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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).

The Writer’s Almanac for Thursday, September 15, 2022

Posted on September 15, 2022 - Writer's Almanac

Agatha Christie was born on this day in 1890. Her works include “Murder on the Orient Express,” “The Mousetrap,” and 33 novels including the Belgian detective Hercule Poirot. On writing, she said, “Three months seems to me to be quite reasonable to finish a book, if you can get right down to it.”

The Writer’s Almanac for Wednesday, September 14, 2022

Posted on September 14, 2022 - Writer's Almanac

On this date in 1814, a lawyer named Francis Scott Key wrote his poem “Defense of Fort McHenry.” And, George Frideric Handel completed the Messiah oratorio on this date in 1741.

The Writer’s Almanac for Tuesday, September 13, 2022

Posted on September 13, 2022 - Writer's Almanac

Today is the birthday of John Boynton, known as J.B. Priestly, born in Yorkshire in 1894. He said, “Most writers enjoy two periods of happiness — when a glorious idea comes to mind and, secondly, when a last page has been written and you haven’t had time to know how much better it ought to be,” and, “Much of writing might be described as mental pregnancy with successive difficult deliveries.”

The Writer’s Almanac for Monday, September 12, 2022

Posted on September 12, 2022 - Writer's Almanac

It’s the birthday of poet and novelist Michael Ondaatje. Born in Sri Lanka in 1943, Ondaatje was only 19 when he published his first collection of poetry. His 1992 novel “The English Patient” won the Booker Prize and was made into a successful movie.

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