Birthdays: William Randolph Hearst (1863), Jack Williamson (1908), Edward Blishen (1920), Elmer Kelton (1926), Jill Paton Walsh (1937), Yusef Komunyakaa (1947), David Icke (1952), Nicole Rubel (1953), Robert Sawyer (1960)

Yusef Komunyakaa won the 1994 Pulitzer Prize for Poetry.

Nicole Rubel is best known for her “Rotten Ralph” books.

Quote: “Students often have such a lofty idea of what a poem is, and I want them to realise that their own lives are where the poetry comes from. The most important things are to respect the language; to know the classical rules, even if only to break them; and to be prepared to edit, to revise, to shape.” Yusef Komunyakaa

“The protagonist of folktale is always, and intensely, a young person moving through ordeals into adult life. . . . and this is why there are no wicked stepchildren in the tales.”― Jill Paton Walsh

Tip: Good editors should make your manuscript shine but should not change your voice. This is *your* story, not theirs.

Jumpstart: You’re being honored at a dinner for your writing. Write a speech that will bring the house to their feet instead of putting them to sleep.