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PODCAST

The Story of Writing

On this short, daily podcast, host Jon Brown talks about the writers and written work that made history on this day. Each episode includes a reading of prose or poetry.

history

All Episodes

00:03:59

Story of Writing October 5, 2026

The Story of Writing ·

2026/10/05

"Dr. No" and "Love Me Do" debut, PBS launches, and featured writers, born on this day, Louise Fitzhugh and Neil deGrasse Tyson - with a reading from Fitzhugh's "Harriet the Spy."

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00:03:32

Story of Writing October 4, 2026

The Story of Writing ·

2026/10/04

Norman Rockwell introduces the fictional character Willie Gillis, and featuring writers born on this day: Edward Stratemeyer, David Sobol, Jackie Collins, and Anne Rice - with a reading from Rice's "Interview with the Vampire."

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00:05:31

Story of Writing October 3, 2026

The Story of Writing ·

2026/10/03

Thanksgiving Day(s) in the U.S. and Thomas Wolfe and Gore Vidal were born on this day - with a reading from Wolfe's "You Can't Go Home Again."

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00:04:08

Story of Writing October 2, 2026

The Story of Writing ·

2026/10/02

Graham Greene, Chuck Williams, and Melissa Harris-Perry were born on this day. This episode includes a reading from Anna Julia Cooper's 1893 speech to the World's Congress of Representative Women in Chicago.

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00:04:17

Story of Writing October 1, 2026

The Story of Writing ·

2026/10/01

One of the first books on "household management" is published, Yosemite is designated as federally preserved and protected land, "in God we trust" appears on U.S. paper money, and it's Tim O'Brien's birthday - with a reading from Judy Syfers Brady's essay "I Want A Wife."

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00:06:36

Story of Writing September 30, 2026

The Story of Writing ·

2026/09/30

European leaders sign the Munich Agreement, the WWII atrocity at Babi Yar begins, and the birthday club includes Rumi, Truman Capote, Elie Wiesel, Laura Esquivel, and Ta-Nehisi Coates - with a reading from Wiesel's memoir "Night."

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00:04:57

Story of Writing September 29, 2026

The Story of Writing ·

2026/09/29

The League of Nations' mandate for Palestine goes into effect and the birthday club includes Miguel de Cervantes, Elizabeth Gaskell, Olive Dehn, and Barbara Mertz - with a reading from Cervantes' classic "Don Quixote."

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00:03:57

Story of Writing September 28, 2026

The Story of Writing ·

2026/09/28

Physician and microbiologist Alexander Fleming notices that Penecillium causes something odd in his laboratory and the birthday club includes musician Ben E. King and critic George W. S. Trow - with a reading from Aesop's Fable: "The Cats and the Birds."

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00:05:19

Story of Writing September 27, 2026

The Story of Writing ·

2026/09/27

Rachel Carson publishes "Silent Spring," one of the most important works of the 20th Century.

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00:04:27

Story of Writing September 26, 2026

The Story of Writing ·

2026/09/26

Albert Einstein publishes his theory of special relativity, Nazi official August Frank issues his chilling memo evaluating the goods left behind by people sent to the death camps, the first U.S. political debate is broadcast, and the Beatles release "Abbey Road." This is Jane Smiley's birthday, with a reading of her writing on bookstores.

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00:04:00

Story of Writing September 25, 2026

The Story of Writing ·

2026/09/25

The U.S. Congress adopts the Bill of Rights, Columbia's School of Journalism opens its doors, and the Little Rock Nine integrate their Arkansas high school. The birthday club includes William Faulkner and Shel Silverstein - with a reading from Faulkner's "Intruder in the Dust."

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00:04:49

Story of Writing September 24, 2026

The Story of Writing ·

2026/09/24

The leader of the Latter Day Saints says he has a vision that the church should end polygamy, a race massacre convulses Atlanta, President Theodore Roosevelt designates the country's first national monument: Devil's Tower, and Nirvana releases its landmark album "Nevermind." The birthday club includes F. Scott Fitzgerald and Jim Henson - with a reading from Fitzgerald's classic "The Great Gatsby."

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00:04:33

Story of Writing September 23, 2026

The Story of Writing ·

2026/09/23

The birthday club includes John Lomax, Ray Charles, Bruce Springsteen, and Ani DiFranco - with a reading from Lomax's "Cowboy Songs and Other Frontier Ballads."

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00:05:43

Story of Writing September 22, 2026

The Story of Writing ·

2026/09/22

The executions of those accused of witchcraft end in Salem, President Abraham Lincoln signs the Emancipation Proclamation, and the birthday club includes Elizabeth Simcoe, Eric Baker, and Joan Jett - with a reading from Jonathan Swift's "Gulliver's Travels."

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00:03:47

Story of Writing September 21, 2026

The Story of Writing ·

2026/09/21

The birthday club includes H. G. Wells, Allen Lane, Leonard Cohen, Chuck Jones, and Stephen King - with a reading from Wells' "The Time Machine."

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00:04:29

Story of Writing September 20, 2026

The Story of Writing ·

2026/09/20

Ferdinand Magellan sets sail on the first circumnavigation of the world, Billie Jean King wins the Battle of the Sexes, the U.S. military ends "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," and it's the birthday of Upton Sinclair - with a reading from his landmark book "The Jungle."

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00:05:03

Story of Writing September 19, 2026

The Story of Writing ·

2026/09/19

George Washington's farewell address, and the birthday club includes Sadie Delany, Rachel Field, and William Golding - with a reading from Washington's farewell address.

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00:03:57

Story of Writing September 18, 2026

The Story of Writing ·

2026/09/18

The New York Times prints its first paper, Booker T. Washington delivers the Atlanta Exposition Speech on Race Relations, and the Columbia Broadcasting Corporation goes on air - with a reading from L. M. Montgomery's "Anne of Green Gables."

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00:05:24

Story of Writing September 17, 2026

The Story of Writing ·

2026/09/17

The government of the U.S. is established, the Battle of Antietam, and the birthday club includes William Carlos Williams, John Creasy, Elizabeth Enright, Mary Stewart, and Hank Williams - with a reading from Enright's "Thimble Summer."

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00:04:05

Story of Writing September 16, 2026

The Story of Writing ·

2026/09/16

The Grito de Dolores, and the birthday club includes Nadia Boulanger, Henry Louis Gates, Jr., and H. A. Rey - with a reading of William Wordsworth's "My Heart Leaps Up."

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1,228 results

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