Birthdays: Joanne Kyger (1863), Allen Tate (1899), Jack Schaefer (1907), Sharon Olds (1942), Tony Hoagland (1953),  Annette Gordon-Reed (1958), Charlie Kaufman (1958), Ruta Sepetys (1967)

Jack Schaefer is best known for his western “Shane”

Sharon Olds is the 2013 winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry

Annette Gordon-Reed won the 2009 Pulitzer Prize for History (as well as 15 other awards) for her work on the Hemings family at Monticello

Charlie Kaufman has been nominated for four Academy Awards and three of his scripts appear in the Writers Guild of America’s list of the 101 greatest movie screenplays ever written. They include “Being John Malkovich” and “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind”

Quote: “The mission for the day is to encourage students to think beyond traditional career opportunities, prepare for future careers and entrance into the workplace.” – Allen Tate

“I don’t have large blocks of time to sit and write. I snatch bits and pieces when I can, which often means in traffic, on planes, or very early in the morning. I always carry paper and pen with me. I often write dialogue longhand. I’ll see a scene (as if I’m watching a movie) and the characters will just start talking. I recently wrote several chapters of my latest book while sitting on the edge of the bathtub.” – Ruta Septeys

Tip: There are a lot of writing groups on Facebook and Pinterest. Take a look around and see what interests you.

Jumpstart: I hadn’t been down to the basement in years, but I had to, because….