Connection: It's That 'Writing Thing'

“Strength is the capacity to break a chocolate bar into four pieces with your bare hands – and then eat just one of the pieces." - Judith Viorst 

Viorst, author of the kids' bestseller Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day, often has written about herself and her family.  Her “Alexander” series is based on the escapades of her youngest son – frozen forever at age 5 in Viorst’s clever stories.   Alexander’s real life brothers Anthony and Nick also are captured in time as Alexander’s brothers in the books.  

Viorst has written many other books for and about children, including the terrific The Tenth Good Thing About Barney, which looks at the death of a beloved pet, and the often poignant Sad Underwear, a collection of poems that examines a wide variety of feelings and experiences from a child's point of view.

A journalist first, this 89-year-old Washington, D.C. writer (it was her birthday yesterday) still writes for The New York Times and The Washington Post.  Her “adult” books (and she’s written many) often focus on her own life experiences, many with a humorous twist.  When Did I Stop Being 20 and Other Injustices and How Did I Get To Be 40 and Other Atrocities – are written in such wonderfully universal language that they remain relevant decades after publication. 

“If I could pick one reason why I want to be a writer, it would be connection,” Viorst said.  “In all kinds of ways, I like to be individual and distinct; but when I write, I want to be writing about things that connect me to the people for whom I write.”