1859 – Carl Gustaf Verner von Heidenstam, Nobel Prize-winning Swedish poet and novelist. 1878 – Eino Leino, Finnish journalist and poet who is considered one of the pioneers of Finnish poetry. 1886 – Marc Bloch, influential Medieval historian and author who was killed by the Gestapo for being a leader in the French Resistance. 1890Continue reading “July 6 Writer Birthdays”
Author Archives: petrini1
July 5 Writer Birthdays
1889 – Jean Cocteau, French poet, novelist, and playwright, best known for his films; Les Enfant terribles is his most famous novel. 1935 – John Gilmore, American author, journalist, and actor, best known for his true-crime work and detective mysteries. His big break came with a book about the unsolved Black Dahlia murders. 1935 –Continue reading “July 5 Writer Birthdays”
July 4 Writer Birthdays
1804 – Nathaniel Hawthorne, American novelist and short-story writer who is known for his classic books The Scarlet Letter, The House of the Seven Gables, and Twice-Told Tales. 1883 – Rube Goldberg, American cartoonist, author, sculptor, engineer, and inventor, known for drawings of overly complex devices that came to be named after him. 1896 –Continue reading “July 4 Writer Birthdays”
Friday Photo: What the Flock?
Because of the pandemic, my son’s high-school graduation a couple weeks ago had to be a virtual ceremony, which took some of the fun out of the occasion. The school’s All-Night Grad Party had to be canceled too, along with the party we were planning and the prom and all the spring concerts. My motherContinue reading “Friday Photo: What the Flock?”
July 3 Writer Birthdays
1860 – Charlotte Perkins Gilman, American sociologist, feminist, and writer of novels, short stories, poetry, and nonfiction; now remembered best for her semi-autobiographical short story, “The Yellow Wallpaper”; she was a niece of author Harriet Beecher Stowe. 1876 – Ralph Barton Perry, Pulitzer Prize-winning American philosopher and biographer. 1883 – Franz Kafka, German author ofContinue reading “July 3 Writer Birthdays”
Kittens (and Chipmunks) with Typewriters
My writers’ group, Kittens with Typewriters, has always met in coffee shops, which hasn’t been possible since the COVID-19 pandemic began. We’ve tried online meetings, but they aren’t very satisfying, since our meetings mostly consist of people writing on their own projects, with occasional conversation in between. Recently we’ve begun holding outdoor meetings. Until today,Continue reading “Kittens (and Chipmunks) with Typewriters”
July 2 Writer Birthdays
1877 – Herman Hesse, Nobel Prize-winning German-Swiss poet, novelist, and painter; he is best known for his books Steppenwolf and Siddhartha. 1919 – Jean Craighead George, journalist, White House press corps member, and Newbery Medal-winning American author of children’s and young-adult literature that focuses on nature and survival in the wilderness; best known for JulieContinue reading “July 2 Writer Birthdays”
July 1 Writer Birthdays
1633 – Johann Heinrich Heidegger, Swiss theologian, philosopher, and Hebrew professor who wrote in Latin, mainly against the Catholic church. 1646 – Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz, German mathematician, philosopher, lawyer, geologist, physicist, historian, and logician, known for his Discourse on Metaphysics as well as his contributions to formal logic and the invention of calculus; he wasContinue reading “July 1 Writer Birthdays”
O Say Can You See the Truth About Key?
There is talk of changing our National Anthem because Francis Scott Key, who wrote the lyrics to the “Star-Spangled Banner,” was a slave owner, and because the song contains pro-slavery lyrics. My initial reaction was negative: I can’t see that it’s useful to erase the other achievements of anyone who owned slaves. What’s next? GiveContinue reading “O Say Can You See the Truth About Key?”
June 30 Writer Birthdays
1685 – John Gay, English playwright and poet best remembered for The Beggar’s Opera. 1798 – Alexander Dyce, Scottish scholar, clergyman, editor, biographer, and literary historian. 1888 – Wanda Dynowska (Umadevi), Polish theosophist, writer, translator, publisher, social activist who promoted intercultural exchanges between India and Poland and founded the Indian-Polish Library 1908 – Winston Graham,Continue reading “June 30 Writer Birthdays”
