The Writer's Almanac from Monday, January 22, 2001
The Writer's Almanac from Monday, January 22, 2001
"Lending Out Books," by Hal Sirowitz, from My Therapist Said (Crown).
On this day in 1973, the United States Supreme Court issued its decision for the case Roe v. Wade in favor of the plaintiff Norma McCorvey, a Texas woman using the name "Jane Roe." The defendant was Henry Wade, the district attorney from Dallas, who, by Texas law, was responsible for enforcing antiabortion statutes.The Supreme Court's decision made abortion legal in the U.S. and invalidated all laws in all states that restricted access to abortions during the first trimester, or three months, of pregnancy.The decision was split, 7-2. Six judges joined Justice Harry Blackmun, who wrote for the majority, saying: "In a line of decisions ... the Court has recognized that a right of personal privacy ... does exist under the Constitution.These decisions make it clear that ... the right has some extension to activities relating to marriage...procreation... contraception...family relationships...and child rearing. The right of privacy, whether it be founded in the Fourteenth Amendment's concept of personal liberty...or ... in the Ninth Amendment's reservation of rights to the people, is broad enough to encompass a woman's decision to terminate her pregnancy."
On this day in 1953, "The Crucible," Arthur Miller's play about the Salem witch hunts, premiered in New York City.The production received mixed reviews, but went on to become Miller's most performed play.
It's the birthday of writer Joseph Wambaugh, born in East Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (1937). The son of a police officer, Wambaugh followed in his dad's footsteps, wearing the uniform of the Los Angeles Police Department for 14 years.He wrote realistic books about the daily life of policemen, including The Onion Field, The New Centurions, The Blue Knight, and The Choir Boys.
It's the birthday today of poet Howard Moss, born in New York City (1922).He worked as an English teacher, a fiction editor, and then went to work for the New Yorker magazine, where he was the poetry editor for nearly forty years.
Today is known as "Bloody Sunday" in Russia. On the afternoon of this day in 1905, 150,000 unarmed factory workers marched to the Winter Palace in St. Petersburg, home of Czar Nicholas II. They were on strike, and carried with them a petition asking for an eight-hour work day, improved working conditions, medical care, and better pay for women. The organizers had written the Czar's minister the day before, notifying him of their intent to assemble and asking that Nicholas "come forth like a true czar, with courage in his heart, to meet his People and take unto his hands our petition." They were protesting peacefully when troops opened fire, killing hundreds, and wounding thousands of others. Vladimir Lenin hailed the January events—the strike and the massacre—as the beginning of the revolution.
It's the birthday of choreographer and dancer George Balanchine, born Georgi Balanchivadze, in St. Petersburg, Russia (1904).His father was a composer who studied under Rimsky-Korsakov, so Balanchine knew music well by the time he took up dance.He studied at the Maryinsky Theater's ballet school and at age 20 joined Sergei Diaghilev's Ballets Russes in Paris.In 1933 he moved to New York, where in the next few decades, he helped to found the American Ballet Company, and the New York City Ballet. Balanchine's motto was "Music must be seen, and dance must be heard."
It's the birthday of pioneer movie-maker D(avid) W(ark) Griffith, born in Floydsfork, Kentucky (1875).He made Birth of a Nation (1915; originally called The Clansmen), Intolerance (1916), and Broken Blossoms (1919), and many other films.
It's the birthday of playwright August Strindberg, born in Stockholm, Sweden (1849), a deeply troubled man who seemed most productive when he was in a state of near nervous collapse.He wrote The Father (1887), Miss Julie (1888),A Dream Play (1902), The Ghost Sonata (1907), and other plays.
Be well, do good work, and keep in touch.®
CHEERFULNESS by Garrison Keillor
"Cheerfulness is a charming memoir by a beloved humorist that reflects unabashed happiness in defiance of age, loss, and the weight of life’s unpredictability."
---Ryan Prado, Foreword Clarion Reviews
"This is a humorous, insightful perspective on life that showcases Keillor’s signature cocktail of droll storytelling and wry commentary."
---BlueInk Review
