Writer's Almanac: A Source for Great Reads

by Pa Rock
Reader

I maintain a pile of books on an end table next to my bed that I am constantly working through.  The current novel that I am reading is by a professor of writing named George Saunders.  It is entitled "Lincoln in the Bardo," and gives a fictional account of Abraham Lincoln's visits to a spirit-infested cemetery in Washington, DC, during the evenings following the death and subsequent entombment and later burial of his 10-year-old son, Willie, who passed away during the Christmas holidays of 1862.  There is a lot to ponder in Mr. Saunder's book, and it is like nothing I have ever read before.  I will be giving a fuller account of the work in this space when I complete reading it.

What I would like to discuss today is how I learned about this unique novel in the first place.  It was not on a notice from Amazon.com suggesting titles that their algorithm thought I might like, or any other similar publication from other sources.  I found a couple of references to the author and this particular work on a free website that I subscribe to called  "The Writer's Almanac" which is the creation of Garrison Keillor, late of Lake Woebegon, Minnesota.  

Keillor and his elves who stuck with him after he retired from "A Prairie Home Companion," a very long-running radio show that was another of his creations, put together this project to provide a daily literary stimulus for his many diehard fans.    Each day "The Writer's Almanac" discusses writers, poets, and other persons of note who have special connections to that particular date in history - a birthday, the anniversary of a notable work, or perhaps the day on which a person of interest passed away.

Over the years I have found several poems through "The Writer's Almanac" that I went on to feature in this blog on "Poetry Mondays," and I have also come across some excellent novels - like "Lincoln in the Bardo."   Some other exceptionally fine novels that came to my attention through the on-line "Writer's Almanac" include "An Arsonist's Guide to Writer's Homes in New England" by Brock Clark, "The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time" by Mark Haddon, and "The Sheltering Sky" by Paul Bowles.  I have previously written about each of those in this space.

(I have Ernest Hemingway's "A Moveable Feast" in my read pile as well.   It is also a work that discovered through "The Writer's Almanac.")

Regardless of one's literary tastes and persuasions, "The Writer's Almanac" is a great place to unearth some of the gems that might have previously escaped your attention.  And the knowledge (or even just trivia) that one acquires through those encounters can be quite amazing.  For instance, did you know that Christopher Isherwood took the surname for his most famous fictional character, Fraulein Sally Bowles, from his good friend and author Paul Bowles?  Well, now you do.

Literature by itself is not a complete education, but it does form the backbone of a good education.  I learn something from everything I read, whether it is historical fact or pure fiction, and "The Writer's Almanac" gives me a greater sense of direction in choosing what I read - which is important especially now that my time for reading grows ever more brief.

"The Writer's Almanac" is free and published seven days a week, but Keillor does use it to promote his merchandise.   I avail myself of his literary expertise, which is extensive, but let him keep his coffee mugs!