Writer's Almanac Archives - Garrison Keillor

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 Thursday, August 21, 2025

Posted on August 21, 2025 - Writer's Almanac

It’s the birthday of the boy who inspired the Winnie-the-Pooh books: Christopher Robin Milne, born in 1920 in London, England, the son of the children’s writer A.A. Milne. His parents expected a girl and the only name they had picked out was Rosemary, so when they realized they needed to name a boy, they couldn’t decide, so each parent chose one.

The Writer’s Almanac for Wednesday, August 20, 2025

Posted on August 20, 2025 - Writer's Almanac

It was on this day in 1882 that the “1812 Overture” debuted in Moscow. Pyotor Ilyich Tchaikovsky wrote the piece to commemorate Russia’s defense in 1812 at the Battle of Borodino against Napoleon’s invasion of Russia. The piece debuted at the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour in Moscow. The “1812 Overture” includes 16 cannon shots, which are written into the piece along with all the other orchestral instruments.

The Writer’s Almanac for Tuesday, August 19, 2025

Posted on August 19, 2025 - Writer's Almanac

It’s the birthday of Ogden Nash, born in Rye, New York (1902). He wrote humorous poems in his books that include The Bad Parents’ Garden of Verse (1936), I’m a Stranger Here Myself (1938), and You Can’t Get There from Here (1957).

The Writer’s Almanac for Monday, August 18, 2025

Posted on August 18, 2025 - Writer's Almanac

It’s the birthday of the filmmaker and screenwriter Roman Polanski, born in Paris in 1933. When he was still young, his family moved back to Krakow, where his father owned a plastics business. The family did well, and Roman especially loved going to the theater. But Poland was occupied by the Nazis in 1939, just two years after the Polanski family moved back; and even though his parents didn’t practice Judaism, and his mother was actually raised Catholic, they were technically Jews, so the family was forced into the Krakow ghetto.

The Writer’s Almanac for Sunday, August 17, 2025

Posted on August 17, 2025 - Writer's Almanac

It’s the birthday of poet Ted Hughes, born in West Yorkshire, England (1930). He grew up in the country, surrounded by empty, desolate moors. He said, “[I could] never escape the impression that the whole region [was] in mourning for the First World War.”

The Writer’s Almanac for Saturday, August 16, 2025

Posted on August 16, 2025 - Writer's Almanac

It’s the birthday of Charles Bukowski, born in Andernach, Germany (1920). His family moved to Los Angeles when he was just two years old. His father was so frustrated by the difficulty of earning a living in the United States that he became abusive. He once beat Bukowski with a two-by-four.

The Writer’s Almanac for Friday, August 15, 2025

Posted on August 15, 2025 - Writer's Almanac

It’s the birthday of food writer Julia Child, born Julia McWilliams in Pasadena, California (1912). When she was growing up, she never cooked anything, and when she went to college, she wanted to be a basketball star. She eventually changed her mind and tried to write a novel, and then she finally decided to try studying at Cordon Bleu, the famous school of French cooking.

The Writer’s Almanac for Thursday, August 14, 2025

Posted on August 14, 2025 - Writer's Almanac

It’s the birthday of Danielle Steel, born in New York City (1947). Her books have sold more than 570 million copies and are read in 28 languages. She spends her days writing in her bedroom on a 1948 metal-body Olympia manual typewriter, wearing her flannel nightgown. She often writes 18 hours a day.

The Writer’s Almanac for Wednesday, August 13, 2025

Posted on August 13, 2025 - Writer's Almanac

It’s the birthday of filmmaker Alfred Hitchcock, born in London (1899), the “Master of Suspense.” He directed many films, including Strangers on a Train (1951), Rear Window (1954), and Psycho (1960).

The Writer’s Almanac for Tuesday, August 12, 2025

Posted on August 12, 2025 - Writer's Almanac

It’s the birthday of mystery novelist Mary Roberts Rinehart, born in Pittsburgh (1876). Shortly after she and her husband married, the stock market crashed in 1903, and they lost a lot of their assets. She began to write to bring in extra money. The first book she published, The Circular Staircase (1907), was a mystery novel and it became a big hit, eventually selling more than a million copies.

Load next posts