Judith Viorst

A native of Newark, New Jersey, Viorst was raised in a Jewish family in Maplewood, New Jersey, ==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. 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. 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. Viorst received the 2011 Foremother Award for Lifetime Achievement from the National Research Center for Women & Families. ==Selected works==

• The Wonderful World of Science, edited by Shirley Moore and Viorst (Bantam Books, 1961) — science experiments and recreations • Projects: Space (Washington Square Books, 1962) * 150 Science Experiments Step-by-step, illus. Dennis Telesford (Bantam, 1963) [http://lccn.loc.gov/63015235 • The Natural World: A guide to North American wildlife (Bantam, 1965) * The Village Square, illus. Tom Ballenger (Coward-McCann, 1966) [http://lccn.loc.gov/66026525 • The Changing Earth, illus. Feodor Rimsky (Bantam, 1967) • Sunday Morning: a story, illus. Hilary Knight (Harper & Row, 1968) For children • ''I'll Fix Anthony'', illus. Arnold Lobel (1969), Harper & Row, • 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, • Alexander, Who Used to be Rich Last Sunday illus. Ray Cruz (1977), Atheneum, • 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, • ''Alexander, Who's Trying His Best to Be the Best Boy Ever'' illus. Isidre Monés "in the style of Ray Cruz" (2014), Atheneum, Omnibus edition: Absolutely, Positively Alexander: The Complete Stories ;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, • Lulu Walks the Dogs, illus. Lane Smith (2012), Atheneum, • ''Lulu's Mysterious Mission'', illus. Kevin Cornell (2014), Atheneum, • Lulu Is Getting a Sister, illus. Kevin Cornell (2018), Atheneum, 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 (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 (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. • 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 ==