Each year on November 1st, we observe and celebrate National Author’s Day.
As book readers, we all owe a great debt of gratitude to….AUTHORS! Because without authors, we would have no books to read. We would have no bookstores, no physical books lining our shelves in our home library or public library, and no digital books filling up our hard drives.
We would not have fiction writers taking us to different lives, different worlds or even exploring our own lives and own world in ways we’ve never experienced or from perspectives we’ve never considered. We would have no writers of non-fiction, experts on subjects we are not but wish to learn more about, helping us to expand our knowledge and intelligence.
In short, without authors we would miss out on a lot of things.
History of National Author’s Day
According to the National Today website:
In 1928, the president of the Illinois Women’s Club, Nellie Verne Burt McPherson, came up with the idea to create a day that recognized American authors. She was an educator and quite an avid reader. The inspiration for the holiday came while she was in the hospital during the First World War. She had just read Irving Bacheller’s “Eben Holden’s Last Day A-Fishing” and sent a letter to him expressing her love for the book.
After receiving the letter, he responded by forwarding a signed copy of another one of his stories to her. McPherson, overwhelmed by his generosity, thought of a way to repay the gesture. She concluded that a National day for authors would do the trick and presented the idea to the Generation Federation of Women’s Clubs. The club approved, and in May 1929, issued an endorsement to celebrate American Authors on National Author’s Day.
The U.S. Department of Commerce acknowledged National Author’s Day in 1949. Although it took 20 years, McPherson’s vision finally became a reality and the holiday has been celebrated across the country every year since.
Ways To Observe and Celebrate National Author’s Day
- One of the first ways is, of course, to read a book by one of your favorite authors. It might be a new release or perhaps a book you have read before and want to enjoy again.
- Buy a book by an author whose work you have enjoyed.
- Write a review of a book by an author you found impactful.
- Post something about an author you love on social media.
- Follow Ms. McPherson’s example and send an email, social media post, or even a physical letter or card to an author whose book(s) you have enjoyed.
- Give or loan someone a book by an author whose work you have enjoyed so as to share that joy.
- Use the inspiration you may have received from an author’s work to write and become an author yourself.
Whatever way you choose to observe and celebrate this day, I hope you have a Happy National Author’s Day!!
