Writing Lessons & Advice: Literary Holidays
- Katie Johns
- Jan 4
- 4 min read
Updated: Apr 14
It seems like every day can be a holiday and every month is one for some kind of recognition, remembrance, or awareness. Many are established by various organizations or special interests, so keeping up can be hard if you’re not affiliated or in-the-know in some way.
Similar organizations and interests of literary culture have managed to get their values recognized with their own various holidays and months. This Lessons & Advice post gives a rundown on several special times dedicated to reading, writing, readers, authors, words, grammar, genres, and more! Click the arrow tabs for each month's list.
Side note: leaving off the actual dates was something of a logistical choice, so this list isn’t “limited” to a specific year. You’ll have to internet-search the ones of your interest and take note of when they occur. Also, some have a mix of regional to international recognition. (Nearly all of these should be, at minimum, U.S. based unless noted otherwise.) A few may turn up twice or multiple times in a year as well with some variations. Not to mention, several have correlating Lessons & Advice that will be linked where applicable.
January
National Science Fiction Day (see lesson on genres)
Universal Letter-Writing Week (see lesson on writing letters)
National Word Nerd Day
Thesaurus Day (see lesson on synonyms)
National Handwriting Day (see lesson on cursive)
Book Publishers Day
JRR Tolkien Day
Library Shelfie Day
Edgar Allan Poe’s birthday
February
March
April
May
June
July
August
September
October
November
December
What to do on literary holidays?
Several literary holidays are established on the premise of encouraging literacy habits, freedoms, and privileges. So the simplest thing one can do on such days is to take time to read, write, and/or visit the library. Other days are meant to recognize significant writers, genres, institutions, and other contributions to literary culture. Schools, libraries, groups, and/or communities may pay their own homage to times like these, like Dr. Seuss Day, Banned Books Week, festivals, or the specific genre days/weeks/months. More still, fans of bigger properties, like Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings, may host themed special occasions. The extent of involvement is up to you, so long as some effort is made to: show appreciation for a library, librarian, writer, or publisher you know; recognize the underrepresented voices in writing; explore classics and new literature; promote and practice literacy; get informed/involved with related events, and anything else that embraces the production and enjoyment of the written word!
Hope this helps you find more, do more, and get more out of the various literacy recognition days throughout the year!
Which literary holidays did you already know about? Which ones were new to you? Do you know of one not listed? (It may get added!) What are you doing/reading/writing on these holidays? Is there a topic you want me to cover in the future? Let me know on the web chat features or socials!
sources/further reading
Book Fairs and Festivals by state: https://www.writersdigest.com/publishing-insights/list-of-book-fairs-and-book-festivals-by-state
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