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Writer's Almanac

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The Writer’s Almanac for Saturday, February 27, 2021

The Writer’s Almanac for Saturday, February 27, 2021

It’s the birthday of the writer who said, “Truth disappears with the telling of it”: Lawrence Durrell (1911). He is author of “The Alexandria Quartet” four books covering the same events from different points of view.

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The Writer’s Almanac for Friday, February 26, 2021

The Writer’s Almanac for Friday, February 26, 2021

The Grand Canyon was called by Teddy Roosevelt, “the one great sight which every American should see.” On this day in 1919, it was designated a National Park.

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The Writer’s Almanac for Thursday, February 25, 2021

The Writer’s Almanac for Thursday, February 25, 2021

Today is the birthday of Anthony Burgess (1917). Writer of a great many things, he once said: “To some of us, the wresting of beauty out of language is the only thing in the world that matters.”

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The Writer’s Almanac for Wednesday, February 24, 2021

The Writer’s Almanac for Wednesday, February 24, 2021

“One breath taken completely; one poem, fully written, fully read — in such a moment, anything can happen.” –Jane Hirshfield, born in New York City on this day, 1953.

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The Writer’s Almanac for Tuesday, February 23, 2021

The Writer’s Almanac for Tuesday, February 23, 2021

It was on this day in 1954 that the first inoculation of 137 children for polio began with the vaccine was developed by Jonas Salk. “Our greatest responsibility is to be good ancestors.”

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The Writer’s Almanac for Monday, February 22, 2021

The Writer’s Almanac for Monday, February 22, 2021

Edna St. Vincent Millay was born this day in 1892. Her poem, “What lips my lips have kissed, and where, and why” is featured in honor of her birthday.

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The Writer’s Almanac for Sunday, February 21, 2021

The Writer’s Almanac for Sunday, February 21, 2021

Today is the birthday of W.H. Auden (1907). “A poet is, before anything else, a person who is passionately in love with language.”

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The Writer’s Almanac for Saturday, February 20, 2021

The Writer’s Almanac for Saturday, February 20, 2021

It’s the birthday of Richard Matheson (1926), writer of science fiction, fantasy, and horror novels and television. His work influenced and inspired writers such as Anne Rice and Stephen King.

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The Writer’s Almanac for Friday, February 19, 2021

The Writer’s Almanac for Friday, February 19, 2021

“A poem is a window that hangs between two or more human beings who otherwise live in darkened rooms.” — Stephen Dobyns, who celebrates his 80th birthday today.

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The Writer’s Almanac for Thursday, February 18, 2021

The Writer’s Almanac for Thursday, February 18, 2021

Today would have been the 90th birthday of Toni Morrison (1931), who published her first novel The Bluest Eye when she was 39 years old.

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