I would have to say that my biggest influence in writing poetry would have to be Edgar Allen Poe. The cadence and style of his stories and poetry enthrall me. He is the reason I started writing poetry in my preteen years. I believe I was around ten or eleven when I first read ‘The Tell Tale Heart’ and I became hooked. I have read and reread his works ever since. I even got one of my nephews interested in reading Poe when he was nine, and he loved it enough to borrow my favorite copy of his works to read.