Writing and book holidays observed in May, as the year warms. Every literary celebration, author day, and reading observance falling in May, each marked with an essay.
Cold WarIan Fleming failed as a soldier, a banker and a stockbroker, found his footing in naval intelligence, and wrote Casino Royale at forty-three in about five weeks. Every Bond novel after it came from the same quota: 2,000 words a…
AmericaWhitman self-published Leaves of Grass in 1855 with no author name on the cover, set some of the type himself, wrote anonymous reviews praising his own book, and then revised it for the next thirty-seven years across six editions. He…
Character DevelopmentConan Doyle built the detective story into its permanent shape, killed his own creation because he resented him, was forced by public pressure to bring him back, and spent his later years defending claims his detective would have dismantled in…
Disney+Bats Day has brought the goth community to Anaheim since 1999. I went in 2006, dressed after a fashion, and watched Main Street part for a friend who had decided completely what she was doing.
HistoryGermany surrendered on 8 May 1945 and Europe filled the streets. The war had four months left to run, and my grandfather was still a prisoner for every day of it.
ComedyEvery May 25, fans of Douglas Adams carry a towel to honor the author of The Hitchhiker's Guide. The first Towel Day came in 2001, two weeks after his death at 49. Don't panic, and always know where your towel…
MayStar Wars opened in 1977 and changed movies forever, and I was there on opening day, in a line that wrapped around the block. On May the Fourth, a look back at the film that taught a generation about myth.
HabitsGet Caught Reading Month has one simple idea: let people see you read. As reading becomes a private, invisible act, a case for making it visible again, for your own sake and for the culture of reading.
MayMemorial Day is the last Monday in May. Why it honors those who served, including police and firefighters, and why their stories deserve to be recorded.
FamilyA personal tribute to my mother, her lasting influence, and the true meaning behind Mother’s Day, past the cards and flowers.
HealingNational Nurses Day tribute to the 4.2 million people who hold the healthcare system together. Their stories deserve to be books.
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