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On this day in 1607, Claudio Monteverdi’s L’Orfeo premiered, marking one of the earliest operas in history. Its rich orchestration and dramatic storytelling helped shape opera as an art form. Over 400 years later, L’Orfeo is still performed worldwide. #OnThisDay #OperaHistory #ClassicalMusic

submitted 12 hours ago • 1 comment

I decided to turn my three 40,000-word manuscripts into a single completely restructured 100,000-word manuscript. God help me. (And if anyone catches me making even bigger plans after this, just tackle me. I won’t even fight it.) #AmWriting #WritersLife #EditingHell #PublishingJourney

submitted 13 hours ago • 2 comments

This is how you put the good of your country first. Take note, "America First" hypocrites.

submitted 1 day ago • 0 comments

📢 Book lovers, take note! 📢 Did I mention that one of my free Substack subscribers will win a $25 Bookshop.org gift card in March? 🎉 All you have to do is subscribe to enter—no catch, just books. Sign up here: substack.com/@ryantpozzi #Giveaway #BookLover #AmReading #SupportIndieBookstores

submitted 1 day ago • 1 comment

Did you know? The private press movement, led by William Morris’s Kelmscott Press (1891), rejected mass production to revive bespoke bookmaking. Handcrafted paper and intricate designs made books into art. Substack: substack.com/@ryantpozzi #DidYouKnow #BookHistory #PrivatePress #WilliamMorris

submitted 1 day ago • 0 comments

Did you know? The CIA smuggled banned literature into Eastern Bloc countries during the Cold War to promote free thought. Some were even printed in tiny formats to be easily hidden. Explore more surprising literary operations on my Substack: substack.com/@ryantpozzi #DidYouKnow #BannedBooks

submitted 1 day ago • 0 comments

On this day in 1685, George Frideric Handel was born. A Baroque powerhouse, his operas, oratorios, and concertos still hit hard centuries later. #OnThisDay #Handel #BaroqueMusic #ClassicalMusic #Messiah Subscribe to my Substack for a chance to win a gift from Bookshop.org: substack.com/@ryantpozzi

submitted 1 day ago • 0 comments

On this day in 1868, W.E.B. Du Bois was born. A historian, sociologist, and civil rights activist, he co-founded the NAACP and challenged racist structures with sharp intellect and relentless advocacy. #OnThisDay #WEBDuBois #CivilRights #BlackHistory #NAACP

submitted 2 days ago • 1 comment

On this day in 1810 (or maybe March 1—Chopin himself wasn’t sure), Frédéric Chopin was born. A fragile genius, he composed the most expressive piano music ever written while battling illness for most of his short life. #OnThisDay #Chopin #ClassicalMusic #Piano #Romanticism #TheMessThatMadeThem

submitted 2 days ago • 0 comments

Did you know that Agatha Christie is the best-selling novelist of all time? With over 2 billion copies of her books sold worldwide, her mystery novels have captivated readers for decades. (And I love her.) #DidYouKnow #AgathaChristie #MysteryNovels #LiteraryHistory #BookLovers #TheMessThatMadeThem

submitted 3 days ago • 0 comments

On this day in 1930, Igor Stravinsky's Symphony of Psalms premiered in Brussels, Belgium. This choral symphony was commissioned by Serge Koussevitzky for the 50th anniversary of the Boston Symphony Orchestra. #OnThisDay #Stravinsky #SymphonyOfPsalms #ClassicalMusic #TheMessThatMadeThem

submitted 3 days ago • 0 comments

On this day in 1903, Anaïs Nin was born in Neuilly-sur-Seine, France. Nin was a prolific writer known for her diaries, which spanned several decades and provided deep insights into her personal life and relationships. #OnThisDay #AnaïsNin #LiteraryHistory #FeministLiterature

submitted 3 days ago • 1 comment

On this day in 1848, Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels published The Communist Manifesto. Commissioned by the Communist League, this political pamphlet has become one of the most influential works in political history. #OnThisDay #CommunistManifesto #Marx #Engels #PoliticalHistory

submitted 3 days ago • 0 comments

Did you know that the first copyright law, the Statute of Anne, was enacted in 1710? This British law granted authors exclusive rights to their works for a limited time, laying the foundation for modern copyright practices. #DidYouKnow #CopyrightLaw #PublishingHistory #AuthorsRights #BookHistory

submitted 4 days ago • 0 comments

Question for writers: How long do you stick with a manuscript before you trunk it? Do you count queries? Go by response rate? Devote X number of months? Or does it just come down to gut feeling? Let’s hear it—what’s your personal cutoff? #AmWriting #WritersLife #PublishingJourney #Querying

submitted 4 days ago • 3 comments

Query reply: "Good, but not great." I mean, fair. But also, ouch. Publishing is wild—one person’s “not quite there” is another person’s “exactly what we’ve been looking for.” So we keep going. Because "great" is just "good" that refused to quit. #AmWriting #PublishingJourney #WritersLife #Querying

submitted 4 days ago • 2 comments

On this day in 1902, American photographer Ansel Adams was born in San Francisco, California. Adams' work has been instrumental in promoting conservation of the natural environment. #OnThisDay #AnselAdams #Photography #ArtHistory Subscribe for a chance to win free books! substack.com/@ryantpozzi

submitted 4 days ago • 1 comment

On this day in 1872, The Metropolitan Museum of Art opened its doors to the public in New York City. Founded two years earlier, in 1870, the museum initially operated from a building at 681 Fifth Avenue before relocating to its current location in Central Park. #OnThisDay #ArtHistory #NYC

submitted 4 days ago • 0 comments

On this day in 1816, Gioachino Rossini's The Barber of Seville premiered at the Teatro Argentina in Rome. The opening night was a disaster—an injured singer, a stray cat on stage, and a hostile audience. But within days, the opera was a triumph. #OnThisDay #Rossini #OperaHistory #ClassicalMusic

submitted 4 days ago • 0 comments

Did you know the first free public library in America was founded in 1833? 📚 The Peterborough Town Library in New Hampshire was established on April 9, 1833, making it the nation's first tax-supported public library. #DidYouKnow #Libraries #BookHistory #PublishingIndustry #AmWriting

submitted 5 days ago • 1 comment

On this day in 1951, French author André Gide passed away in Paris. Gide was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1947 for his artistically significant writings in which human problems and conditions are presented with truth and keen psychological insight. #OnThisDay #NobelPrize #LiteraryHistory

submitted 5 days ago • 0 comments

On this day in 1917, American novelist Carson McCullers was born in Columbus, Georgia. Her novel, The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter, explores themes of loneliness and isolation in the American South. #OnThisDay #CarsonMcCullers #LiteraryHistory #AmWriting Want to win books? substack.com/@ryantpozzi

submitted 5 days ago • 0 comments

Did you know paperbacks were once dismissed as "cheap trash"? When Penguin Books launched in 1935, they aimed to produce high-quality literature at an affordable price, challenging the notion that good books had to be expensive hardcovers. #DidYouKnow #PublishingIndustry #BookHistory #BookNerd

submitted 6 days ago • 1 comment

On this day in 1896, French writer, poet, and visual artist André Breton was born. He is best known as the founder of the Surrealist movement, which sought to release the creative potential of the unconscious mind. #OnThisDay #AndréBreton #Surrealism #ArtHistory #LiteraryHistory

submitted 6 days ago • 0 comments

On this day in 1885, Mark Twain's The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn was published in the United States. This novel is considered one of the great American novels and has been a subject of controversy and discussion since its publication. #OnThisDay #MarkTwain #HuckleberryFinn #LiteraryHistory

submitted 6 days ago • 0 comments

On this day in 1931, American author Toni Morrison was born as Chloe Ardelia Wofford in Lorain, Ohio. Morrison was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for her novel Beloved and in 2012 was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom. #OnThisDay #ToniMorrison #LiteraryHistory #AmWriting

submitted 6 days ago • 0 comments

Writing is mostly staring into space, deleting things, and getting irrationally attached to parentheses. (They add personality, okay?) I talk about writing, history, and all things creative over on Substack, too. Join me: substack.com/@ryantpozzi #WritersLife #Substack #AmWriting #CreativeProcess

submitted 7 days ago • 3 comments

Did you know the first novel ever written was by a woman? Murasaki Shikibu’s The Tale of Genji, written in 11th-century Japan, is considered the world’s first full-length novel. Over 1,000 years later, people (idiots) are still debating whether literature is a “male” pursuit. #DidYouKnow #AmWriting

submitted 7 days ago • 1 comment

On this day in 1913, the International Exhibition of Modern Art opened at the 69th Regiment Armory in New York City. This exhibition introduced Americans to modern art movements, showcasing works by artists like Marcel Duchamp, Henri Matisse, and Pablo Picasso. #OnThisDay #ArmoryShow #ArtHistory

submitted 7 days ago • 0 comments

I like the idea of a home library under the stairs just fine, but I keep looking at the picture frames and knick-knacks in the photo thinking, "If you have room for knick-knacks, you didn’t buy enough books." #BookLover #HomeLibrary #BookshelvesOverDecor #AmReading #Priorities

submitted 8 days ago • 7 comments

Did you know the term "blurb" was coined in 1907 by American humorist Gelett Burgess? He introduced it on a mock cover of his book 'Are You a Bromide?', featuring a fictitious "Miss Belinda Blurb" extolling the work's virtues. #DidYouKnow #PublishingIndustry #AmWriting

submitted 8 days ago • 1 comment

On this day in 1961, Robert Graves was appointed as the Professor of Poetry at the University of Oxford, succeeding W. H. Auden. Graves, renowned for works like I, Claudius, brought a unique voice to the position, influencing a generation of poets and scholars. #OnThisDay #RobertGraves #Poetry

submitted 8 days ago • 1 comment

On this day in 1995, it was announced that 300 unpublished poems by Samuel Taylor Coleridge had been discovered. This find offered new insights into the Romantic poet's body of work, enriching the understanding of his literary contributions. #OnThisDay #SamuelTaylorColeridge #LiteraryHistory

submitted 8 days ago • 0 comments

Every book in my home library is either: Something I’ve read and loved Something I’ve read and didn't love, but it's a book so... Something I swear I’ll read soon And I regret none of it. #BookLover #AmWriting #BookshelfConfessions #NoRegrets

submitted 9 days ago • 1 comment

On this day in 1905, American composer Harold Arlen was born. Renowned for his contributions to the Great American Songbook, Arlen composed classics like "Over the Rainbow" from The Wizard of Oz. #OnThisDay #HaroldArlen #MusicHistory #GreatAmericanSongbook

submitted 9 days ago • 0 comments

On this day, February 15, 2011, renowned poet and author Maya Angelou was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Barack Obama. This honor recognized her profound contributions to literature and the civil rights movement. #OnThisDay #MayaAngelou #LiteraryHistory #CivilRights

submitted 9 days ago • 0 comments

Some writers romanticize the struggle. I do not. I would like the words to show up in perfect order on the page immediately. #WritersLife #AmWriting #PublishingJourney #SendHelp

submitted 10 days ago • 6 comments

I send out a monthly newsletter, and to thank my subscribers, I’m giving away a $25 digital gift card for Bookshop.org! 📚 Before my March newsletter drops, I’ll randomly select one free subscriber to win. Subscribe here: substack.com/@ryantpozzi #Newsletter #BookGiveaway #BookshopOrg #AmWriting

submitted 10 days ago • 0 comments