Witchflower Days

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Wednesday, June 29, 2005

Pilot-poet, Author, Composer

Birthday of aviator and author of The Little Prince, Antoine de Saint-Exupery, born in Lyons, France in 1900. He and a friend entered a contest in 1935 to break the record for the fastest flight from Paris to Saigon. They crashed 200 miles into the Libyan desert with no water or food, and survived... Sign in to see full entry.

Friday, April 29, 2005

Egyptian-Greek Poet, an Individualist, and a Black Hero

Birthday of poet C.P. Cavafy, born in Alexandria, Egypt (1863). His parents were Greek, and he wrote in Greek, but lived in Egypt almost his entire life. His family apartment was just above a brothel, and across the street from a church and a hospital. Cavafy said, "Where could I live better? The... Sign in to see full entry.

Thursday, April 28, 2005

A Trilogy, a Mockingbird, and the Bounty

Birthday of novelist Diane Johnson, born Moline, IL (1934), best known for her trilogy about American expatriates in France: Le Divorce (1997), Le Mariage (2000) and her latest, L'Affaire (2003). Birthday of Harper Lee, born Nelle Harper in Monroeville, AL (1926), author of To Kill a Mockingbird,... Sign in to see full entry.

Wednesday, April 27, 2005

Madeline, August Wilson and U.S. Grant

Birthday of the author of the "Madeline" books, Ludwig Bemelmans, born in the Tyrol, Austria in 1898. He wrote five of them, the first in 1939. It begins, "In an old house in Paris that was covered with vines, lived 12 little girls in two straight lines." Birthday of playwright, August Wilson, born... Sign in to see full entry.

Tuesday, April 26, 2005

Jiggle!

Get those brain cells jiggling! Okay, I missed a few days. On weekends, it’s hard to keep up with these dates, and I was not feeling great yesterday (4/25), so I’m playing catch-up again. Plus, my usual sources let me down with a lack of extra information about some of these events/people and too... Sign in to see full entry.

The Other Half - Good Luck!

Author of a number of monologues, including Talk Radio (1987), Drinking In America (1987), and Sex, Drugs, Rock & Roll (1990). She wrote Gentlemen Prefer Blondes. This school was started by Reverend John Cotton. Very popular writer of mystery novels between 1932 and her death in 1982. Her books... Sign in to see full entry.

Friday, April 22, 2005

Novelists, Jazz, Poetry, and Reason

Birthday of poet Louise Gl ü ck, born in New York City (1942), author of The Triumph of Achilles (1985), The Wild Iris (1993), and Vita Nova (1999). Birthday of jazz bass player and composer Charles Mingus, born in Nogales, AZ (1922). He played with Lionel Hampton, Charlie Parker, Duke Ellington,... Sign in to see full entry.

Thursday, April 21, 2005

Writers of Fact, Humor, and Sadness

Birthday of scientist and fiction writer Thomas McMahon, born in Dayton, OH (1943), author of three widely acclaimed novels, Principles of American Nuclear Chemistry (1970), McKay's Bees (1979), and Loving Little Egypt (1987), all noteworthy for their blend of scientific descriptions with the lives... Sign in to see full entry.

Wednesday, April 20, 2005

Sci-Fi, Surrealist, Comedy, Insanity, and Roman Philosophy

Birthday of science fiction writer Ian Watson, born in St. Albans, England (1943), author of The Black River/Yaleen trilogy (1986), made up of The Book of the River, The Books of the Stars, and The Book of Being. His books explore distant times and lands, and the nature of being and reality, and the... Sign in to see full entry.

Tuesday, April 19, 2005

The Shot Heard Round the World and Several Interesting People

In 1927 on this day, actress Mae West was jailed for her performance in Sex, the Broadway play she wrote, directed, and starred in. She served ten days in prison, and jail time seemed to do her good; it didn't make her change her act, but it did bring her national notoriety, and helped make her one... Sign in to see full entry.

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