This week, we remember, remember the 5th of November. But more specifically, we take a look at where the famous poem may originally have come from. First in Latin, In Quintum Novembris was written by a 17-year-old John Milton in Cambridge in 1626.

This week we are observing the birthday of Sylvia Plath (October 27, 1932 – February 11, 1963), the American poet and novelist. In her tragically short life, she wrote several volumes of poetry and short stories. The Bell Jar was her only published novel.

This week we’re celebrating the birthday of English author, Philip Pullman (born 19 October 1946). After reading English at Oxford, Pullman became a teacher before concentrating on writing, mainly children’s and young adult novels and short stories.

This week, we’re observing the birthday of Marina Lewycka, born on 12 October 1946. Lewycka is of Ukrainian origin, born in Germany during World War II in a refugee camp in Kiel, and moved to England when she was a year old.

“National Poetry Day is the annual mass celebration on the first Thursday of October that encourages everyone to make, experience and share poetry with family and friends. Each year we come together because voices, words and stories help to bridge understanding in our community.”

On this day, September 30, 1868, the first volume of Little Women was published. The book became Louisa May Alcott’s first bestseller.

This week, we’re observing the birthday of English poet Stevie Smith. Born Florence Margaret Smith in Hull (20 September 1902 – 7 March 1971), it wasn’t until she was 19 that she acquired the nickname ‘Stevie’. While out riding on a London common, one of her friends compared her to jockey Steve Donoghue and the name stuck.

This week, in 1916, Roald Dahl was born (13 September 1916 – 23 November 1990). Well known for his fantastical and funny children’s stories, his foray into writing came late…

Last week, back in 1886, English war poet Siegfried Sassoon was born (8 September 1886 – 1 September 1967) in Matfield, Kent. Growing up, he had the life of a typical country gentleman…

This week marks the birthday of Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley (30 August 1797 – 1 February 1851). Shelley’s enduring gothic classic Frankenstein is considered the very first sci-fi novel.

This week in 1893, Dorothy “Dottie” Parker (August 22, 1893 – June 7, 1967) was born. Parker was an American poet, writer, critic, and satirist based in New York who sold her first poem to Vanity Fair in 1914…

This week marks the birthday of former Poet Laureate, Edward James (Ted) Hughes (17 August 1930 – 28 October 1998). His first animal poem, The Thought Fox, although a metaphor for poetic inspiration, is thought to be based on the memories of the rural South Yorkshire landscape he grew up in. 

As part of a project for writers’ group 26 with the Foundling Museum in London, devised by John (with help from Neil) and called 26 Orphans, we’ll be running a creative workshop based on Dark Angels thinking.

On this day (August 12) in 1964, British author and journalist Ian Fleming died in Canterbury, Kent. He’s best known for creating the world’s most famous fictional spy—and his 007 series spanned 12 novels.

In this post we mark the birthday of writer, poet, editor and teacher, Warsan Shire (born 1 August 1988). This Somali British writer became the first Young Poet Laureate of London and was elected as a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature in 2018.

This edition is a celebration of the pocket-sized portable reading revelation that is the paperback book. Paperback book day is observed on the 30 July every year as the anniversary of the first Penguin paperbacks published in England in 1935.

This week, we’re bringing a little magic as American writer Elizabeth Gilbert celebrates her 53rd birthday (18 July 1969). Undoubtably, she is most well known for her memoir Eat, Pray, Love.

This week we’re celebrating a simple approach to life by observing the birthday of Henry David Thoreau (July 12, 1817 – May 6, 1862), writer, teacher, nature lover, pencil maker and philosopher.