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Writer's Almanac

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The Writer’s Almanac for November 30, 2018

The Writer’s Almanac for November 30, 2018

It’s the birthday of the man who said, “A successful book is not made of what is in it, but of what is left out of it”: Mark Twain (Florida, MO, 1835).

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The Writer’s Almanac for November 29, 2018

The Writer’s Almanac for November 29, 2018

Today is the birthday of three giants of young people’s literature: Louisa May Alcott (1832), C.S. Lewis (1898), and Madeline L’Engle (1918).

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The Writer’s Almanac for November 28, 2018

The Writer’s Almanac for November 28, 2018

It’s the birthday of engraver and poet William Blake (London, 1757), who was dubbed “an unfortunate lunatic” by a contemporary critic.

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The Writer’s Almanac for November 27, 2018

The Writer’s Almanac for November 27, 2018

On this day in 1786, Scottish poet Robert Burns borrowed a pony and rode to Edinburgh, and became convinced along the way that he was rather famous.

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The Writer’s Almanac for November 26, 2018

The Writer’s Almanac for November 26, 2018

It’s the birthday of two beloved American cartoonists: Charles Schultz (St. Paul, 1922) and Roz Chast (Brooklyn, 1954).

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The Writer’s Almanac for November 25, 2018

The Writer’s Almanac for November 25, 2018

It was on this day in 1864 that Confederate rebels set 13 fires in New York City, but they didn’t factor in the need for oxygen to feed the fires, so the damage was negligible.

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The Writer’s Almanac for November 24, 2018

The Writer’s Almanac for November 24, 2018

It’s the birthday of mathematician and philosopher Benedict Spinoza (1632), who only published three books in his lifetime, afraid he’d be branded a heretic.

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The Writer’s Almanac for November 23, 2018

The Writer’s Almanac for November 23, 2018

It’s the birthday of the legendary desperado Billy the Kid, who killed about 27 people during his short lifespan of 21 years.

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The Writer’s Almanac for November 22, 2018

The Writer’s Almanac for November 22, 2018

Happy Thanksgiving! We are thankful for Marjane Satrapi, André Gide, George Eliot, and all the other writers born this day.

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The Writer’s Almanac for November 21, 2018

The Writer’s Almanac for November 21, 2018

It’s the birthday of Voltaire (1694), who wrote, “To succeed in the world it is not enough to be stupid, you must also be well-mannered.”

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