Robert Penn Warren: Born April 24, 1905.

The distinguished novelist, poet, critic and man of letters Robert Penn Warren, best known to many readers for his novel All The King’s Men, was born on this date in 1905 in Guthrie, Kentucky. Robert Penn Warren is the only writer to win the Pulitzer Prize for both fiction and poetry. He was also the…

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Celebrating National Poetry Month: Rita Dove.

This blog is certainly a work in progress. Next year I hope to get a jump on National Poetry Month and get information on regional events lined up ahead of April 2015. So since the month is winding down, I’ve decided to write some posts on various poets from the region. Today’s featured poet is…

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Lloyd C. Douglas: Novelist and Minister.

When I look back on memories of Easter through the years, I often recall the smorgasbord of religious movies that are a constant on Easter Sunday: King of Kings, Ben-Hur, The Greatest Story Ever Told, and Quo Vadis, to name just a few. Another film is The Robe, which I saw once again on Christmas…

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April 19, 1861: Ambrose Bierce enlists in the Indiana Volunteers.

On this day in 1861, author Ambrose Bierce became the second man in Elkhart County, Indiana to enlist for service in the Union volunteers after President Lincoln’s call for troops following the attack on Fort Sumter, South Carolina. Bierce, who was born in Meigs County, Ohio, was working in a local business that was a…

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Now the Tax Man Cometh

    “Houseless: adj., Having paid all taxes on household goods.” Ambrose Bierce, The Devil’s Dictionary. (In the United States, all state and federal taxes are due on the 15th of April). Patrick Kerin

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Congratulations to Vijay Seshadri!

Congratulations to Vijay Seshadri, winner of the 2014 Pulitzer Prize for Poetry for his book 3 Sections: Poems. Seshadri was born in Bangalore, Indiana and came to the United States with his family when he was five years old. He grew up in Columbus, Ohio, where his father was a chemistry professor at Ohio State…

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National Poetry Month Events in Cincinnati, Cleveland, and Dayton.

Here is some information about some events for National Poetry Month in the state of Ohio. I will also seek out some information on events in other states covered by buckeyemuse. The main library of the Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County has readings every week during April. There are usually one to several…

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Ambrose Bierce: What He Saw of Shiloh–April 6-7, 1862

On this date in 1862, American writer Ambrose Bierce participated in the Battle of Shiloh in Tennessee. Bierce is one of a handful of noted authors from either side to have served in the American Civil War. Bierce and Connecticut novelist John William DeForest were probably the two distinguished writers on the Union side to…

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Lowell Thomas: Born in Darke County, Ohio, April 6, 1892

Today is the birthday of Lowell Thomas, a writer, broadcaster, traveler, and publicist who became famous helping to boost the legendary T.E. Lawrence–“Lawrence of Arabia”– into the limelight. Thomas was born in the town of Woodington in Darke County, Ohio, the same county that sharpshooting legend Annie Oakley hailed from. When Thomas was eight the…

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An Evening With Rick Sowash

  It’s been a long, cold winter here in southwestern Ohio, just like so much of the United States. I didn’t venture out much when I didn’t have to, but I certainly enjoyed one evening in late January. On January 23, storyteller, musician, author and filmmaker Rick Sowash visited the Wyoming Historical Society in Wyoming,…

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