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Writer's Almanac

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The Writer’s Almanac for Sunday, October 27, 2019

The Writer’s Almanac for Sunday, October 27, 2019

Today is the birthday Zadie Smith (1975), who says of her first book “White Teeth” that she wanted to write about a man who “lives a good life by accident.”

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The Writer’s Almanac for Saturday, October 26, 2019

The Writer’s Almanac for Saturday, October 26, 2019

It was on this day in 1825 that the Erie Canal opened. The local laborers and Irish immigrants were paid 80 cents plus a ration of whiskey for 14-hour workdays.

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The Writer’s Almanac for Friday, October 25, 2019

The Writer’s Almanac for Friday, October 25, 2019

It’s the birthday of novelist Anne Tyler (1941), who said, “I want to live other lives. I’ve never quite believed that one chance is all I get.”

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The Writer’s Almanac for Thursday, October 24, 2019

The Writer’s Almanac for Thursday, October 24, 2019

Today is the birthday of Denise Levertov (1923), who said, ”in certain ways writing is a form of prayer.”

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The Writer’s Almanac for Wednesday, October 23, 2019

The Writer’s Almanac for Wednesday, October 23, 2019

On this day in 1920, Sinclair Lewis’s novel “Main Street,” about a young city woman who moves to a small town, was published.

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The Writer’s Almanac for Tuesday, October 22, 2019

The Writer’s Almanac for Tuesday, October 22, 2019

Today is the birthday of Doris Lessing (1919-2013), who said, “A writer falls in love with an idea and gets carried away…It’s one of the great pleasures in my life.”

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The Writer’s Almanac for Monday, October 21, 2019

The Writer’s Almanac for Monday, October 21, 2019

Today is the birthday of Ursula K. Le Guin (1929-2018). Best known for her fantasy series Earthsea, she also wrote children’s books, poetry, essays, fiction, and non-fiction.

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The Writer’s Almanac for Sunday, October 20, 2019

The Writer’s Almanac for Sunday, October 20, 2019

Today is the birthday of novelist Monica Ali (1967), political humorist Art Buchwald (1925), and composer Charles Ives (1874).

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The Writer’s Almanac for Saturday, October 19, 2019

The Writer’s Almanac for Saturday, October 19, 2019

Today is the birthday of Tracy Chevalier (1962) who advises, “Don’t write about yourself — you aren’t as interesting as you think.”

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The Writer’s Almanac for Friday, October 18, 2019

The Writer’s Almanac for Friday, October 18, 2019

Today we feature a poem called “Seasoned” by Tim Nolan and celebrate the birthday of journalist A.J. Liebling (1904).

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