The Writer's Almanac
Summary: The Writer's Almanac is a daily podcast of poetry and historical interest pieces, usually of literary significance, hosted by Garrison Keillor.
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- Artist: Garrison Keillor
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The first episode of The Simpsons aired on Fox on this date in 1989 after a successful spat of short segments that had appeared on The Tracey Ullman Show.
Today is the birthday of novelist Jane Austen (1775), who said, "I do not want people to be very agreeable, as it saves me the trouble of liking them a great deal."
It’s the birthday of writer Edna O’Brien (1930), one of a select number of Irish artists who have been bestowed the honor of Saoi.
It’s the birthday of Shirley Jackson (1916), author of morbid short story “The Lottery” and novel-turned-Netflix-hit The Haunting of Hill House.
It was on this day in 1577 that Sir Francis Drake, described by victims as a very nice pirate, set out to sail around the world.
Today is the birthday of Norwegian painter Edvard Munch (1863) who said, “My sufferings…are indistinguishable from me, and their destruction would destroy my art."
It's the birthday of Egyptian novelist Naguib Mahfouz (1911), who delivered his acceptance speech in Arabic when he won the Nobel Prize in literature in 1988.
It's the birthday of poet Emily Dickinson (1830), who grew up very social and only gradually became reclusive.
Today is the birthday of John Milton (1608), who coined over 600 words including ethereal, sublime, impassive, terrific, dismissive, anarchy, and fragrance.
It’s the birthday of humorist and cartoonist James Thurber (1894), who said, "Humor is emotional chaos remembered in tranquility."
"We come and go, but the land is always here. And the people who love it and understand it are the people who own it — for a little while." –Willa Cather, born this day in 1873
Today is St. Nicholas Day; tomorrow, good children around the world will wake up with gifts of sweets, oranges, and nuts in their shoes.
It's the birthday of the essayist and novelist Joan Didion, who opined, “writers are always selling someone out.”
Today is the birthday of Rainer Maria Rilke (1875), who financed his career as a poet by seducing a series of rich noblewomen who would support him while he wrote his books.
It was on this day in 1839 that 30-year-old Illinois state assemblyman Abraham Lincoln was admitted to practice law in the United States Circuit Court.
