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The Writer’s Almanac for Monday, January 23, 2023

Posted on January 23, 2023 - Writer's Almanac

“For every poet it is always morning in the world. History a forgotten, insomniac night; History and elemental awe are always our early beginning, because the fate of poetry is to fall in love with the world, in spite of History.” –poet and playwright Derek Walcott, born on this day in 1930.

The Writer’s Almanac for Sunday, January 22, 2023

Posted on January 22, 2023 - Writer's Almanac

In the late 1700’s there was a notorious British Romantic poet called “mad, bad, and dangerous to know.” That man was Lord Byron, born George Gordon in London on this day in 1788. Notorious even now for his affairs with both sexes, and other risque behavior, he became a literary rock star: His poem “The Corsair” sold 10,000 copies on the day it was published.

The Writer’s Almanac for Saturday, January 21, 2023

Posted on January 21, 2023 - Writer's Almanac

It’s the birthday of fashion designer Christian Dior, born in Granville, France (1905). In 1946, he started his own fashion house, focusing on women’s clothing that was more feminine and curvy than the straight, boxy style that had predominated during World War II.

The Writer’s Almanac for Friday, January 20, 2023

Posted on January 20, 2023 - Writer's Almanac

Novelist Tami Hoag celebrates her 64th birthday today. She grew up in a tiny town called Harmony, Minnesota, and she made up stories to entertain herself because there wasn’t much to do in Harmony. She wrote, illustrated, and self-published her first book, Black Pony, as a third-grade school project when she was nine years old. She has since written romance’s, thrillers, and other works.

The Writer’s Almanac for Thursday, January 19, 2023

Posted on January 19, 2023 - Writer's Almanac

Today is the birthday of Edgar Allan Poe (1809). He made his name as a savage book reviewer, though he dabbled in other forms. It was after his wife Virginia developed tuberculosis that his work turned macabre and he penned the works he is now best known for, “The Raven” and “The Tell-Tale Heart.”

The Writer’s Almanac for Wednesday, January 18, 2023

Posted on January 18, 2023 - Writer's Almanac

A.A. Milne, the author of “Winnie-the-Pooh” was born on this day in 1882. Milne wasn’t altogether happy that the “bear of very little brain” had overshadowed what he considered his more serious writing, having written for “Punch” magazine and penned several plays before he penned his story of the bear of little brain.

The Writer’s Almanac for Tuesday, January 17, 2023

Posted on January 17, 2023 - Writer's Almanac

On this day in 1706 Benjamin Franklin was born.He wrote under a variety of pseudonyms and, as “Richard Saunders,” published Poor Richard’s Almanack every year from 1732 to 1758. It contained weather predictions, household hints, poetry, essays, and adages such as “Marry’d in haste, we oft repent at Leisure”; and “Where there’s Marriage without Love, there will be Love without Marriage.”

The Writer’s Almanac for Monday, January 16, 2023

Posted on January 16, 2023 - Writer's Almanac

It’s the birthday of the man who didn’t give up his shot: Broadway composer, actor, and playwright Lin-Manuel Miranda was born on this day (1980) in New York City.

The Writer’s Almanac for Sunday, January 15, 2023

Posted on January 15, 2023 - Writer's Almanac

The coronation of Queen Elizabeth I took place on this date in 1559 in Westminster Abbey. She officially become queen two months before, upon the death of her half-sister, Mary Tudor. She spoke these words after she emerged from the abbey, holding aloft the orb and scepter of state: “Be ye well assured I will stand your good Queen.” She reigned for 44 years.

The Writer’s Almanac for Saturday, January 14, 2023

Posted on January 14, 2023 - Writer's Almanac

Today is the birthday of Emily Hahn (1905) once called “a forgotten American literary treasure.” She worked as a correspondent for “The New Yorker” for decades, also publishing 54 books and poetry. At Hahn’s funeral in 1997 her granddaughter eulogized: “Chances are, your grandmother didn’t smoke cigars and let you hold wild role-playing parties in her apartment. Chances are that she didn’t teach you Swahili obscenities. Chances are that when she took you to the zoo, she didn’t start whooping passionately at the top her lungs as you passed the gibbon cage. Sadly for you, your grandmother was not Emily Hahn.”

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