Ben Jonson (1572 – 1637)

Benjamin Jonson was believed to be born on June 11th 1572 in London, he was an English playwright and poet, known for his great artistry which had a lasting influence on English poetry and stage comedy. He is generally regarded as the second most important English dramatist, after William Shakespeare, during the reign of James

Inspired

I took part in a Writing Prompt session tonight some great prompts, one was this photo of a woman looks like the 1940’s era – not really sure, she could be blowing a whistle or pea-shooter, who knows, but it inspired me to write this little poem:

Poet Ruth Stone

Ruth Stone was born on June 8th in 1915 in Virginia, she died at the age of 96 in 2011. She lived in a rural farmhouse in Vermont for much of her life and raised three daughters alone after her husband, professor Walter Stone, committed suicide in 1959. She wrote thirteen books of poetry and

Gwendolyn Elizabeth Brooks

One of my favourite poets, Gwendolyn Elizabeth Brooks (1917 -2000), was born on this day, June 7th in 1917, in Kansas. She was an American poet, author, and teacher, her work often dealt with the personal joys and struggles of ordinary people. A much honoured poet, she won the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry on May

Christy Brown

Christy Brown, Irish writer and poet was born on this day June 5 1932, he was born with cerebral palsy and near total paralysis apart from his left foot. Brown’s autobiography, ‘My Left Foot’, was developed into a novel ‘Down All The Days’in 1970, which became an international best-seller. Two lesser-known novels followed, as well

‘Give Peace A Chance’

On June 1st 1969, John Lennon and Yoko Ono who were on honeymoon recorded ‘Give Peace A Chance’ during their ‘bed-in’ in Room 1742 at the Hotel La Reine in Montreal, Canada. Only a few months later the song was sung in unison by half a million demonstrators in Washington, D.C. on Vietnam Moratorium Day,

Walter Whitman

Walter Whitman, (1819 -1892) was born on this day May 31 in 1819 in West Hills, Long Island, he is one of the most influential American poets, often called the father of free verse. Whitman’s major poetry collection, ‘Leaves of Grass’, was first published in 1855 with his own money and became very famous. He

Albert Camus

Albert Camus was born on 7 November 1913 (1913 – 1960) in French Algeria, he was a philosopher, author, and journalist, and was best known for his absurdist works, including ‘The Stranger’ and ‘The Plague.’ He won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1957. Camus was in Paris in 1940 when the Germans invaded France

Maeve Binchy

Maeve Binchy was born on this day in 1939 in Dublin (1939 – 2012) she is one of my favourite authors. She told marvellous stories, mostly set in Ireland, dealing with the tensions between urban and rural life.. Although times may change, people remain the same: they fall in love, they have dreams; friendships, and

Lewis Carroll

Lewis Carroll (real name Charles Lutwidge Dodgson) was born on January 27, 1832, he was a person who, through his varied writing styles and power of communication, struck the imagination of children and adults alike. His best-known works, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland (1865) and Through the Looking-Glass, And What Alice Found There (1872) are still