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The Writer’s Almanac for Wednesday, June 17, 2026

Posted on June 17, 2026 - Writer's Almanac

It was on this day in 1901 that the first standardized tests were administered by the College Board. Before standardized tests, many universities had their own college entrance exams, and prospective students were required to come to campus for a week or more to take exams.

The Writer’s Almanac for Tuesday, June 16, 2026

Posted on June 16, 2026 - Writer's Almanac

Today is Bloomsday, and James Joyce fans all over the world are celebrating. It commemorates the day on which the events of his novel Ulysses take place.

The Writer’s Almanac for Monday, June 15, 2026

Posted on June 15, 2026 - Writer's Almanac

It’s the birthday of advertising exec-turned-writer Ilene Beckerman, born in Manhattan (1935). She didn’t begin her writing career until the age of 60, and even then, she became a published author almost by accident.

The Writer’s Almanac for Sunday, June 14, 2026

Posted on June 14, 2026 - Writer's Almanac

It’s the birthday of Harriet Beecher Stowe, born in Litchfield, Connecticut, in 1811. Her father, Lyman Beecher, was a prominent Congregationalist minister, and he was a great proponent of education.

The Writer’s Almanac for Saturday, June 13, 2026

Posted on June 13, 2026 - Writer's Almanac

It’s the birthday of the Irish poet William Butler Yeats, born in the Dublin suburb of Sandymount in 1865. His parents moved to London when he was only two years old, but he spent a lot of time in Sligo with his grandparents.

The Writer’s Almanac for Friday, June 12, 2026

Posted on June 12, 2026 - Writer's Almanac

Jun 12, 2026 Today is the birthday of diarist Anne Frank, born in Frankfurt, Germany (1929). Her father, Otto, moved the family to Amsterdam, joining an exodus of more than 300,000 other Jews who fled Germany between 1933 and 1939.

The Writer’s Almanac for Thursday, June 11, 2026

Posted on June 11, 2026 - Writer's Almanac

Today is the birthday of American novelist William Styron, born in Newport News, Virginia (1925). Styron’s novels often addressed messy, unwieldy themes of crime, punishment, and redemption against the backdrop of history, such as the Nazi death camps in Sophie’s Choice.

The Writer’s Almanac for Wednesday, June 10, 2026

Posted on June 10, 2026 - Writer's Almanac

It’s the birthday of Canadian-American novelist Saul Bellow, born Solomon Bellows in Lachine, Quebec, Canada (1915). His Russian-Jewish parents immigrated to Canada from St. Petersburg in 1911.

The Writer’s Almanac for Tuesday, June 9, 2026

Posted on June 9, 2026 - Writer's Almanac

It’s the birthday of the man who wrote the songs “I Get a Kick Out of You,” “You’re the Top,” and “Let’s Do It, Let’s Fall In Love”: Cole Porter, born in Peru, Indiana (1891).

The Writer’s Almanac for Monday, June 8, 2026

Posted on June 8, 2026 - Writer's Almanac

Today is the birthday of architect Frank Lloyd Wright, born in Richland Center, Wisconsin (1867). His life spanned an era full of dramatic changes: he was born two years after the Civil War ended, and died in 1959, a year and a half after the first Sputnik launch.

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