Biography of Judith Viorst

Judith Viorst was born and raised in New Jersey. She received a B.A. in history, Phi Beta Kappa from Rutgers University, and in 1981, after six years of study, she graduated from the Washington Psychoanalytic Institute. Mrs. Viorst is the author of seven collections of poems for adults: The Village Square; It's Hard to Be Hip Over Thirty and Other Tragedies of Married Life; People and Other Aggravations; How Did I Get to Be 40 and Other Atrocities; When Did I Stop Being 20 and Other Injustices; Forever Fifty and Other Negotiations; and Suddenly Sixty and Other Shocks of Later Life. She has also written You're Officially a Grown-Up: The Graduate's Guide to Freedom, Responsbility, Happiness and Personal Hygiene; a novel Murdering Mr. Monti, and four non-fiction books: Yes, Married; Love and Guilt and The Leaning of Life, Etc.; Necessary Losses, which was on The New York Times bestseller list for almost two years; and its companion volume Imperfect Control. In addition she wrote a column in Redbook for over 25 years.

Mrs. Viorst is the author of sixteen books for children: Sunday Morning; I'll Fix Anthony; Try It Again, Sam; Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day; The Tenth Good Thing About Barney; My Mama Says There Aren't Any Zombies, Ghosts, Vampires, Creatures, Demons, Monsters, Fiends, Goblins, or Things; Rosie and Michael; Alexander, Who Used to Be Rich Last Sunday; If I Were In Charge of the World and Other Worries; The Goodbye Book; Earrings!; The Alphabet from Z to A; Sad Underwear and Other Complications; Alexander, Who's Not (Do You Hear Me? I Mean It!) Going to Move; Absolutely, Positively Alexander, a collection of the three Alexander stories; and Super-Completely and Totally the Messiest.

Many of her books, for adults as well as children, have been published abroad. Several of her children's books have been made into short films. Mrs. Viorst lectures on a variety of topics, ranging from loss and growth to children's literature and the subject of control. Her poetry has been read in performance by Anne Bancroft, Alfred Lunt, and Lynn Fontaine, Ann Jackson, and Eli Wallach. Her musical Love and Shrimp, starring Ellen Barnett, Bonnie Frank, and Mariette Hartley has been performed in Los Angeles, New York, and other cities. A musical version of Alexander and the Terrible Horrible , No Good ,Very Bad Day with the play and lyrics written by Mrs. Viorst was commissioned and performed at the Kennedy Center and has toured the country.

Programs:

Topics include: Arts/Culture, Education, Health/Fitness/Lifestyle

For Peace of Mind, Resign as General Manager of the Universe: Based on her new book, Imperfect Control, this talk explores how much control we have, should have over overselves (can we really change?); over our mates (can we always get our way?); over the lives of our adult children (don't they know they really need our advice?); and over the world around us.

What's a Grown Up? An exploration of the growing up process in terms of our personal development, our relationships with our children and aging parents, our coming to terms with the darker parts of ourselves as well as upper-eyelid droop, our rueful redefinitions of reality and happiness, and a description of that elusive (and maybe mythical) phenomenon - the grown-up marriage.

Parenting Our Children from Newborn to Thirty-Year Old... and Beyond: A funny and touching trip through all the stages of parenthood- the joys, messes, aggravations, heartbreaks, the breaking away, the passionate pride, and the "did I do something wrong?", the way our children transform our lives and the shocking realization that there's no such thing as a RETIRED parent.

From Single to Sixty: An exploration of the journey we all will take from kid to grown-up, from innocent to experienced, from young to not-so-young to suddenly sixty. It will cover life as a single woman trying to live a life of wild abandon with her mother calling her once a day to say "Don't;" as a married woman with children and Gerber strained bananas in her hair; as a middle-aged woman with sagging kneecaps, and into grandmotherhood and the many other delights and shocks of later life.

Loves and Longings and Wicked Thoughts: An ideal talk for children's educators- teachers, librarians, reading specialists, etc. - this talk examines the shared experiences of children and adults: sibling rivalry, dreams of glory, "wicked thoughts," loving feelings, and the inevitable tug between separation and safety.

Necessary Losses: Based on her New York Times' bestselling book, this talk shows that the inevitable losses of our life (as we go out into the world, relinquish impossible dreams, settle for less-than-perfect love, grow older) can lead to hope, growth, and change.

Taking Control of Our Death: This talk argues that by acknowleding our personal mortality we can control - to a significant extent- the manner of our dying. Among the subjects examined are assisted suicide, hospice care, and the need for signing a medical directive and a durable power of attorney. But in addition to these practical matters, Mrs. Viorst suggests that by living our life with a knowledge of its finitude and by imagining now what kind of person we want to be at the end of our life, we will make wiser choices and have fewer regrets.

Suddenly Sixty: A funny and touching exploration of the issues those at, or around, this age must deal with: our bodies decline, our husbands retire, doctors, and the age of our kids. The fact that we would willingly give up a night of wild abandon with Denzel Washington for a nice report on our next bone density report.