National Authors' Day - 11/1/14

Below is a little info regarding National Authors' Day, which was on Saturday,11/1/14. I had never heard of it, though from this info from The Free Dictionary, it's been around for a while. A day to honor authors, well if that ain't something special!!

I celebrated the day with fellow GA Peach Authors, Rhonda McKnight, Marian L. Thomas, Darrell Mitchell, Ravry Sloan, and Lesley D. Poet. We had a great time at the SW Library in Atlanta, answer questions from readers, discussing our books and the literary business, and Darrell and Lesley performed a couple of spoken word pieces. It was a great day. (a few pics below)

So Happy National Authors' day - here's a high-five, a pat on the back, and a cheer for each and every one of you! Write on!

Author's Day, National

November 1

The idea of setting aside a day to celebrate American authors came from Nellie Verne Burt McPherson, president of the Bement (Illinois) Women's Club in 1928. McPherson was a teacher and an avid reader throughout her life. During World War I, when she was recuperating in a hospital, she wrote a fan letter to fiction writer Irving Bacheller, telling him how much she had enjoyed his story, "Eben Holden's Last Day A'Fishin." Bacheller sent her an autographed copy of another story, and McPherson realized that she could never adequately thank him for his gift. Instead, she showed her appreciation by submitting an idea for a National Author's Day to the General Federation of Women's Clubs, which passed a resolution setting aside November 1 as a day to honor American writers. In 1949 the day was recognized by the U.S. Department of Commerce.
Sue Cole, McPherson's granddaughter, was largely responsible for promoting the observation of National Author's Day after her grandmother's death in 1968. She has urged people to write a note to their favorite author on this day to "brighten up the sometimes lonely business of being a writer." Flying the American flag on November 1, according to Mrs. Cole, is another way of showing appreciation for the men and women who have created American literature.