October 2 Writer Birthdays

1718 – Elizabeth Montagu, British social reformer, patron of the arts, literary critic, and writer.

1857 – Arthur Edward Waite, American-born British poet and scholarly mystic who wrote about the occult and co-created the Rider-Waite Tarot deck.

1879 – Wallace Stevens, Pulitzer Prize-winning American modernist poet and playwright.

1904 – Graham Greene, British novelist, playwright, short-story writer, and literary critic.

1906 – Willy Ley, German-born science writer, spaceflight advocate, and historian of science who helped popularize rocketry, spaceflight, and natural history.

1911 – Jack Finney (real name Walter Braden Finney), American author of science fiction and thrillers, including the The Body Snatchers, on which the movie was based.

1926 – Jan Morris, Welsh historian and travel writer; she is best known for her history of the British empire, the Pax Brittanica trilogy.

1938 – Rex Reed, American film critic, columnist, and television personality.

1939 – Otto R. Salassi, American professor and author of books for young adults; his books were set in the South.

1941 – Jeanne Betancourt, American TV screenwriter and author of children’s books; best known for her “Pony Pals” book series, she is also an accomplished painter.

1941 – Jennifer Owings Dewey, author and illustrator of natural history books for adults and children.

1943 – Dirk Zimmer, German-born author and illustrator of children’s books, known for his highly detailed etchings and drawings.

1944 – Vernor Vinge, American mathematics, computer scientist, and science-fiction author who has won many Hugo Awards.

1959 – Bruce Balan, American children’s book writer, technical writer, and multimedia script writer.

1960 – Joe Sacco, Maltese-American cartoonist and journalist.

1960 – Terence Winter, Emmy Award-winning American screenwriter and producer, best known for the HBO series Boardwalk Empire.