View source for Judith Viorst

{{short description|American writer}}

{{Use mdy dates|date=June 2013}}
{{Infobox writer 
| name = Judith Viorst
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| caption = Viorst in 2014
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| birth_name = Judith Stahl
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1931|2|2}}
| birth_place = [[Newark, New Jersey]], U.S.
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| nationality = American
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| alma_mater = [[Rutgers University]]
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| notableworks = ''[[Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day]]''<br>''The Tenth Good Thing About Barney''
| spouse = [[Milton Viorst]]
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| children = 3
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| awards = 2011 Foremother Award
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'''Judith Viorst''' ({{IPAc-en|v|i|ˈ|ɔːr|s|t}} {{respell|vee|ORST}};<ref>{{cite web|last=Viorst|first=Judith|url=https://www.teachingbooks.net/pronounce.cgi?pid=39|title=Audio Name Pronunciation|access-date=September 17, 2022}}</ref> {{née|'''Stahl'''}};<ref name="people">Aarons, Leroy. [http://www.people.com/people/archive/article/0,,20075845,00.html "Judith Viorst Wrote 'Sometimes I Hate My Husband,' but to Author Hubby Milton, That's Poetic License"], ''[[People (magazine)]]'', February 18, 1980 Vol. 13 No. 7. Accessed August 4, 2016. "Born in Maplewood, N.J., the daughter of an accountant and a mother 'who was a reader and a bridge player,' Judith Stahl started writing poetry at age 7."</ref> born February 2, 1931)<!--immed. source is Ext link LCCN--> is an American writer, newspaper journalist, and [[psychoanalysis]] researcher.<ref>{{Cite web |url= http://www.worldcat.org/search?q=Judith+Viorst&dblist=638&fq=ap%3A%22viorst%2C+judith%22+%3E+dt%3Abks&qt=facet_dt%3A|title=Judith Viorst |access-date=March 30, 2010 |publisher= WorldCat.org}}</ref> 
She is known for her humorous observational poetry and for her children's literature. This includes ''The Tenth Good Thing About Barney'' (about the death of a pet) and the ''Alexander'' series of short picture books, which includes ''[[Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day]]'' (1972), which has sold over two million copies.<ref>{{cite web |title=The Author, Judith Viorst |url=http://www.kennedy-center.org/programs/family/alexander/author.html |publisher=[[The Kennedy Center]] }}</ref>

Viorst is a 1952 graduate of the Newark College of Arts and Sciences at [[Rutgers University]] in [[Newark, New Jersey]]. In 1968, she signed the "[[Writers and Editors War Tax Protest]]" pledge, vowing to refuse tax payments in protest against the [[Vietnam War]].<ref>"Writers and Editors War Tax Protest" January 30, 1968 ''[[New York Post]]''</ref> In the latter part of the 1970s, after two decades of writing for children and adults, Viorst turned to the study of [[Freudian psychology]]. In 1981, she became a research graduate at Washington Psychoanalytic Institute after six years of study.

==Early life==
A native of [[Newark, New Jersey]],<ref>{{cite book|title=New Jersey Trivia|date=1993|publisher=Rutledge Hill Press|isbn=1-55853-223-4|page=[https://archive.org/details/newjerseytrivia00alme/page/113 113]|url=https://archive.org/details/newjerseytrivia00alme/page/113}}</ref> Viorst was raised in a Jewish family<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Janis |first=Pam |title=Wisdom Project: Judith Viorst, 94, on Making the Best of What’s Left |magazine=Moment Magazine |date=2025-03-31 |url=https://momentmag.com/wisdom-project-judith-viorst-94-on-making-the-best-of-whats-left |access-date=2025-09-12}}</ref> in [[Maplewood, New Jersey]],<ref name="people" /> and attended [[Columbia High School (New Jersey)|Columbia High School]]. A graduate of the class of 1948, she was inducted into the school's hall of fame in 1990.<ref>[http://www.somsd.k12.nj.us/Page/448 Hall of Fame] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160807095136/http://www.somsd.k12.nj.us/Page/448 |date=August 7, 2016 }}, [[Columbia High School (New Jersey)]], updated July 16, 2012. Accessed August 4, 2016. "1990 JUDITH VIORST WRITER 1948"</ref>

==Writing==

===Writing for children===
Among Viorst's books for children is the "Alexander" series (including ''[[Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day]]''), whose narrator is a young boy who lives with his parents and two brothers, Anthony and Nick, who are named after Viorst's own three sons.

Viorst's book ''Sad Underwear'' (published in 1995) is a collection of poems that examines a wide variety of feelings and experiences from a child's point of view. Her verses are accompanied by black and white illustrations by Richard Hull.<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/judith-viorst/sad-underwear-and-other-complications/ |title=SAD UNDERWEAR AND OTHER COMPLICATIONS {{!}} Kirkus Reviews |language=en}}</ref>

===Writing for adults===
Viorst's books for adults include nonfiction [[psychology]] books such as ''Grown-up Marriage'', ''Imperfect Control,'' and ''Necessary Losses''. She has written nine books of poetry including ''Unexpectedly Eighty and Other Adaptations'', ''When Did I Stop Being Twenty and Other Injustices: Selected Poems from Single to Mid-Life,'' and ''People and other Aggravations''. Viorst is also a newspaper columnist and has written frequently for ''[[The New York Times]]'' and ''[[The Washington Post]],'' and has been a contributing editor to ''[[Redbook]]'' magazine.

Viorst also penned the musical ''Love & Shrimp'' with Shelly Markam. The [[Ensemble Theatre of Cincinnati]] hosted a performance of ''Love & Shrimp'', starring Deb Girdler, Pamela Myers and Shelley Bamberger, in the spring of 1999.

== Personal life ==
Viorst lives in [[Washington, D.C.|Washington, D.C]]. Her late husband, political writer [[Milton Viorst]], died of [[COVID-19]] in 2022. They have three grown sons: Anthony, Nicholas, and Alexander; and seven grandchildren.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Roberts |first=Sam |date=2022-12-17 |title=Milton Viorst, Writer Who Chronicled the Middle East, Dies at 92 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2022/12/17/us/milton-viorst-dead.html |access-date=2024-07-11 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> Viorst received the 2011 Foremother Award for Lifetime Achievement from the [[National Research Center for Women & Families]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=May 7, 2018 |title=Foremother and Health Policy Hero Awards Luncheons |url=https://www.center4research.org/foremother-health-policy-hero-awards/ |access-date=May 24, 2023 |website=National Center for Health Research}}</ref>

==Selected works==

* ''The Wonderful World of Science'', edited by Shirley Moore and Viorst ([[Bantam Books]], 1961) — science experiments and recreations<ref name=LCC1>[http://lccn.loc.gov/61019397 "Wonderful world of science"]{{dead link|date=April 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}. Library of Congress Catalog Record (LCC). Retrieved March 8, 2014.</ref>
* ''Projects: Space'' ([[Washington Square Press|Washington Square Books]], 1962) [http://lccn.loc.gov/62003094]
* ''150 Science Experiments Step-by-step'', illus. Dennis Telesford (Bantam, 1963) [http://lccn.loc.gov/63015235]<!--180p-->
* ''The Natural World: A guide to North American wildlife'' (Bantam, 1965) [http://lccn.loc.gov/65024950]<!--190p; no juvenile subject heading (Natural history), no illustrator identified-->
* ''The Village Square'', illus. Tom Ballenger ([[Coward-McCann]], 1966) [http://lccn.loc.gov/66026525]<!--91p-->
* ''The Changing Earth'', illus. Feodor Rimsky (Bantam, 1967) [http://lccn.loc.gov/67016074]<!--244p-->
* ''Sunday Morning: a story'', illus. [[Hilary Knight (illustrator)|Hilary Knight]] ([[Harper & Row]], 1968) <!--32pp unpaged, color-->
<!-- 2014-03-08, above data are from all seven Library of Congress Catalog Records for Judith Viorst prior to 1969, the earliest listing we have previously selected. That website is now down, as I save all that for the first time -->

===For children===
* ''I'll Fix Anthony'', illus. [[Arnold Lobel]] (1969), Harper & Row, {{ISBN|0-06-026306-7}}
* ''Try It Again, Sam: Safety When You Walk'', illus. [[Paul Galdone]] (1970)
* ''My Mama Says there Aren't any Zombies, Ghosts, Vampires, Creatures, Demons, Monsters, Fiends, Goblins, or Things'', illus. [[Kay Chorao]] (1973)
* ''The Tenth Good Thing About Barney'', illus. Erik Blegvad (1987)
* ''The Good-bye Book'', illus. [[Kay Chorao]] (1988)
* ''Super-Completely and Totally the Messiest'', illus.  [[Robin Preiss Glasser]] (2001)
* ''Just in Case'', illus. Diana Cain Bluthenthal (2006)
* ''And Two Boys Booed'', illus. [[Sophie Blackall]] (2014)

====''Poems for Children and Their Parents''====
* ''If I Were in Charge of the World and Other Worries: Poems for Children and their Parents'', illus. [[Lynne Cherry]] (1981)
* ''Sad Underwear and Other Complications: More Poems for Children and Their Parents'', illus. Richard Hull (1995)

====''Alexander'' ====
* ''[[Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day]]'', illustrated by Ray Cruz (1972), New York: [[Atheneum Books]], {{ISBN|0-689-70428-3}}
* ''Alexander, Who Used to be Rich Last Sunday'' illus. Ray Cruz (1977), Atheneum, {{ISBN|978-0-689-30602-0}}
* ''Alexander, Who Is Not (Do You Hear Me? I Mean It!) Going to Move'' illus. [[Robin Preiss Glasser]] "in the style of Ray Cruz" (1995), Atheneum, {{ISBN|0-689-31958-4}}
* ''Alexander, Who's Trying His Best to Be the Best Boy Ever'' illus. [[Isidre Monés]] "in the style of Ray Cruz" (2014), Atheneum, {{ISBN|978-1-48142353-3}}
<small>Omnibus edition: ''Absolutely, Positively Alexander: The Complete Stories''</small>

;Related titles
* ''Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day: A Musical''
* ''Alexander and the Wonderful, Marvelous, Excellent, Terrific Ninety Days: An Almost Completely Honest Account of What Happened to Our Family When Our Youngest came to Live with Us for Three Months'' (2007) — an adult memoir of Judith Viorst and her real son, Alexander

====''Lulu'' ====
* ''Lulu and the Brontosaurus'', illus. [[Lane Smith]] (2010), Atheneum, {{ISBN|978-1-4169-9961-4}}
* ''Lulu Walks the Dogs'', illus. Lane Smith (2012), Atheneum, {{ISBN|978-1-4424-3579-7}}
* ''Lulu's Mysterious Mission'', illus. Kevin Cornell (2014), Atheneum, {{ISBN|978-1-4424-9746-7}}
* ''Lulu Is Getting a Sister'', illus. Kevin Cornell (2018), Atheneum, {{ISBN|9781481471909}}

===For adults===
* ''People and Other Aggravations'' (1971)
* ''Yes, Married: A Saga of Love and Complaint'' (1972)
* ''A Visit from St. Nicholas to a Liberated Household'' illustrated by Norman Green (1977)
* ''Love and Guilt and the Meaning of Life, Etc.'' illustrated by [[John Alcorn (artist)|John Alcorn]] (1979)
* ''Necessary Losses: The Loves, Illusions, Dependencies, and Impossible Expectations That All of Us Have to Give Up in Order to Grow'' (1987)
* ''Murdering Mr. Monti: A Merry Little Tale of Sex and Violence'' (1994)
* ''Imperfect Control: Our Lifelong Struggles With Power and Surrender'' (1998)
* ''You're Officially a Grown-up: The Graduate's Guide to Freedom, Responsibility, Happiness, and Personal Hygiene'' (1999)
* ''Grown-Up Marriage: What We Know, Wish We Had Known, and Still Need to Know About Being Married'' (2003)

====Age-related poetry series====
* ''When Did I Stop Being 20 & Other Injustices: Selected Poems from Single to Mid-Life'', illus. John Alcorn (1987)
* ''It's Hard to Be Hip Over 30 & Other Tragedies of Married Life'' (1968), New York: World Publ. Co.; reprinted by [[Persephone Books]], 1999
* ''How Did I Get to Be 40 & Other Atrocities'' illus. [[John Alcorn (artist)|John Alcorn]] (1976)
* ''Forever 50 & Other Negotiations'', illus. John Alcorn (1989)
* ''Suddenly 60 & Other Shocks of Later Life'', illus. Laurie Rosewald (2000)
* ''I'm Too Young to Be 70 & Other Delusions'', illustrated by [[Laura Gibson]] (2005)
* ''Unexpectedly 80 & Other Adaptations'', illus. Laura Gibson (2010)
* ''Nearing 90 And Other Comedies of Late Life'', illus. Laura Gibson (2019)

== Dramatic adaptations ==
*''Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day'', a stage adaptation of the book, was performed at the B Street Theatre in 2004.<ref>[http://bstreettheatre.org/ B Street Theatre]</ref>
*''[[Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day (film)|Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day]]'', live-action film by Walt Disney Pictures, 2014. http://movies.disney.com/alexander-and-the-terrible-horrible-no-good-very-bad-day/

== References ==
{{reflist |25em}}

== External links ==
{{wikiquote}}
* [http://eolit.hrw.com/hlla/authorbios/index2.jsp?author=6judithviorst Holt Books: Author biography] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110712232917/http://eolit.hrw.com/hlla/authorbios/index2.jsp?author=6judithviorst |date=July 12, 2011 }}
* ''[http://www.persephonebooks.co.uk/it-s-hard-to-be-hip-over-thirty.html It's Hard to Be Hip Over Thirty]'' profile at Persephone Books
* {{YouTube|fl1QyjLHKH8|Interview with Viorst}} on her education at Rutgers University and her subsequent career
* {{LCAuth|n78093724|Judith Viorst|75|}}
* [https://www.nytimes.com/2019/05/04/style/judith-viorst-poems.html How to Stay Happily Married]
* {{C-SPAN|55125}}

{{EmmyAward ComedyVarietyMusicWriting 1970s}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Viorst, Judith}}
[[Category:1931 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:American psychology writers]]
[[Category:American tax resisters]]
[[Category:Primetime Emmy Award winners]]
[[Category:Writers from Washington, D.C.]]
[[Category:American columnists]]
[[Category:Rutgers University alumni]]
[[Category:American women columnists]]
[[Category:American women children's writers]]
[[Category:American women science writers]]
[[Category:20th-century American non-fiction writers]]
[[Category:20th-century American women writers]]
[[Category:21st-century American non-fiction writers]]
[[Category:21st-century American women writers]]
[[Category:American children's poets]]
[[Category:Columbia High School (New Jersey) alumni]]
[[Category:Writers from Maplewood, New Jersey]]
[[Category:Writers from Newark, New Jersey]]
[[Category:American women non-fiction writers]]
[[Category:Jewish American women writers]]