And a witty American journalist remarked over a century ago what is even more true today, `` Many a writer seems to think he is never profound except when he can't understand his own meaning ''.

* Kate Austin ( 1864 – 1902 ), American writer, feminist and anarchist

* Mary Hunter Austin ( 1868 – 1934 ), American writer

* Phil Austin ( born 1941 ), American comedian and writer

Abdul Alhazred is a fictional character created by American horror writer H. P. Lovecraft.

* 1892 – Lowell Thomas, American writer ( d. 1981 )

* 1950 – Cleo Odzer, American writer

* 1983 – Dash Shaw, American writer and artist

* 1916 – Beverly Cleary, American writer

* 1949 – Scott Turow, American writer

* 1973 – J. Scott Campbell, American writer and illustrator

* 1945 – Annie Dillard, American writer

* 1874 – Charles Fort, American writer ( d. 1932 )

* 1883 – Scott Nearing, American writer and educator ( d. 1983 )

* 1968 – McG, American director, writer, and producer

* 1981 – C. C. Swiney, American actor, writer, and director

* 1983 – Elisha Yaffe, American actor, writer, and producer

* 1907 – Mary Hamman, American writer ( d. 1984 )

* 1924 – James Baldwin, American writer ( d. 1987 )

* 1819 – Herman Melville, American writer ( d. 1891 )

* 1904 – Clifford D. Simak, American writer ( d. 1988 )

* 1964 – Flannery O ' Connor, American writer ( b. 1925 )

* 1995 – Edward Whittemore, American writer ( b. 1933 )

* 1942 – Garrison Keillor, American writer and radio host

* 1964 – Anastasia M. Ashman, American writer

* 1975 – Joel West, American actor and model

* 1936 – Joel Kovel, American politician, scholar, and author

* 1939 – Joel Schumacher, American director

* 1963 – Joel Murray, American actor

The five-string banjo was popularized by Joel Walker Sweeney, an American minstrel performer from Appomattox Court House, Virginia.

* 1845 – Joel Chandler Harris, American writer ( d. 1908 )

* 1963 – Joel Gretsch, American actor

CNN reported that " Brooks was joined on stage by two surprise guest stars, Billy Joel and Don McLean, who brought down the house with an acoustic rendition of ' American Pie '.

I Vitelloni inspired European directors Juan Antonio Bardem, Marco Ferreri, and Lina Wertmuller and had an influence on Martin Scorsese's Mean Streets ( 1973 ), George Lucas's American Graffiti ( 1974 ), Joel Schumacher's St. Elmo's Fire ( 1985 ), and Barry Levinson's Diner ( 1987 ), among many others.

* 1908 – Joel Chandler Harris, American writer ( b. 1845 )

* 1943 – Joel Siegel, American journalist and critic ( d. 2007 )

* 1980 – Joel Stroetzel, American guitarist ( Killswitch Engage and Aftershock )

* 1971 – Joel Stein, American journalist

* Billy Joel, an American singer-songwriter

* Lawrence Joel, American war hero and Medal of Honor recipient

* Robert Joel, American actor

Joel Marangella is an American oboist who has performed in concert with many of the world's leading orchestras.

From this time his scientific studies dropped off, but he was a profound influence on the American branches of his two fields, teaching decades worth of future prominent scientists, including Alpheus Hyatt, David Starr Jordan, Joel Asaph Allen, Joseph Le Conte, Ernest Ingersoll, William James, Nathaniel Shaler, Samuel Hubbard Scudder, Alpheus Packard, and his son Alexander Agassiz, among others.

* 1779 – Joel Roberts Poinsett, American statesman and botanist ( d. 1851 )

* 1949 – Billy Joel, American singer-songwriter and pianist ( The Hassles and Attila )

* 1942 – Joel Steiger, American writer and producer

* 1979 – Joel Madden, American singer and actor ( Good Charlotte and Dead Executives )

* 1967 – Joel Johnston, American baseball player

* 2004 – Joel Feinberg, American philosopher ( b. 1926 )

* 1938 – Joel Godard, American television announcer