On this day
February 29 in literary history
Literary history for February 29: 16 writers born, 11 writers who died and 2 literary events from 1640 to 2016. Born on this day: Coco Khan, Saul Williams, Howard Tayler.
Writers born on February 29
| Born | Writer | Known as |
|---|---|---|
| 1988 | Coco Khan | British writer |
| 1972 | Saul Williams | American singer, poet, actor (born 1972) |
| 1968 | Howard Tayler | American cartoonist |
| 1952 | Tim Powers | American science fiction and fantasy author (born 1952) |
| 1948 | Hermione Lee | British academic and writer (born 1948) |
| 1948 | Patricia A. McKillip | American fantasy and science fiction author (1948–2022) |
| 1944 | Paolo Eleuteri Serpieri | Italian comic book writer and illustrator |
| 1936 | Nh. Dini | Indonesian novelist and feminist (1936–2018) |
| 1932 | Jaguar (cartoonist) | Brazilian cartoonist (1932–2025) |
| 1928 | Jean Adamson | British writer and illustrator (1928–2024) |
| 1920 | Fyodor Abramov | Soviet writer |
| 1908 | Dee Brown (writer) | American writer (1908–2002) |
| 1908 | Louie Myfanwy Thomas | Welsh writer |
| 1828 | Emmeline B. Wells | American journalist, editor, poet, women's rights advocate, and diarist (1828–1921) |
| 1692 | John Byrom | English poet |
| 1640 | Benjamin Keach | English Baptist theologian, minister, and writer |
Writers who died on February 29
| Died | Writer | Known as |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Louise Rennison | English author and comedian |
| 2012 | Sheldon Moldoff | American cartoonist |
| 2008 | Janet Kagan | American novelist (1946–2008) |
| 2004 | Jerome Lawrence | American dramatist |
| 1992 | Ruth Pitter | English poet (1897–1992) |
| 1984 | Ludwik Starski | Polish Jewish writer and sound engineer |
| 1980 | Gil Elvgren | American painter and illustrator |
| 1968 | Tore Ørjasæter | Norwegian educator and poet (1886–1968) |
| 1960 | Walter Yust | American journalist and writer |
| 1940 | E. F. Benson | English novelist and writer (1867–1940) |
| 1928 | Ina Coolbrith | American, first poet laureate of California, writer, and librarian (1841–1928) |
Literary events on February 29
| Year | Event |
|---|---|
| 2008 | Belgian author Misha Defonseca admitted that her bestselling memoir about surviving the Holocaust was in fact a literary forgery. |
| 1980 | La Bougie du Sapeur, a humorous French newspaper that is published only on leap days, printed its first issue. |
Featured
Coco Khan (1988) — Coco Khan is a British freelance writer, podcaster and presenter, based in London. Her work covers issues of social justice, housing and diversity. Since 2023, she has co-hosted the podcast Pod Save the UK with Nish Kumar, for which she won the UK Audio Network (UKAN) Award for Podcast Host of the Year.
Saul Williams (1972) — Saul Stacey Williams is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, musician, poet, writer, and actor. He is known for his blend of poetry and alternative hip-hop, and for his lead roles in the 1998 independent film Slam and the 2013 jukebox musical Holler If Ya Hear Me.
Howard Tayler (1968) — Howard V. Tayler is the creator of the webcomic Schlock Mercenary. He worked as a volunteer missionary for the LDS Church, then graduated from Brigham Young University. Using his degree in music composition, he started an independent record label.
Sources & data
- Compiled from Wikipedia’s “On this day” selections (CC BY-SA 4.0), filtered for writers and literary events.