… of Elmore Leonard. He’s 81 today.
“Try to leave out the part that readers tend to skip” — one of Elmore Leonard’s Ten Rules of Writing.
… of Joan Cusack. The actress is 44. She’s been nominated for best actress in a supporting role twice, Working Girl and In & Out.
And, if they rated first ladies like they rate the presidents, the one who would surely be at the top, Eleanor Roosevelt, was born on this date in 1884. (She died in 1962.)
Eleanor Roosevelt struggled to overcome an unhappy childhood, betrayal in her marriage, a controlling mother-in-law, and gripping depressions—all the while staying true to her passion for social justice. (The American Experience)
The Writer’s Almanac has biographical background today about both Elmore Leonard and Eleanor Roosevelt.