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The Writer’s Almanac for Tuesday, February 3, 2026

Posted on February 3, 2026 - Writer's Almanac

It was on this day in 1959 that rock stars Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and J.P. “The Big Bopper” Richardson died in a plane crash outside Clear Lake, Iowa. They were partway through a grueling “Winter Dance Party Tour” through the upper Midwest. Twenty-two-year-old Holly was reluctant to participate in the tour. He was sick of touring, his wife was pregnant, and they were scheduled to play 24 cities in 24 days.

The Writer’s Almanac for Monday, February 2, 2026

Posted on February 2, 2026 - Writer's Almanac

It was on this day in 1922 that Ulysses by James Joyce was published. It was Joyce’s 40th birthday — he had chosen it as the publication date for good luck. Ulysses had taken seven years to write and edit. By the end, Joyce estimated that he had spent 20,000 hours on the book. During the years that he wrote it, his eyesight worsened.

The Writer’s Almanac for Sunday, February 1, 2026

Posted on February 1, 2026 - Writer's Almanac

It’s the birthday of the man who said of himself: “I like Tristan, goat’s milk, short novels, lyric poems, heat, simple folk, boats and bullfights; I dislike Aida, parsnips, long novels, narrative poems, cold, pretentious folk, buses and bridges.” That’s the poet Langston Hughes, born in Joplin, Missouri (1902).

The Writer’s Almanac for Saturday, January 31, 2026

Posted on January 31, 2026 - Writer's Almanac

It’s the birthday of Norman Mailer, born in Long Branch, New Jersey (1923). He grew up in Brooklyn, went to Harvard, and then got drafted during World War II. He served in the Philippines, and although he didn’t participate in much fighting, he got enough material to go home and write a novel, The Naked and the Dead (1948), published when he was just 25 years old.

The Writer’s Almanac for Friday, January 30, 2026

Posted on January 30, 2026 - Writer's Almanac

It’s the birthday of poet and novelist Richard Gary Brautigan, born in Tacoma, Washington (1935). He moved to San Francisco, where he read his poetry at psychedelic rock concerts, helped produce underground newspapers, and became involved with the Beat Movement. He had long blond hair and granny glasses.

The Writer’s Almanac for Thursday, January 29, 2026

Posted on January 29, 2026 - Writer's Almanac

It’s the birthday of the man considered “the master of the modern short story” and a brilliant playwright, a man who said: “Medicine is my lawful wife, and literature is my mistress. When I get fed up with one, I spend the night with the other. Though it is irregular, it is less boring this way, and besides, neither of them loses anything through my infidelity.” Anton Chekhov was born today in Taganrog, a seaside city in southern Russia (1860).

The Writer’s Almanac for Wednesday, January 28, 2026

Posted on January 28, 2026 - Writer's Almanac

It’s the birthday of the novelist Colette, born in Saint-Sauveur-en-Puisaye in the Burgundy region of France (1873). She is best known as the author of Chéri (1920) and Gigi (1945).

The Writer’s Almanac for Tuesday, January 27, 2026

Posted on January 27, 2026 - Writer's Almanac

It’s the birthday of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, born in Salzburg, Austria (1756). He only lived for 35 years but he started his career early — a child prodigy from a family of musicians. He toured all over Europe, and wrote his first opera at age 11.

The Writer’s Almanac for Monday, January 26, 2026

Posted on January 26, 2026 - Writer's Almanac

It’s the birthday of Irish statesman, co-founder of Amnesty International, and winner of the 1974 Nobel Peace Prize, Seán MacBride, born in Paris (1904). He’s the son of Maud Gonne, the woman whom poet W.B. Yeats worshipped and embraced as his Muse. Sean’s father was Major John MacBride, a military leader whom Gonne chose to marry over Yeats and whom Yeats considered a “brute.”

The Writer’s Almanac for Sunday, January 25, 2026

Posted on January 25, 2026 - Writer's Almanac

It’s the birthday of W. Somerset Maugham, born in Paris (1874). His father was in Paris as a lawyer for the British Embassy. When Maugham was eight years old, his mother died from tuberculosis. His father died of cancer two years later. The boy was sent back to England into the care of a cold and distant uncle, a vicar. Maugham was miserable at his school. He said later: “I wasn’t even likeable as a boy.

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