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The Writer’s Almanac for Tuesday, January 13, 2026

Posted on January 13, 2026 - Writer's Almanac

It’s the birthday of novelist and short-story writer Lorrie Moore, born in Glens Falls, New York (1957). She said of her childhood: “There was acting, and dressing up. We’d play music, and write crappy songs. We’d draw and paint, and fancy ourselves as artistic. It was part of being a girl in the ’60s that you were creative.”

The Writer’s Almanac for Monday, January 12, 2026

Posted on January 12, 2026 - Writer's Almanac

It’s the birthday of Jack London, born in San Francisco (1876). His mother was Flora Wellman, a spiritualist from a wealthy family, but the identity of his father is not known. He was probably the son of William Chaney, a radical thinker who popularized astrology in America. Flora and William certainly lived together, and in his memoirs, Chaney claimed that she was his wife.

The Writer’s Almanac for Sunday, January 11, 2026

Posted on January 11, 2026 - Writer's Almanac

It’s the birthday of historian Bernard DeVoto, born in Ogden, Utah (1897). He loved the wide spaces and big skies of the West, but he felt like an outsider in his hometown — he was raised Catholic in a Mormon town, and he was too bookish and unathletic to feel comfortable there. He studied English at Harvard.

The Writer’s Almanac for Saturday, January 10, 2026

Posted on January 10, 2026 - Writer's Almanac

It’s the birthday of poet Philip Levine, born in Detroit, Michigan (1928). He started working in auto factories at the age of 14. Some of his high school teachers convinced him to apply for college, so he went to enroll at a local college, Wayne State University. When they asked him if he wanted a bachelor’s, he had never heard of it — he thought they were referring to a type of apartment, and he told them he already had a place to live.

The Writer’s Almanac for Friday, January 9, 2026

Posted on January 9, 2026 - Writer's Almanac

It’s the birthday of President Richard Milhous Nixon, born in Yorba Linda, California (1913). He grew up poor in a Quaker family in the town of Whittier, where his family ran a grocery store and gas station. He won a scholarship to Harvard, but his parents needed his help in the store, so he attended a local college. He went on to Duke University School of Law, then returned to Whittier to work as an attorney.

The Writer’s Almanac for Thursday, January 8, 2026

Posted on January 8, 2026 - Writer's Almanac

Today is the anniversary of the Battle of New Orleans, which took place on this day in 1815. It was the last major battle of the War of 1812, won with the help of a pirate named Jean Lafitte. The war of 1812 had started for a variety of complicated reasons, but mainly because the United States refused to put up with British control of the Atlantic Ocean while the British were fighting a war with France.

The Writer’s Almanac for Wednesday, January 7, 2026

Posted on January 7, 2026 - Writer's Almanac

On this date in 1610, Galileo wrote a letter describing his discovery of three of Jupiter’s moons. He had recently made some improvements to his telescope, and he discovered them in December. As he continued to observe them over the next few months, a fourth celestial body appeared, and he realized that they were actually orbiting the giant planet.

The Writer’s Almanac for Tuesday, January 6, 2026

Posted on January 6, 2026 - Writer's Almanac

Today is the birthday of E.L. Doctorow, born in New York City (1931). He’s the author of The Book of Daniel (1971), which won the National Book Award; and Ragtime (1975). Andrew’s Brain was published in 2014. In 1986, Doctorow sat down with George Plimpton, and the two of them discussed writing for The Paris Review.

The Writer’s Almanac for Monday, January 5, 2026

Posted on January 5, 2026 - Writer's Almanac

Today is the Twelfth Night, otherwise known as the eve of Epiphany. It’s the official end of the holiday season, which begins with All Hallows’ Eve, and it’s the day on which many people take down their Christmas decorations or risk bad luck for the coming year. Poet Robert Herrick wrote, “Down with the rosemary, and so / Down with the bays and mistletoe; / Down with the holly, ivy, all, / Wherewith ye dress’d the Christmas Hall.”

The Writer’s Almanac for Sunday, January 4, 2026

Posted on January 4, 2026 - Writer's Almanac

Today is the birthday of Louis Braille, born in Coupvray, France (1809). He was blinded in his father’s harness shop when he was three years old. His parents tried their best to give him a normal life; even without his eyesight, he was the best student in his school, and eventually went on to become a famous organist and cellist.

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