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The Writer’s Almanac for Thursday, September 10, 2026

Posted on September 10, 2026 - Writer's Almanac

It’s the birthday of poet Mary Oliver, born in Maple Heights, Ohio (1935). She had an unhappy childhood and was sexually abused as a very young girl. She spent most of her time outside, wandering around the woods, reading and writing poems.

The Writer’s Almanac for Wednesday, September 9, 2026

Posted on September 9, 2026 - Writer's Almanac

It’s the birthday of British novelist James Hilton, born in Leigh, Lancashire, England (1900). In the first decade of his writing career, he published more than 10 novels without receiving any attention. Then he wrote Goodbye, Mr. Chips (1934).

The Writer’s Almanac for Tuesday, September 8, 2026

Posted on September 8, 2026 - Writer's Almanac

It’s the birthday of novelist Grace Metalious, born in Manchester, New Hampshire (1924). She wrote the scandalous novel Peyton Place (1956) about a small New England town that is filled with sex, rape, murder, and suicide.

The Writer’s Almanac for Monday, September 7, 2026

Posted on September 7, 2026 - Writer's Almanac

It’s the birthday of Modernist poet Edith Sitwell, born in Scarborough, England (1887). Her parents, Sir George and Lady Ida Sitwell, were baffled by their daughter. While Lady Ida was a beauty, Edith was not.

The Writer’s Almanac for Sunday, September 6, 2026

Posted on September 6, 2026 - Writer's Almanac

Today is the birthday of American social reformer Jane Addams (1860), who co-founded the Chicago settlement house, Hull-House, in 1889 when she was 29 years old.

The Writer’s Almanac for Saturday, September 5, 2026

Posted on September 5, 2026 - Writer's Almanac

It’s the birthday of the avant-garde composer John Cage, born in Los Angeles, California (1912). He wrote pieces of music to be played on a variety of objects, including flowerpots, scrapped hoods of old cars, and other pieces of junk.

The Writer’s Almanac for Friday, September 4, 2026

Posted on September 4, 2026 - Writer's Almanac

It was on this day in 1886 that Geronimo, the last major Native American warrior, surrendered after 30 years of fighting in Arizona. The Apaches had largely been defeated by American troops.

The Writer’s Almanac for Thursday, September 3, 2026

Posted on September 3, 2026 - Writer's Almanac

On this date in 1838, Frederick Douglass boarded a train to escape from slavery. In The Life and Times of Frederick Douglass (1881), he wrote, “On Monday, the third day of September, 1838, in accordance with my resolution, I bade farewell to the city of Baltimore, and to that slavery which had been my abhorrence from childhood.”

The Writer’s Almanac for Wednesday, September 2, 2026

Posted on September 2, 2026 - Writer's Almanac

It’s the birthday of American humorist and newspaperman Eugene Field (1850), born in St. Louis, Missouri. Field claimed two birthdays, September 2 and September 3, telling friends if they forgot him on the first date, they could remember him on the second.

The Writer’s Almanac for Tuesday, September 1, 2026

Posted on September 1, 2026 - Writer's Almanac

It was on this date in 1850 that P.T. Barnum brought Jenny Lind to New York. Lind, the “Swedish Nightingale,” was a gifted soprano who was wildly popular in Europe, and Barnum became aware of her in 1849, as she was wrapping up her third London season.

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