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The Writer’s Almanac for Monday, April 27, 2026

The Writer’s Almanac for Monday, April 27, 2026

It’s the birthday of playwright August Wilson, born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (1945). His father was a German baker and his mother was an African-American cleaning woman.

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The Writer’s Almanac for Sunday, April 26, 2026

The Writer’s Almanac for Sunday, April 26, 2026

It’s the birthday of screenwriter and novelist Anita Loos, born in Mount Shasta, California (1889). Her father was an alcoholic, and she often tagged along with him on visits to San Francisco.

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The Writer’s Almanac for Saturday, April 25, 2026

The Writer’s Almanac for Saturday, April 25, 2026

The Saint Lawrence Seaway opened on this date in 1959. It’s a waterway system of locks, canals, and channels that connects the Great Lakes to the Atlantic Ocean.

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The Writer’s Almanac for Friday, April 24, 2026

The Writer’s Almanac for Friday, April 24, 2026

It’s the birthday of mystery novelist Sue Grafton, born in Louisville, Kentucky (1940). Grafton went to college at the University of Louisville. She thought about becoming a lawyer.

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The Writer’s Almanac for Thursday, April 23, 2026

The Writer’s Almanac for Thursday, April 23, 2026

Today we celebrate the birthday of playwright and poet William Shakespeare, born in Stratford-upon-Avon, England (1564). Stratford was a small market town about 100 miles northwest of London.

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The Writer’s Almanac for Wednesday, April 22, 2026

The Writer’s Almanac for Wednesday, April 22, 2026

It’s the birthday of poet Louise Glück, born in New York City (1943). Her father was a Hungarian immigrant who helped invent the X-Acto knife. Even as a young girl, she wanted to be a poet.

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The Writer’s Almanac for Tuesday, April 21, 2026

The Writer’s Almanac for Tuesday, April 21, 2026

It’s the birthday of naturalist John Muir, born in Dunbar, Scotland (1838). He grew up on a farm in Wisconsin. By age 11, Muir could recite three-quarters of the Old Testament and all of the New Testament by heart.

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The Writer’s Almanac for Monday, April 20, 2026

The Writer’s Almanac for Monday, April 20, 2026

It was on this day in 1914 that the Ludlow Massacre occurred in Ludlow, Colorado, after the National Guard opened fire on a group of striking coal miners.

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The Writer’s Almanac for Sunday, April 19, 2026

The Writer’s Almanac for Sunday, April 19, 2026

It was on this day in 1927 that actress Mae West was sentenced to 10 days in prison for her starring role in the play Sex, which she also wrote and directed.

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The Writer’s Almanac for Saturday, April 18, 2026

The Writer’s Almanac for Saturday, April 18, 2026

It was on this day in 1958 that the U.S. government dropped its treason charges against the poet Ezra Pound. He was extremely anti-Semitic, blaming the world’s problems on the Jews.

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