Judith Viorst, author of "Nearing 90": NPR

Judith Viorst – the author of the iconic Alexander and the terrible, horrible, not very good day very bad – has shelves full of children's books in her name, but she is also a prolific poet, and she has a new book of poetry forthcoming, called Nearly 90. Even though, she jokes, "I'm only an 88-year-old girl".

Viorst says she reveres W. H. Auden, Emily Dickinson, and Gerard Manley Hopkins. T.S. Eliot and W.B. Yeats, "but I decided that someone had to write on Metamucil and on his sagging knees, so why not me." His latest verse book is part of a long series on the decades: Hard to be over 30 years old, How could I have been 40 years old, Forever 50, Suddenly 60, I am too young to be 70 years old, Unexpectedly 80 – and now, Nearly 90.

We find ourselves in her cheerful and colorful Washington home, where she lived with her husband, retired journalist Milton, for decades. There are pictures of them, their children and grandchildren on all available surfaces and walls, at all imaginable moments of their lives. When they first settled in Washington, she held a position of editor-in-chief at a nonprofit scientific organization that also published books. They asked him to write about NASA's space program. "I remember coming back home crying to Milton, saying:" I've finally had the opportunity to write a book and they want me to talk about it. space, and I do not even know where the space is! " And, speaking as a true journalist, he said: "Say yes, let's determine where the space is." "

Of course, she continued to discover it – she is now the author of scientific books, poetry, fiction, nonfiction, four musicals and the most popular children's literature of all. time. Viorst has been a writer since the age of seven. "My first masterpiece was an ode to my dead mother and father – both of them alive and very angry," she says. It was a short poem – which she still remembers – entitled "The Blessings of Children," and she is happy to recite a little: "I wonder how are the angels and what they do and say , they took my mom and dad and took them away They took them by the gilded stairs away from me. I wonder if I will ever see my parents again. & # 39; But they were alive, "she laughs." And as I said, very upset. I mean, they were ejected! This was not theoretical. What interests me is that I wrote this poem at the age of seven. I get a lot of age children's poems – they are all so much better than this crappy poop poem! I can not believe how bad it was! "

Well, you have to start somewhere.

The famous Alexander – the one who slept with chewing gum in his mouth – is his youngest son, who according to her has had more than his share of bad days trying to keep pace with his brothers. Lulu and Brontosaurus is the product of a rainy day, keeping grandchildren restless. And his classic book on the death of a beloved cat, The tenth good thing about Barneyis an answer to a difficult question from his eldest son: "Tony was, I do not know five or six, and he said to me," Mom, am I going to die someday? "So, you know, everything prepared in my mom way, I said everyone dies, everyone dies, but not for a very, very, very long time," she recalls. "He says:" Mom, I do not want to die. "And I said, at the lowest point of my mother's life:" Maybe they're going to invent something Then I decided that what I would do best is write a book, solve it for me and my son. "

Viorst is often asked to give advice to his parents. After all, she studied Freudian psychology and wrote some non-fiction books. We call each other Losses needed – which could almost be the mission statement of all his books – even those featuring children. The loss is difficult, but crucial. And it does not feel good.

"Virtually everything I've written is funny or cheerful, I've probably experienced it first with tears – and crying and moaning, moaning and continuing," she says. "I mean, I'm not your merry little lady who bounces giggling in life, but eventually I'm getting myself together, and I hope I'll do it now at a faster pace."

Viorst always writes, always reads a lot, can not wait for her grandchildren to graduate and feel really good. "Someone recently asked me what was my favorite time in life, and I completely stunned myself by saying," Right now "."

This story was produced for the radio by Barrie Hardymon and Samantha Balaban, and adapted for the web by Petra Mayer.