Birthdays: Robinson Jeffers (1887), Dumas Malone (1892), Cynthia Freeman (1915), Philip Levine (1928), Stephen Ambrose (1936), Daniel Walker Howe (1937), Jared Carter (1939), George Alec Effinger (1947), Dorianne Laux (1952), Steve Hamilton (1961)
Philip Levine won the 1995 Pulitzer Prize for Poetry for “The Simple Truth” and was appointed Poet Laureate of the US for 2011-2012.
Dumas Malone won the 1975 Pulitzer Prize for History for his biography of Thomas Jefferson
Daniel Howe won the 2008 Pulitzer for History for “What Hath God Wrought”
Dorianne Laux is a multiple prize winner for poetry
Quote: “If that voice you created that is most alive…isn’t carried throughout the whole poem, then…destroy where it’s not there.” – Philip Levine
Tip: Don’t jump point of view. Yes, I know some big authors do it and get away with it. That’s because they’re already established and make a lot of money for the publishers. If you’re new to the craft, you need to keep your POV to one per scene. If you must do more, be sure to add a space between speakers so the reader knows you’re changing POVs.
Jumpstart: Write your writing bio. No more than a hundred words – and in third person. Make it interesting, not just a grocery list of name, age, etc.
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