Writer's Almanac Archives - Page 4 of 294 - Garrison Keillor

Albums APHC Clips Audio Events Prairie Home Archives Songs Writer's Almanac

Writer's Almanac

To subscribe to the Writer’s Almanac Anniversary Episode email, which includes the unedited text and audio from one daily anniversary episode selected from the archive, click here >>>

To browse archived episodes of The Writer’s Almanac from before 2017, click here >>>

• • • • •

To support The Writer’s Almanac Anniversary Episodes newsletter, please consider “buying” a donation here >>>

You can also buy a paid subscription to the Anniversary Episode newsletter here >>>

Checks may be made out to Prairie Home Productions, LLC and mailed to:

Prairie Home Productions
P.O. Box 2090
Minneapolis, MN 55402

(Note: donations to LLCs are not tax-deductible)

• • • • •

The Writer’s Almanac for Thursday, April 30, 2026

Posted on April 30, 2026 - Writer's Almanac

Charles Dickens’ A Tale of Two Cities was first published in serial form on this date in 1859. It appeared in the first issue of a new weekly journal, All the Year Round, which Dickens founded himself.

The Writer’s Almanac for Wednesday, April 29, 2026

Posted on April 29, 2026 - Writer's Almanac

It’s the birthday of the man who once said, “Jazz has always been like the kind of a man you wouldn’t want your daughter to associate with”: bandleader, pianist, and composer Edward Kennedy — better known as Duke Ellington, born in Washington, D.C., in 1899.

The Writer’s Almanac for Tuesday, April 28, 2026

Posted on April 28, 2026 - Writer's Almanac

Today is the birthday of poet Carolyn Forché, born in Detroit in 1950. A human rights activist as well as a poet, she’s committed to what she calls “the poetry of witness,” and this has opened her up to criticism, especially in the United States.

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

Posted on April 27, 2026 - Writer's Almanac

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.

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

Posted on April 26, 2026 - Writer's Almanac

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.

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

Posted on April 25, 2026 - Writer's Almanac

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.

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

Posted on April 24, 2026 - Writer's Almanac

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.

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

Posted on April 23, 2026 - Writer's Almanac

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.

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

Posted on April 22, 2026 - Writer's Almanac

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.

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

Posted on April 21, 2026 - Writer's Almanac

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.

Load next posts