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 Monday, April 20, 2026

The Writer’s Almanac for Monday, April 20, 2026

It was on this day in 1914 that the Ludlow Massacre occurred in Ludlow, Colorado, after the National Guard opened fire on a group of striking coal miners.

Read More
The Writer’s Almanac for Sunday, April 19, 2026

The Writer’s Almanac for Sunday, April 19, 2026

It was on this day in 1927 that actress Mae West was sentenced to 10 days in prison for her starring role in the play Sex, which she also wrote and directed.

Read More
The Writer’s Almanac for Saturday, April 18, 2026

The Writer’s Almanac for Saturday, April 18, 2026

It was on this day in 1958 that the U.S. government dropped its treason charges against the poet Ezra Pound. He was extremely anti-Semitic, blaming the world’s problems on the Jews.

Read More
The Writer’s Almanac for Friday, April 17, 2026

The Writer’s Almanac for Friday, April 17, 2026

It’s the birthday of the writer who said, “My advice to you is not to inquire why or whither but just enjoy your ice cream while it’s on your plate.” Thornton Wilder, born in Madison, Wisconsin (1897).

Read More
The Writer’s Almanac for Thursday, April 16, 2026

The Writer’s Almanac for Thursday, April 16, 2026

It’s the birthday of novelist Anatole France, born Jacques Anatole Thibault in Paris (1844). His father ran a bookstore called Librairie de France.

Read More
The Writer’s Almanac for Wednesday, April 15, 2026

The Writer’s Almanac for Wednesday, April 15, 2026

It’s the birthday of Henry James, author of 20 novels, 112 stories, 12 plays, and several books of travel and criticism, born in New York City (1843).

Read More
The Writer’s Almanac for Tuesday, April 14, 2026

The Writer’s Almanac for Tuesday, April 14, 2026

It was on this night in 1912 that the RMS Titanic struck an iceberg on its way from Southampton, England, to New York City, tearing open numerous separate compartments.

Read More
The Writer’s Almanac for Monday, April 13, 2026

The Writer’s Almanac for Monday, April 13, 2026

It’s the birthday of the man who said: “In matters of style, swim with the current; in matters of principle, stand like a rock.” That’s Thomas Jefferson, born in Albemarle County, Virginia (1743).

Read More
The Writer’s Almanac for Sunday, April 12, 2026

The Writer’s Almanac for Sunday, April 12, 2026

It’s the birthday of novelist Tom Clancy, born in Baltimore, Maryland (1947). As a kid, Clancy was obsessed with naval history, reading books written for engineers and officers.

Read More
The Writer’s Almanac for Saturday, April 11, 2026

The Writer’s Almanac for Saturday, April 11, 2026

It’s the birthday of poet Mark Strand, born in Summerside on Prince Edward Island, Canada (1934). His father worked for Pepsi-Cola, and the family moved frequently.

Read More