Podcast Episodes

Story of Writing February 6, 2026

Season 26 Episode 206

It is the birthday of paleoanthropologist Mary Leakey.

This episode also includes Francois Truffaut, Bob Marley, and Michael Pollan - with a reading f…

3 months, 2 weeks ago

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Story of Writing February 5, 2026

Season 26 Episode 205

It is William S. Burroughs' birthday and the anniversary of invoking the Asiatic Barred Zone Act - one of the more brazenly bigoted pieces of U.S. le…

3 months, 3 weeks ago

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Story of Writing February 4, 2026

Season 26 Episode 204

It is the birthday of Civil Rights icon Rosa Parks and the birthday of Women's Rights icon Betty Friedan - and we hear a reading from "Rosa Parks: My…

3 months, 3 weeks ago

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Story of Writing February 3, 2026

Season 26 Episode 203

Historian E. P. Thompson was born on this day, James Michener, too, and the 15th Amendment grants the right to vote to all men in the U.S.

3 months, 3 weeks ago

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Story of Writing February 2, 2026

Season 26 Episode 202

Ayn Rand was born on this day, the man who served as the role model for Robinson Crusoe was rescued after being stranded on an island for four years,…

3 months, 3 weeks ago

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Story of Writing February 1, 2026

Season 26 Episode 201

President Abraham Lincoln signs the 13th Amendment abolishing slavery, the Oxford English Dictionary publishes its first volume ("A to Ant"), Puccini…

3 months, 3 weeks ago

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Story of Writing January 31, 2026

Season 26 Episode 131

The birthday club includes John O'Hara and Alan Lomax.

This episode also includes a reading from Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie's "We Should All Be Feminist…

3 months, 3 weeks ago

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Story of Writing January 30, 2026

Season 26 Episode 130

It is The Fred Korematsu Day of Civil Liberties and the Constitution. How this came to be is a good story.

3 months, 3 weeks ago

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Story of Writing January 29, 2026

Season 26 Episode 129

The birthday club includes W. C. Fields, Muna Lee, and Edward Abbey - with a reading from Abbey's classic book "The Monkey Wrench Gang."

3 months, 3 weeks ago

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Story of Writing

Season 26 Episode 128

Jane Austen publishes her masterpiece "Pride and Prejudice," and it is David Lodge's birthday - with a reading from "Pride and Prejudice."

3 months, 4 weeks ago

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