Displaying 21 - 40 of 114 in total
September 5th, Thursday | Amy Beach & Robert Fergusson
Composer Amy Beach and a short-lived Scottish poet share a birthday. Plus, an elegy for a friend’s shorn hair is today’s poem.
September 4th, Wednesday | Ahem, it's "The City of the Queen of the Angels"
Los Angeles was first “The Town of Our Lady the Queen of the Angels.” Luckily for the postal system, that name didn’t stick.
September 3rd, Tuesday | A Blind Mathematician & Sarah Jewett
A blind mathematician (literally) and an American regionalism writer share a birthday. A poem from the birthday poet about a still Sunday morning.
August 30th, Friday | Mary Shelley and the Birth of Frankenstein
A little bit on Labor Day for the upcoming holiday on Monday. Plus, Mary Shelley’s birthday and her day of labor over Frankenstein.
August 29th, Thursday | Wendell Holmes, Sr & Vivien Thomas
A doctor remember for his poetry, and an assistant surgeon that has saved countless young lives share a birthday. Poem by birthday poet.
August 28th, Wednesday | MLK's "I have a dream..."
In 1963, MLK, Jr. gave his momentous “I Have a Dream” Speech to 250 thousand people on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial.
August 27th, Tuesday | The Famous Five (of Canada)
The Famous Five (of Canada) ask a clarifying question. A poet rejects his father’s lifestyle, despite benefitting from it. Plus, a translated poem.
August 26th, Monday | A Small-Town Writer & Hot Air Balloon Man
The first female to win a Pulitzer for Drama and the French inventor of the hot air balloon. Poem by the birthday writer.
August 23rd, Friday | One for the Books! Events from 1944, 1973, &1991
What a day in history! Completely unrelated events from 1944, 1973, and 1991. In keeping with the theme, an arbitrary poem by Melville.
August 22nd, Thursday | Bradbury & Debussy
Ray Bradbury, author of Fahrenheit 451, is today’s spotlight. S.O. to Debussy too (see show notes for longer Debussy bio). Poem by Whitman.
August 21st, Wednesday | Count Basie
Jazz Royalty Count Basie shares a birthday with a prominent Israeli artist, known for his…sheep paintings…Today’s poem is an Edgar Allen Poe classic.
August 20th, Tuesday | Estonia Breaks Free After a Human Chain
Estonia’s path to renewed independence was peaceful, and they achieved it with their Baltic neighbors! Also: Happy World Mosquito Day! A dog-and-cat poem.
August 19th, Monday | Coco Chanel befriends Stravinsky
From convent to boudoirs to hat-making, French designer Coco Chanel at one time befriended Igor Stravinsky. Today’s poem by a humorous birthday poet.
August 16th, Friday | The Good, the Bad, and an Australian Poet
An important editor in the Harlem Renaissance and an Australian poet who spent time in Paraguay. A patriotic poem by the birthday poet.
August 15th, Thursday | Samuel Coleridge Taylor
Samuel Coleridge Taylor is not the person you might be thinking he is: an African-English composer and violin prodigy. Plus, a related poem.
August 14th, Wednesday | Inventor of the Blender
Who invented the blender? Probably someone you've never heard of! And the impetus for the gadget? Milkshakes, of course. Plus, a baseball poem.
August 13th, Tuesday | A Hawaiian Pop Star & a Sharpshooter
Today, birthday-ers Don Ho and Annie Oakley make and break stereotypes - isn't everyone more real up close? Love poem by e.e. cummings.
August 12th, Monday | "America the Beautiful" & Gladys Bentley
The woman who penned “America the Beautiful” and a Harlem Renaissance cross-dressing performer share a birthday. “America the Beautiful” shines as today’s poem.
August 9th, Friday | Elizabeth Schuyler Hamilton
Elizabeth Schuyler Hamilton was more than just Alexander Hamilton’s wife. A Swiss developmental psychologist shares a birthday. Plus, a poem from Willa Cather.
August 8th, Thursday | Sara Teasdale's lost love
Sara Teasdale’s missed-chance love is a common theme in her work. An Alcoholics Anonymous co-founder shares a birthday. Poem from our birthday poet.