# Judith Viorst on Happiness, Agency, and the Art of Aging

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-five-books-jewish-authors-on-the-books-that-shaped-them-7105649/judith-viorst-on-happiness-agency-and-the-art-of-aging
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-five-books-jewish-authors-on-the-books-that-shaped-them-7105649/judith-viorst-on-happiness-agency-and-the-art-of-aging.md
Podcast: [The Five Books: Jewish Authors on the Books That Shaped Them](https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-five-books-jewish-authors-on-the-books-that-shaped-them-7105649)
Published: 2025-12-23T08:00:00+00:00
Episode link: https://www.podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp3/pdst.fm/e/mgln.ai/e/51/tracking.swap.fm/track/tcQd6Q6C0RUUlOHq1Ytj/pscrb.fm/rss/p/traffic.megaphone.fm/TPG8382071759.mp3?updated=1757018040
Audio file: https://www.podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp3/pdst.fm/e/mgln.ai/e/51/tracking.swap.fm/track/tcQd6Q6C0RUUlOHq1Ytj/pscrb.fm/rss/p/traffic.megaphone.fm/TPG8382071759.mp3?updated=1757018040
Processing state: not_requested
JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/the-five-books-jewish-authors-on-the-books-that-shaped-them-7105649/episodes/judith-viorst-on-happiness-agency-and-the-art-of-aging
Duration seconds: 2468

## Resource

In this episode, celebrated children’s book author, poet and memoirist Judith Viorst brings her irrepressible wit, humor, and insight to every age and stage of life. We talk about growing up, raising children, and living well - including the story of how her family gave up Christmas. She reflects on her lifelong love of “messy” characters, from Max in Sendak’s Where the Wild Things Are to her own Lulu. Her wisdom and advice is especially meaningful as we take stock of the year and set our intentions for the year ahead. In Making the Best of What’s Left: When We’re Too Old to Get the Chairs Reupholstered, Judith confesses, “I never ever send a text while driving, and not just because I don’t know how to text.” She discusses the afterlife (She doesn’t believe in it, but if it exists, she hopes her sister-in-law isn’t there). She complains to her dead husband (“I need you fixing our damn circuit breakers. I need you! Could you please stop being dead?”). And she explores the late-life meanings of wisdom and happiness and second chances and home. With a wit that defies age, Viorst navigates the terrain of loss. Judith Viorst is the author of the beloved Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day, which has sold some four million copies; the Lulu books; the New York Times bestseller Necessary Losses; and four musicals. Judith has written books for each decade of life after twenty, including: It's Hard to Be Hip Over 30 & Other Tragedies of Married Life, Forever 50 & Other Negotiations, I'm Too Young to Be 70 & Other Delusions, and Nearing 90 And Other Comedies of Late Life. Now in her nineties, Judith writes about life’s “Final Fifth” in her latest book Making the Best of What’s Left. Judith Viorst’s Five Books: 1. The Assistant by Bernard Malamud 2. Where t…

## Actions

- request_transcript: `POST https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/the-five-books-jewish-authors-on-the-books-that-shaped-them-7105649/episodes/judith-viorst-on-happiness-agency-and-the-art-of-aging/transcription-requests` — Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode.
- read_markdown: `GET https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-five-books-jewish-authors-on-the-books-that-shaped-them-7105649/judith-viorst-on-happiness-agency-and-the-art-of-aging.md` — Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource.

A page view does not enqueue transcription. Agents should invoke `request_transcript` explicitly when they need this episode processed.

## Transcript

Full transcripts are not published on public pages unless there is a clear rights basis.