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[image: The Writer's Almanac] <http://writersalmanac.org?utm_campaign=TWA+Newsletter+for+September+21%2c+2016&utm_medium=email&utm_source=Eloqua&utm_content=The+Writer%27s+Almanac+for+September+21%2c+2016&elqTrackId=f41ecece3ee047dcb8cb551e001f0d68&elq=435569be521d44a393ed1233af3ce29e&elqaid=24181&elqat=1&elqCampaignId=21159> [image: American Public Media] <http://americanpublicmedia.publicradio.org?utm_campaign=TWA+Newsletter+for+September+21%2c+2016&utm_medium=email&utm_source=Eloqua&utm_content=The+Writer%27s+Almanac+for+September+21%2c+2016&elqTrackId=c2d682ce848249bba26473c01e50259b&elq=435569be521d44a393ed1233af3ce29e&elqaid=24181&elqat=1&elqCampaignId=21159> *Wednesday, Sep. 21, 2016* *My Mother Was a Brilliant Cook* by Maria Mazziotti Gillan <http://writersalmanac.org/poem_author/maria-mazziotti-gillan/?utm_campaign=TWA+Newsletter+for+September+21%2c+2016&utm_medium=email&utm_source=Eloqua&utm_content=The+Writer%27s+Almanac+for+September+21%2c+2016&elqTrackId=8d14c44964af4fe8a5d7be982f93d186&elq=435569be521d44a393ed1233af3ce29e&elqaid=24181&elqat=1&elqCampaignId=21159> The first time my mother went out to eat was on her 25th wedding anniversary at Scordato’s in Paterson, and the second time was for her 50th anniversary at the Iron Kettle House in Wyckoff. My mother said, “I could have cooked this meal better myself.” But I knew she was happy, though she would have never admitted it. Once my mother came to Paterson from Italy in steerage, she was content to stay there. She was a brilliant cook, and didn’t need to go to restaurants. She loved her house, poor as it was, and never stayed in a motel or took a vacation or wanted to. She was content to offer platter after platter of food to her family gathered in her basement kitchen, and to watch them laughing and talking together, while she stood behind them and smiled. "My Mother Was a Brilliant Cook" ------------------------------ *Today is the birthday* of *Girolamo Savonarola* (books by this author), born in Ferrara, Italy (1452). When he was 22, he left off studying medicine to join an order of Dominican monks, and he developed a reputation for his prophetic preaching. He settled in Florence in 1490, where he became the scourge of the Medici family, who were then in power. Savonarola's speeches against tyranny made him popular with the people, and the rule of the Medicis came to an end not long after the death of their leader, Lorenzo. Savonarola soon filled the void, setting up a republic and continuing to preach against the corruption of the Catholic Church. As the head of the Church, the notoriously corrupt Pope Alexander VI was displeased by Savonarola's influence. Alexander tried first to trap him by luring him to Rome, but Savonarola saw through the scheme and refused, claiming illness. The pontiff threatened him with excommunication, and then tempted him with a Cardinalship, to which the reformer replied, "A red hat? I want a hat of blood." Eventually, he got his wish: in 1498, he was arrested, tortured, and executed by hanging and then burning. His ashes were scattered in the Arno River. *Today is the birthday* of *H.G. Wells**The Invisible Man* (1897), and *The War of the Worlds* (1898). He lived until he was 79-much longer than he expected to-and he continued to produce books at a rate of two or three a year for the rest of his life; in the end, he'd published more than a hundred books. H.G. Wells said, "Every time I see an adult on a bicycle, I no longer despair for the future of the human race." *It's the birthday* of Canadian singer-songwriter, poet, and novelist *Leonard Cohen* (books by this author), born in Montreal (1934). He started out as a poet, publishing a few well-received volumes in the 1950s and '60s, including *Let Us Compare Mythologies* (1956) and *The Spice-Box of Earth* (1961). He also wrote a couple of novels:*The Favourite Game* (1963) and *Beautiful Losers* (1966). But he was disappointed that writing didn't pay better, so he moved to the United States to become a folk singer and songwriter. He wasn't happy with the arrangements on his first album, *Songs of Leonard Cohen* (1967), but it became a cult favorite. His 1984 album, *Various Positions*, included one of his most popular songs, "Hallelujah." It's been covered by nearly 200 other singers in a variety of languages. *It's the birthday* of horror writer *Stephen King* (books by this author), born in Portland, Maine, on this date in 1947. When he was 10, he was at the local theater watching a matinee of *Earth vs. the Flying Saucers*, and the manager interrupted the film to announce that the Soviet Union had launched Sputnik. Stephen King says that for the first time, he saw "a useful connection between the world of fantasy and that of what *My Weekly Reader* used to call Current Events." He decided that the main purpose of horror was "its ability to form a liaison between our fantasy fears and our real fears." After coming upon an H.P. Lovecraft paperback in the attic, he decided to write horror stories himself. Eventually, he took a job teaching high school, and that inspired him to write about a troubled and telekinetic teenage girl. But he decided his story was worthless and threw it out. His wife, Tabitha, took it out of the trash, read it, and thought it was promising. She told him to keep writing, so he did, and *Carrie* was published (1974). It didn't get great reviews, but it went on to sell more than 4 million copies. *Be well, do good work, and keep in touch.®* National broadcasts of The Writer's Almanac are supported by The Poetry Foundation. ------------------------------ <https://contribute.publicradio.org/contribute.php?utm_campaign=TWA+Newsletter+for+September+21%2c+2016&utm_medium=email&utm_source=Eloqua&utm_content=The+Writer%27s+Almanac+for+September+21%2c+2016&refId=twabanner&elqTrackId=355f3b8639e7430da537c82a49494001&elq=435569be521d44a393ed1233af3ce29e&elqaid=24181&elqat=1&elqCampaignId=21159> ------------------------------ ------------------------------ -- -- USE INCREDIMAIL ONLY IN THIS GROUP NO NUDITY ALLOWED --- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "fiftiesoldiesmusicgroup" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to fiftiesoldiesmusicgroup+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. 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