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Writer's Almanac

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The Writer’s Almanac for Thursday, May 28, 2026

The Writer’s Almanac for Thursday, May 28, 2026

It’s the birthday of American novelist Walker Percy, born in Birmingham, Alabama (1916). He is known most for his first novel, The Moviegoer (1961), which tells the tale of a young Southern man named Binx Bolling.

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The Writer’s Almanac for Wednesday, May 27, 2026

The Writer’s Almanac for Wednesday, May 27, 2026

Today is the birthday of marine biologist and writer Rachel Carson, born in Springdale, Pennsylvania (1907). She was an English major at the Pennsylvania College for Women, but in her junior year, she took a biology course.

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The Writer’s Almanac for Tuesday, May 26, 2026

The Writer’s Almanac for Tuesday, May 26, 2026

It was on this day in 1521 that German priest and theologian Martin Luther was declared an outlaw and his writings were banned by the Edict of Worms. The edict made Luther more of a hero than he already was.

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The Writer’s Almanac for Monday, May 25, 2026

The Writer’s Almanac for Monday, May 25, 2026

It was on this day in 1897 that 21-year-old novelist Jack London sailed from San Francisco, on his way to the Klondike to search for gold. He was on board the SS Umatilla with his brother-in-law, James Shepard.

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The Writer’s Almanac for Sunday, May 24, 2026

The Writer’s Almanac for Sunday, May 24, 2026

It’s the birthday of poet Joseph Brodsky, born in St. Petersburg, Russia (1940). He grew up in the Soviet Union and began writing poetry as a young man. He became popular in underground literary circles.

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The Writer’s Almanac for Saturday, May 23, 2026

The Writer’s Almanac for Saturday, May 23, 2026

Today is the birthday of writer, literary critic, and woman of letters Margaret Fuller, born in Cambridgeport, Massachusetts (1810). She was the first of eight children, and a precocious child.

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The Writer’s Almanac for Friday, May 22, 2026

The Writer’s Almanac for Friday, May 22, 2026

It was on this day in 1967 that a show featuring a kindly man in a cardigan and blue sneakers debuted on public television and introduced millions of schoolchildren to the concepts of peace, patience, and diversity.

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The Writer’s Almanac for Thursday, May 21, 2026

The Writer’s Almanac for Thursday, May 21, 2026

On this day in 1881, Clara Barton founded the American Red Cross. When Clara was only 10, her brother David fell off the roof of the family barn. At first, he seemed fine, but the next day he developed a headache and fever.

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The Writer’s Almanac for Wednesday, May 20, 2026

The Writer’s Almanac for Wednesday, May 20, 2026

Shakespeare’s sonnets were first published on this day in 1609, most likely without Shakespeare’s permission. The book contained 154 sonnets, all but two of which had never been published before.

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The Writer’s Almanac for Tuesday, May 19, 2026

The Writer’s Almanac for Tuesday, May 19, 2026

On this day in 1897, Oscar Wilde was released from Reading Gaol, where he’d been sentenced to two years hard labor for “homosexual offenses.” In 1891, Wilde had been introduced to a dashing young Oxford student named Alfred Douglas.

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