Today is the birthday of the inventor of dynamite, Alfred Nobel (1833). Nobel, to prevent his legacy from being one of death, established the Nobel Prizes to celebrate humankind's greatest achievements.

The Writer's Almanac

The Writer's Almanac - Thursday, October 21, 2021

“Reading a poem silently instead of saying a poem is like the difference between staring at sheet music and actually humming or playing the music on an instrument." –Robert Pinsky (1940)

The Writer's Almanac - Wednesday, October 20, 2021

"I have always written what I wanted to write. I have never considered the audience for one second. … Before publication, I am a despot."—Philip Pullman (1946)

The Writer's Almanac - Tuesday, October 19, 2021

Today is the birthday of Chuck Berry (1926). The singer-songwriter broke into the charts in 1955 with “Maybellene,” and in 1958 “Johnny B. Goode.”

The Writer's Almanac - Monday, October 18, 2021

Today is the birthday of Shinichi Suzuki (1898). He taught children to play violin by listening and imitating, the way they learn to speak. A method that now bears his name, Suzuki Violin Method.

The Writer's Almanac - Sunday, October 17, 2021

"An idea that is not dangerous is unworthy of being called an idea at all." -- Oscar Wilde, born on this day in 1854.

The Writer's Almanac - Saturday, October 16, 2021

Novelist P.G. Wodehouse was born this day in 1881. Author of more than 100 books about Bertie Wooster and his butler Jeeves.

The Writer's Almanac - Friday, October 15, 2021

It's the birthday of poet E.E. Cummings (1884), and for his birthday we feature the poem “All in green went my love riding.”

The Writer's Almanac - Thursday, October 14, 2021

Singer and songwriter Paul Simon celebrates his 80th birthday today. His first hit, with partner Art Garfunkel, was “The Sounds of Silence.”

The Writer's Almanac - Wednesday, October 13, 2021

It was on this day in 1892 that the Pledge of Allegiance was recited en masse for the first time, by more than 2 million students.

The Writer's Almanac - Tuesday, October 12, 2021

"You wouldn't worry so much about what others think of you if you realized how seldom they do." – Eleanor Roosevelt, born October 11, 1884.

The Writer's Almanac - Monday, October 11, 2021

It's the birthday of playwright Harold Pinter (1930), whose use of dramatic pauses, noted in the text of his plays, has entered the dictionary as "Pinteresque."

The Writer's Almanac - Sunday, October 10, 2021

John Lennon would have been 81 years old today. Songwriter of “Strawberry Fields Forever,” “Imagine,” and “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds.”

The Writer's Almanac - Saturday, October 9, 2021

It’s the birthday of the creator of the “Fear Street” and “Goosebumps” books. That’s R.L. Stine, who turns 78 years old today.

The Writer's Almanac - Friday, October 8, 2021

"It began in mystery, and it will end in mystery, but what a savage and beautiful country lies in between." Diane Ackerman. Celebrating her 73rd birthday today.

The Writer's Almanac - Thursday, October 7, 2021

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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