÄôs costume contest was Ann Coulter.âÄù

Other guests included a naughty librarian, several classic authors, mythical storybook characters and a nun reading erotica. If you have a character planned for Halloween, itâÄôs almost certain that you can find a corresponding text to read.

Sometimes âÄî what with all the bloody Playboy Bunny costumes and razor-filled Kit Kat bars âÄî itâÄôs easy to forget that Halloween can be enjoyable.

But Edgar Allan Poe would likely be proud of you for invoking his memory and keeping the holiday fresh.

 âÄúI hope [the authors] would see the tongue-in-cheek fun of it,âÄù said Duarte. âÄúI hope that they wouldnâÄôt feel offended because it really is a tribute to them. We tend to forget them sometimes, and thereâÄôs great stuff there. So [weâÄôre doing this] to get people reacquainted with the classics.âÄù

The event is early in the evening, so getting shwasties at your buddy SteveâÄôs place is still an option. And the dead white guy costume will be just as fitting there.