Elizabeth "Lizzie" Doten was a prominent nineteenth-century American poet, essayist, and spiritualist lecturer. Born in 1827, she became a highly influential figure within the American spiritualist movement, gaining widespread public attention for her activities as a trance speaker and writer. Doten was particularly famous for her purported ability to channel poetry from deceased literary figures, most notably Edgar Allan Poe, whose distinct style and themes she claimed to receive directly from the spirit world during her public performances.
Beyond her trance mediumship, Doten was an active writer and editor in her own right. She authored a variety of poetry, fiction, and essays, and she served as the editor for the annual spiritualist publication Lily of the Valley. Between 1864 and 1880, she traveled extensively on the lecture circuit, delivering speeches and reciting poetry that captivated audiences interested in spiritualism, reform, and the afterlife. Her work bridged the gap between popular nineteenth-century entertainment and religious philosophy, making her one of the era's most recognizable female voices on the spiritualist stage before her death in 1913.
