Albums APHC Clips Audio Events Prairie Home Archives Songs Writer's Almanac
Writer's Almanac

To subscribe to the Writer’s Almanac Anniversary Episode email, which includes the unedited text and audio from one daily anniversary episode selected from the archive, click here >>>

To browse archived episodes of The Writer’s Almanac from before 2017, click here >>>

• • • • •

To support The Writer’s Almanac Anniversary Episodes newsletter, please consider “buying” a donation here >>>

You can also buy a paid subscription to the Anniversary Episode newsletter here >>>

Checks may be made out to Prairie Home Productions, LLC and mailed to:

Prairie Home Productions
P.O. Box 2090
Minneapolis, MN 55402

(Note: donations to LLCs are not tax-deductible)

• • • • •

The Writer’s Almanac for Friday, April 17, 2026

The Writer’s Almanac for Friday, April 17, 2026

It’s the birthday of the writer who said, “My advice to you is not to inquire why or whither but just enjoy your ice cream while it’s on your plate.” Thornton Wilder, born in Madison, Wisconsin (1897).

Read More
The Writer’s Almanac for Thursday, April 16, 2026

The Writer’s Almanac for Thursday, April 16, 2026

It’s the birthday of novelist Anatole France, born Jacques Anatole Thibault in Paris (1844). His father ran a bookstore called Librairie de France.

Read More
The Writer’s Almanac for Wednesday, April 15, 2026

The Writer’s Almanac for Wednesday, April 15, 2026

It’s the birthday of Henry James, author of 20 novels, 112 stories, 12 plays, and several books of travel and criticism, born in New York City (1843).

Read More
The Writer’s Almanac for Tuesday, April 14, 2026

The Writer’s Almanac for Tuesday, April 14, 2026

It was on this night in 1912 that the RMS Titanic struck an iceberg on its way from Southampton, England, to New York City, tearing open numerous separate compartments.

Read More
The Writer’s Almanac for Monday, April 13, 2026

The Writer’s Almanac for Monday, April 13, 2026

It’s the birthday of the man who said: “In matters of style, swim with the current; in matters of principle, stand like a rock.” That’s Thomas Jefferson, born in Albemarle County, Virginia (1743).

Read More
The Writer’s Almanac for Sunday, April 12, 2026

The Writer’s Almanac for Sunday, April 12, 2026

It’s the birthday of novelist Tom Clancy, born in Baltimore, Maryland (1947). As a kid, Clancy was obsessed with naval history, reading books written for engineers and officers.

Read More
The Writer’s Almanac for Saturday, April 11, 2026

The Writer’s Almanac for Saturday, April 11, 2026

It’s the birthday of poet Mark Strand, born in Summerside on Prince Edward Island, Canada (1934). His father worked for Pepsi-Cola, and the family moved frequently.

Read More
The Writer’s Almanac for Friday, April 10, 2026

The Writer’s Almanac for Friday, April 10, 2026

It’s the birthday of prolific travel writer and novelist Paul Theroux, born in Medford, Massachusetts (1941). He entered college with the plan to become a doctor.

Read More
The Writer’s Almanac for Thursday, April 9, 2026

The Writer’s Almanac for Thursday, April 9, 2026

It’s the birthday of Hugh Hefner, born in Chicago, Illinois (1926). He is the founder, editor-in-chief, and Chief Creative Officer of Playboy magazine.

Read More
The Writer’s Almanac for Wednesday, April 8, 2026

The Writer’s Almanac for Wednesday, April 8, 2026

On this date in 1911, Dutch physicist Heike Kamerlingh Onnes discovered superconductivity. The term refers to the quality of certain materials to exhibit no electrical “friction” or resistance below a certain temperature.

Read More