Birthdays: Desiderius Erasmus (1466), Emily Post (1872), Dylan Thomas (1914), Sylvia Plath (1932), Neil Sheehan (1936), Maxine Hong Kingston (1940), J.A. Jance (1944), Steve Almond (1966), Jonathan Stroud (1970), Anthony Doerr (1973),

Sylvia Plath was the first poet to win a Pulitzer Prize posthumously.

Neil Sheehan won the National Book Award and Pulitzer Prize for Nonfiction for “A Bright Shining Lie”

Anthony Doerr won the 2015 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction for “All the Light We Cannot See”

Quote: “I can never read all the books I want; I can never be all the people I want and live all the lives I want. I can never train myself in all the skills I want. And why do I want? I want to live and feel all the shades, tones and variations of mental and physical experience possible in life.” – Sylvia Plath

“When I write something that would have made me laugh as a 10-year-old, or would have scared me or would have excited me, I know I’m onto something.” – Jonathan Stroud

Tip: As Stephen King says, “Love what you do.” Writing is difficult and sometimes not at all fun, but you should love what you do.

Jumpstart: I caught a glimpse of a tattoo on her back. That really surprised me. I’d never have thought it of her. What is it and why does it surprise this person?