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The Writer’s Almanac for Sunday, September 25, 2022

Posted on September 25, 2022 - Writer's Almanac

Today features the poem “Ice Cream Shop” by Shel Silverstein on his birthday (1930). It is also the birthday of novelist William Faulkner in 1879.

The Writer’s Almanac for Saturday, September 24, 2022

Posted on September 24, 2022 - Writer's Almanac

Muppets creator Jim Henson was born on this day in 1936. The author of “The Great Gatsby” F. Scott Fitzgerald was born on this day in 1986. And, poet Eavan Boland, born in Dublin in 1944.

The Writer’s Almanac for Friday, September 23, 2022

Posted on September 23, 2022 - Writer's Almanac

It’s the birthday of Baroness Emmuska Orczy, born Baroness Emma Magdalena Rosália Mária Josefa Borbára Orczy at her family’s estate in Hungary (1865).

The Writer’s Almanac for Thursday, September 22, 2022

Posted on September 22, 2022 - Writer's Almanac

On this day in 1862, President Abraham Lincoln signed his preliminary Emancipation Proclamation, a document that put the Confederacy on notice of his intention to free their slaves.

The Writer’s Almanac for Wednesday, September 21, 2022

Posted on September 21, 2022 - Writer's Almanac

“Every time I see an adult on a bicycle, I no longer despair for the future of the human race.” The words of H.G. Wells. He was born Herbert George Wells on this day in Bromley, England (1866).

The Writer’s Almanac for Tuesday, September 20, 2022

Posted on September 20, 2022 - Writer's Almanac

It’s the birthday of reading pioneer Rebecca Smith Pollard, born Rebecca Harrington Smith in Allegheny City, Pennsylvania (1831). Pollard advised teachers. “Do not assist pupils in pronouncing words…Let them depend wholly upon their own efforts and thus lead them into independence of thought and action.”

The Writer’s Almanac for Monday, September 19, 2022

Posted on September 19, 2022 - Writer's Almanac

On this day in 1796, President George Washington’s farewell address was printed in the Daily American Advertiser as an open letter to American citizens. The most famous of all his “speeches,” it was never actually spoken; a week after its publication in this Philadelphia newspaper, it was reprinted in papers all over the country.

The Writer’s Almanac for Sunday, September 18, 2022

Posted on September 18, 2022 - Writer's Almanac

Samuel Johnston, the English essayist, poet, biographer, and lexicographer, was born on this day in 1709. His life was documented by his friend James Boswell, who wrote his biography “Life of Samuel Johnson” which is considered the finest biography in all of literature.

The Writer’s Almanac for Saturday, September 17, 2022

Posted on September 17, 2022 - Writer's Almanac

It’s the birthday of American poet and critic Brian Henry (1972). He has advice for aspiring poets: “”Create your own community, and forget about pedigrees and prizes. If the mainstream shifts to accommodate you — as it has done to accommodate so many non-mainstream communities of writers — then you at least arrived there on your own terms.”

The Writer’s Almanac for Friday, September 16, 2022

Posted on September 16, 2022 - Writer's Almanac

On this date in 1620, the Mayflower set sail for America. It is also the birthday of H.H. Rey (Germany, 1898), Nancy Huston (Canada, 1953), and Justin Haythe (London, 1973).

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