I didn't really like Poe all that much until my Junior year in high school. That was the year in which I had a really cool teacher who loved Poe and assigned a ton of his stuff. Previously my entire experience with the man had been The Black Cat, which I'd read in a collection of horror stories at an auction, and The Raven, which everyone's read at some point or other. The first time I read it I found it quite difficult to get through. Now of course it's my favorite poem. Then we read The Tell-Tale Heart in Junior High.
Anyway, Junior year gave me an opportunity to basically finish off all the rest of Poe's good stories. And yea, they're good.
Sure Poe led a screwed-up life and all that, but all in all I think he's a cool guy and I'd gladly buy him a drink and talk to him if I could. His short stories are really cool, and I think his poetry's ever better. The Raven especially is awesome, with a really nice rhythm and cool content.
One thing that I've sadly found out is that Poe tried his hand at some not-so-horror stories. These basically were lame at best, poor guy. It's sad to think that he had this great talent for writing, but that it was limited to only certain subjects.
Poe has the honor of having written the first modern murder mystery, The Murders in the Rue Morgue. I read it. It's really lame. Still, first is first.
Stuff Everyone Should Read:
The Tell-Tale Heart
The Fall of the House of Usher
The Black Cat
The Pit and the Pendulum
The Raven