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Writer's Almanac

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The Writer’s Almanac for Thursday, September 9, 2021

The Writer’s Almanac for Thursday, September 9, 2021

Today is the birthday of singer songwriter Otis Redding (1941), known for soulful songs like “(Sittin’ On) The Dock of the Bay” and “Try a Little Tenderness.”

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The Writer’s Almanac for Wednesday, September 8, 2021

The Writer’s Almanac for Wednesday, September 8, 2021

It was on this day in 1952 that Ernest Hemingway published “The Old Man and the Sea,” the last book published during his lifetime.

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The Writer’s Almanac for Tuesday, September 7, 2021

The Writer’s Almanac for Tuesday, September 7, 2021

Anna Mary Robertson, the painter known as Grandma Moses, was born on this day 1860. Took up painting at age 77. Produced 115 paintings before her death at age 101.

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The Writer’s Almanac for Monday, September 6, 2021

The Writer’s Almanac for Monday, September 6, 2021

Today is the birthday of Alice Sebold (1963), who gets up every day at 4 a.m. to write because, she says, “If you start in the dark, the judges are all asleep.”

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The Writer’s Almanac for Sunday, September 5, 2021

The Writer’s Almanac for Sunday, September 5, 2021

It was on this day in 1975 that Lynette “Squeaky” Fromme, a devoted follower of Charles Manson, pointed a loaded .45-caliber pistol at President Gerald Ford.

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The Writer’s Almanac for Saturday, September 4, 2021

The Writer’s Almanac for Saturday, September 4, 2021

George Eastman received a patent for the first film camera, which he called Kodak, on this date in 1888. Later developing cellulose film, he eliminated the need for plates in photography.

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The Writer’s Almanac for Friday, September 3, 2021

The Writer’s Almanac for Friday, September 3, 2021

It’s the birthday of the man who said, “Form follows function.” That’s American architect Louis Henry Sullivan, born in Boston (1856).

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The Writer’s Almanac for Thursday, September 2, 2021

The Writer’s Almanac for Thursday, September 2, 2021

It was on this day in 1901 that Theodore Roosevelt uttered his famous words “Speak softly and carry a big stick” at the Minnesota State Fair.

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The Writer’s Almanac for Wednesday, September 1, 2021

The Writer’s Almanac for Wednesday, September 1, 2021

This day, 1773, Phillis Wheatley published “Poems on Various Subjects Religious and Moral,” the first book ever published by a former American slave.

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The Writer’s Almanac for Tuesday, August 31, 2021

The Writer’s Almanac for Tuesday, August 31, 2021

Manga artist Yumiko Oshima was born on this day, 1947. A member of the Year 24 Flower Group, who revolutionized “shojo manga,” comics for girls.

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