Judith Marks-White is hard to miss; one can always spot her in a crowd, even though she is small and delicate-looking. Her hair is cotton-white and usually slightly messy, like billowy clouds being blown through the sky by a light, transient wind. Her sharp wit and easy laugh truly make her a force of nature. When you stop and speak with her, like so many local fans do, she gives you her undivided attention. For a brief moment, she is all yours.
A Westport, Connecticut, resident and writer, Judith inspires everyone she meets, whether because of her two best selling novels, Seducing Harry (2006) and Bachelor Degree (2008), her humor column, “The Light Touch,” that runs weekly in the Westport News, her many awards, including one from the New England Press Association, her popular class in humor writing at the Norwalk Community College, and her many contributions to the Westport community. She also has contributed to the highly successful Chicken Soup for the Soul series, written for several children’s publications, and had time to mentor and nurture many up and coming writers in Connecticut.
I first met Judith in 2006 at Norwalk Community College, where I was enrolled in her highly entertaining class, the “Art and Marketing of Humor Writing.” She has been my mentor ever since.
“I have been teaching [at Norwalk Community College] on and off for so many years I’ve lost count,” Judith said. “I occasionally take a semester off, but always return, as teaching is a large part of what makes the writing experience so worthwhile and fun. For many years, I was an English Composition professor in the English department, and loved that. When I began writing novels, I had to put my teaching aside, but I stay connected through my humor writing courses. It is my students who inspire me by their fervor and desire to learn and grow as writers.”
And, as her reviews and awards show, Judith has much to teach her students. The Boston Globe cited her “sharp eye for absurdity and excess,” while Elle.com called her work “the literary equivalent of a bon bon . . . the perfect book to wedge between all those weighty Booker Prize-winning reads piled up by the bedside.”
Judith encourages her students to open themselves up to the writing experience and not be afraid to let go. “I love students who take chances, and challenge me [with] their uniqueness and enthusiasm,” she said. “We work together as writers in a workshop environment, and the atmosphere is hopefully electric and stimulating for all.”
Nearly 30 years ago, Judith was approached to write a weekly column for the Westport News, and she was hesitant. “I received a call one day from the then-editor, Lise Connell, asking if I would like to be their humor columnist,” she said. “I had just left the children’s literature arena, and was publishing my humor pieces in numerous magazines. But the thought of writing a weekly column, at first, seemed daunting. Operating under the adage, ‘never say no,’ I agreed to take on the job. This proved to be one of the most rewarding decisions and experiences of my career. As I evolved, so did the column, which has enjoyed much success and boasted many awards over the years.”
Earlier in her writing life, Judith was involved in ‘Kiddy-Lit’ for many years. “When I wrote for the magazines, I covered them all: Jack and Jill, Highlights for Children, Weekly Reader, Cricket, and contributed to many anthologies,” she said. “I was a young mom at the time, which made the experience even more significant and fun. I enjoyed living in a child’s world, and as my daughter grew, I incorporated so much of her into my stories. The relationship between mother and child provides much fodder, and during that time, children’s literature figured heavily in my life and Elizabeth’s.”
Westport, Connecticut is an upscale town, a popular location for celebrities who desire a suburban setting that is a reasonable distance from New York. Because of its high profile residents, the town is sometimes criticized for being exclusive and snobbish. As a loyal resident, Judith disputes this characterization.
“We have been handed a bad rap,” Judith said. “Outsiders who don’t experience Westport first-hand can never truly understand or appreciate its uniqueness. If they think it’s all about ‘living big’ and [the] nouveau riche, it’s not. The fundamental beauty of living here is that we can thrive and grow each in our own way at our own pace and find out niche. I am a true fan of this community and support it to the end. It is a diverse, cultural and creatively-minded town.”
Undoubtedly, one of the most popular places for residents and visitors alike is the Westport Country Playhouse, with whom Joanne Woodward and Paul Newman’s names are synonymous. “One of the charms of Westport is its celebrity sightings – and there are many,” said Judith. “It’s fun living among [them] and while we learn to take it in stride, who could ever turn away when Paul Newman was seen at Acorns Pharmacy, or [when] Joanne Woodward was trying on clothes in the next cubicle at Eileen Fisher? I have tripped over many celebrities in my day….Westport residents have come to appreciate that we live among the famous, which brightens our days and provides a brief interlude from our ordinary lives.”
Judith recounts a funny run-in with Paul Newman that also reveals her saucy sense of humor. “I have only to recall one sultry July afternoon when I was getting out of my car and Paul Newman was getting into his,” she said. “‘Hello, Mr. Newman,’ I dared to say. ‘Hot enough for you?’ he asked. And, it was.”
When asked if she has any advice for new writers, she was quick to offer up some wisdom. “The best advice I would give to up-and-coming writers is simple: write,” she said. “After all is said and done, that’s what professional writers do. Taking writing courses is excellent and I am in favor of that because a fine teacher can make a difference, and the student interaction is priceless. And give yourself deadlines. Deadlines are a writer’s greatest tool.”
She had additional guidance for humor writers. “[For] humor writing to be truly effective, [it] requires a nugget of truth…and lots of exaggeration and embellishment,” she said. “As I tell my students, ‘there is nothing funnier than the truth.’ But that alone isn’t as funny as truth incorporated with a soupcon of fiction. I like combining these two elements and do it all the time. Even funnier is that many people think that everything I write is gospel. There’s enough reality in my work to make it seem authentic, but a humorist will always ‘borrow’ and ‘tweak’ for comedic effect.”
Judith Marks-White’s books are available on Amazon, Seducing Harry and Bachelor Degree.
For more information, go to her website.
Woman Around Town’s Six Questions (Connecticut)
Favorite Place to Eat: V Restaurant in Westport
Favorite Place to Shop: Anthropologie
Favorite Connecticut Sight: Compo Beach at sunset
Favorite Connecticut Moment: When the train pulls into the Westport-Saugatuck station and I know that I am home.
What You Love About Connecticut: The great mix of culture and sophistication coupled with that down-home feeling of country life yet being so close to New York for the periodic adrenalin rush.
What You Hate About Connecticut: Lack of movie theaters in Westport. We need to bring them back.
