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The Writer’s Almanac for Tuesday, March 25, 2025

Posted on March 25, 2025 - Writer's Almanac

It’s the birthday of the feminist writer and activist who said, “A woman without a man is like a fish without a bicycle”: Gloria Steinem, born in Toledo, Ohio (1934). Her father was an antique dealer and a summer resort operator who traveled all over the country in a trailer, looking for new business ventures. Steinem said, “He was always going to make a movie, or cut a record, or start a new hotel, or come up with a new orange drink.”

The Writer’s Almanac for Monday, March 24, 2025

Posted on March 24, 2025 - Writer's Almanac

It’s the birthday of the poet, publisher, and bookstore owner Lawrence Ferlinghetti, born in Yonkers, New York (1919). His father died five months before Ferlinghetti was born, and his mother was so devastated by the loss that she had to be committed to the state mental hospital. Young Lawrence was sent to live with his aunt in France.

The Writer’s Almanac for Sunday, March 23, 2025

Posted on March 23, 2025 - Writer's Almanac

It’s the birthday of Fannie Merritt Farmer, born in Boston (1857). She published the first cookbook in American history that used precise cooking instructions and level measurements. Her cookbook was filled with recipes and also advice on how to set a table, scald milk, cream butter, and remove stains.

The Writer’s Almanac for Saturday, March 22, 2025

Posted on March 22, 2025 - Writer's Almanac

It’s the birthday of the man who said, “My poetry is suburban, it’s domestic, it’s middle class, and it’s sort of unashamedly that, but I hope there’s enough imaginative play in there that it’s not simply poems about barbecuing.” That’s the poet Billy Collins, born in New York City (1941). He was an only child. Before he even knew how to read, he would page through books and pretend that he was reading whenever his parents had company.

The Writer’s Almanac for Friday, March 21, 2025

Posted on March 21, 2025 - Writer's Almanac

And today is the birthday of German composer Johann Sebastian Bach (according to the Old Calendar), born in Eisenach (1685). He was born into a large extended family of Lutheran musicians — most of whom were also named Johann; they were distinguished by their differing middle names. Bach’s parents both died when he was 10, and he went to live with his older brother Johann Christoph, who was a church organist. The younger Johann soon followed in his brother’s footsteps, and held a series of organist jobs in churches all around the region.

The Writer’s Almanac for Thursday, March 20, 2025

Posted on March 20, 2025 - Writer's Almanac

It’s the birthday of the Roman poet Ovid, born Publius Ovidius Naso in what is now Sulmo, Italy (43 B.C.). He became a famous, beloved poet in Rome, privy to the inner circles of the court. He published erotic poems, including his Ars Amatoria (2 A.D.), which instructed people on the arts of seduction and lovemaking.

The Writer’s Almanac for Wednesday, March 19, 2025

Posted on March 19, 2025 - Writer's Almanac

It’s the birthday of novelist Philip Roth, born in Newark, New Jersey (1933). After college, when he was 26 years old and teaching at the University of Chicago, he published his first book, a classic story of adolescence, the novella Goodbye, Columbus (1959). It won the National Book Award. In the 50-plus years since, Roth has published more than 30 books, including Portnoy’s Complaint (1969) and American Pastoral (1997).

The Writer’s Almanac for Tuesday, March 18, 2025

Posted on March 18, 2025 - Writer's Almanac

It’s the birthday of novelist John Updike, born in Reading, Pennsylvania (1932). He went to Harvard, where he majored in English and drew cartoons for the Harvard Lampoon (he also wrote the majority of each issue). After graduation, he got married, sold his first short story to The New Yorker, and headed off to England with his new wife. In England, Updike studied painting at Oxford University and continued to send poems and stories to The New Yorker.

The Writer’s Almanac for Monday, March 17, 2025

Posted on March 17, 2025 - Writer's Almanac

Today is St. Patrick’s Day, a feast day honoring the patron saint of Ireland. St. Patrick’s Day was originally intended as a holy day to observe the arrival of Christianity into Ireland. St. Patrick himself was English, not Irish. He was born into an aristocratic family, but was kidnapped and taken to Ireland. Eventually, he escaped, went home, became a priest, and returned to Ireland to convert the natives to Christianity.

The Writer’s Almanac for Sunday, March 16, 2025

Posted on March 16, 2025 - Writer's Almanac

It was on this day in 1850 that Nathaniel Hawthorne’s masterpiece, The Scarlet Letter, was published. He was living at a time when there was almost no such thing as American literature, in part because the American publishing industry was so behind the times.

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