{{Short description|American author (born 1953)}} {{Use mdy dates|date=October 2023}} {{Use American English|date= August 2023}} {{Infobox writer | name = Arthur Yorinks | birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1953|08|21}} | birth_place = Roslyn, New York, U.S. | occupation = {{cslist|Author|librettist|playwright|director}} | period = 1977–present | genre = {{cslist|Picture books|children's literature: fantasy}}<!-- or: | genres = --> | notable_works = ''Hey, Al'' | children = | relatives = | awards = | website = {{URL|https://www.arthuryorinks.com/}} | portaldisp = <!-- "on", "yes", "true", etc.; or omit --> }} '''Arthur Yorinks''' (born August 21, 1953) is an American author, playwright and director. He is best known for writing ''Hey, Al'', which won a Caldecott Medal.

==Early life== Arthur Yorinks was born on August 21, 1953, in Roslyn, New York.<ref name="Holtze">{{cite book |last1=Holtze |first1=Sally Holmes |title=Sixth Book of Junior Authors & Illustrators |date=1989 |publisher=H.W. Wilson |isbn=978-0-8242-0777-9 |page=325-326 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rI8YAAAAIAAJ |access-date=August 26, 2023 |language=en}}</ref> He was raised in a suburban area of the village.<ref name="Silvey">{{cite book |last1=Silvey |first1=Anita |title=Children's Books and Their Creators |date=1995 |publisher=Houghton Mifflin Harcourt |isbn=978-0-395-65380-7 |page=701 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=graiX5o4tMYC |access-date=August 27, 2023 |language=en}}</ref> His father, Alexander, was a mechanical engineer and his mother, Shirley, was a fashion illustrator.<ref name="Encyclopedia">{{cite book |last1=Watson |first1=Tracey |title=Contemporary Authors New Revision Series: Bio-bibliographical Guide to Current Writers in Fiction, General Nonfiction, Poetry, Journalism, Drama, Motion Pictures, Television, and Other Fields. Volume 125 |date=2004 |publisher=Gale |isbn=978-0-7876-6717-7 |pages=438–446 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=m8N4zgEACAAJ |access-date=August 27, 2023 |language=en}}</ref> His aunt was also a piano teacher and his friend an illustrator and Yorinks considers this artistic childhood as an important inspiration for his later career.<ref name="Collinan; Person">{{cite book |last1=Cullinan |first1=Bernice E. |last2=Person |first2=Diane Goetz |title=The Continuum Encyclopedia of Children's Literature |date=January 1, 2005 |publisher=A&C Black |isbn=978-0-8264-1778-7 |page=839 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0LyutQg6mroC |access-date=August 26, 2023 |language=en}}</ref> When he was six, he started to practice to be a classical pianist. His piano teacher, Robert Bedford influenced him and is credited with instilling him with perfectionism and a professionalism.<ref name="Holtze"/> Yorinks said that he "learned a great deal of what it means to be an artist" from Bedford.<ref name="Encyclopedia"/>

When Yorinks was in high school, he discovered picture books and he particularly liked the works of Tomi Ungerer, William Steig, and especially Maurice Sendak.<ref name="Holtze"/> Later Yorinks said "Discovering Tomi Ungerer, William Steig, particularly Maurice Sendak, was a turning point. I was already a young adult, and I saw clearly that their books weren't just kids books. They were for everyone. They had such depth and excitement and had everything I was interested in—drama, pictures, rhythm, music."<ref name="Encyclopedia"/> At sixteen, he approached Sendak's studio<ref name="Collinan; Person"/> with manuscripts,<ref name="Silvey"/> picture books<ref name="Encyclopedia"/> and asked Sendak for advice.<ref name="Collinan; Person"/> The two became friends as a result of the encounter and Sendak later introduced Yorinks to Richard Egielski.<ref name="Encyclopedia"/> Yorinks and Egielski became frequent collaborators.<ref name="Silvey"/> Yorinks graduated from high school one year early and chose not to go to college. He took classes at the New School for Social Research and Hofstra New College in 1971.<ref name="Holtze"/>

==Career== In 1971 Yorinks began working for The American Mime Theatre after studying ballet and dancing. He also worked as a theater arts instructor at Cornell University from 1972 to 1979.<ref name="Holtze"/> In 1977, he worked with Egielski, whom Sendak had introduced, on the book ''Sid and Sol''.<ref name="Encyclopedia"/> In 1979, he founded The Moving Theatre where he was the artistic director and a writer. The theater produced plays at various venues, such as South Street Theater and Theater of the Open Eye as well as many other theaters.

Yorinks continued to work with Egielski, collaborating on ''Louis the Fish'' (1980), which was inspired by Franz Kafka's ''The Metamorphosis''.<ref name="Encyclopedia"/> They also worked on ''It Happened in Pinsk'' (1983), ''Hey, Al'' (1986), and ''Bravo Minski'' (1988) together. ''Hey Al'' won a Caldecott Medal.<ref>{{cite web |title=Hey, Al {{!}} Awards & Grants |url=https://www.ala.org/awardsgrants/content/hey-al |website=www.ala.org |access-date=August 27, 2023}}</ref>

Yorinks wrote librettos for operas, such as ''The Juniper Tree'' by Philip Glass and Robert Moran<ref name="His website">{{cite web |title=Biography |url=https://www.arthuryorinks.com/about |website=Arthur Yorinks |access-date=August 27, 2023}}</ref> in 1985 and ''The Fall of the House of Usher'', composed by Glass in 1988.<ref name="Encyclopedia"/>

Yorinks also worked with other illustrators aside from Richard Egielski, such as Maurice Sendak, William Stieg, Mort Drucker, David Small, and Martin Matje. In 1988, he released ''Company's Coming'', illustrated by David Small. In 1990, Yorinks again released a book with Egielski as illustrator, titled ''Ugh''. In the same year, he also worked with Sendak to create The Night Kitchen Theater, a national children's theater.

In 1994 he worked with Drucker on ''Whitefish Will Rides Again!''. In 1995, Yorinks released ''The Miami Giant'', which was illustrated by Sendak. He also adapted one of his plays, ''So, Sue Me'' to a picture book format with Sendak, which was published in 1996. In 1999 he wrote another book illustrated by Drucker, titled ''Tomatoes from Mars''. In the same year he released ''The Alphabet Atlas'', illustrated by Adrienne Yorinks. In 2001 he released a sequel to ''Company's Coming'', titled ''Company's Going'', illustrated by Small.<ref name="Encyclopedia"/>

Yorinks has written over 40 audio plays. He has also directed Tom Stoppard's radio plays and has adapted numerous works for radio, such as Franz Kafka's ''The Metamorphosis'', Charles Dickens's ''A Christmas Carol'', and Garson Kanin's ''The Rat Race.''<ref name="His website"/> In 2012 he made an adaptation of Zora Neale Hurston's ''Their Eyes Were Watching God'' to celebrate the 75th year anniversary of the book's publication.<ref name="NYT">{{cite news |last1=Itzkoff |first1=Dave |title=Radio Play of 'Their Eyes Were Watching God' Is Set |url=https://archive.nytimes.com/artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/02/08/radio-play-will-honor-their-eyes-were-watching-god/ |access-date=August 27, 2023 |work=The New York Times |date=February 8, 2012 |language=en}}</ref>

In 2014 New York Public Radio commissioned Yorinks to create a 4 hour audio play adaptation of James Joyce's ''Dubliners'' entitled ''Dubliners: A Quartet''.<ref>{{cite web |title=Dubliners: A Quartet |url=https://thegreenespace.org/series/dubliners-a-quartet/ |website=The Greene Space |access-date=September 7, 2023}}</ref> In 2018 Sendak's ''Presto and Zesto In Limboland'' was published posthumously, in which Yorinks was writer.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Popova |first1=Maria |title=A Playful, Posthumous Picture Book From Maurice Sendak |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/09/25/books/review/maurice-sendak-arthur-yorinks-presto-and-zesto.html |access-date=August 27, 2023 |work=The New York Times |date=September 25, 2018}}</ref> In 2019 he appeared in season 5, episode 8 of the PBS show ''Articulate''.<ref>{{cite web |title=Arthur Yorinks: The Creative Engine |url=https://articulateshow.org/videos/arthur-yorinks-the-creative-engine/ |website=Articulate with Jim Cotter |access-date=August 27, 2023}}</ref>

In February 2020 Yorinks published ''One Mean Ant'', the sequel ''One Mean Ant with Fly and Flea'' was published in October 2020. He released the third book in the series ''One Mean Ant with Fly and Flea and Moth'' in October 2021.<ref name="His website"/>

In 2022 he was named Artistic Director of the American Mime Theatre.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Theatre |first1=American Mime |title=AMERICAN MIME THEATRE is RELAUNCHED TAKING ITS UNIQUE PLACE IN THE THEATER COMMUNITY |url=https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/american-mime-theatre-is-relaunched-taking-its-unique-place-in-the-theater-community-301809720.html |access-date=August 31, 2023 |work=PR Newswire |date=April 27, 2023 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=News |url=https://www.arthuryorinks.com/news |website=Arthur Yorinks |access-date=August 31, 2023}}</ref> In October 2024, Yorinks left AMT and founded and became artistic director of [https://www.americanphysicaltheater.org/ APT, American Physical Theater], a performing company comprising a unique blend of acting, movement, voice, silence, sound and theatrical visual elements. Its premiere production, ''The Lifeboat'' was performed at Harlem Stage in March 2025.

==Selected works== ===Books===

* ''Sid and Sol'' (illustrated by Richard Egielski), New York: Farrar, Straus, and Giroux, 1977.<ref name="Encyclopedia" /> * ''Louis the Fish'' (illustrated by Richard Egielski), New York: Farrar, Straus, and Giroux, 1980.<ref name="Encyclopedia" /> * ''It Happened in Pinsk'' (illustrated by Richard Egielski), New York: Farrar, Straus, and Giroux, 1983.<ref name="Encyclopedia" /> * ''Hey, Al'' (illustrated by Richard Egielski), New York: Farrar, Straus, and Giroux, 1986.<ref name="Encyclopedia" /> * ''Bravo, Minski'' (illustrated by Richard Egielski), New York: Farrar, Straus, and Giroux, 1988.<ref name="Encyclopedia" /> * ''Company's Coming'' (illustrated by David Small), New York: Crown, 1988.<ref name="Encyclopedia" /> * ''Ugh'' (illustrated by Richard Egielski), New York: Farrar, Straus, and Giroux, 1990.<ref name="Encyclopedia" /> * ''Whitefish Will Rides Again!'' (illustrated by Mort Drucker), New York: HarperCollins, 1994.<ref name="Encyclopedia" /> * ''The Miami Giant'' (illustrated by Maurice Sendak), New York: HarperCollins, 1995.<ref name="Encyclopedia" /> * ''Frank and Joey Go to Work'' (illustrated by Maurice Sendak), New York: HarperFestival, 1996.<ref name="Encyclopedia" /> * ''Tomatoes from Mars'' (illustrated by Mort Drucker), New York: HarperCollins, 1999.<ref name="Encyclopedia" /> * ''The Alphabet Atlas'' (illustrated by Adrienne Yorinks, letter art by Jeanyee Wong), Delray Beach, Florida: Winslow Press, 1999.<ref name="Encyclopedia" /> * ''Company's Going'' (illustrated by David Small), New York: Hyperion, 2001.<ref name="Encyclopedia" /> * ''One Mean Ant'', Candlewick Press, 2020<ref name="His website" /> {{ISBN|978-0763683948}} * ''One Mean Ant with Fly and Flea'', Candlewick Press, 2020<ref name="His website" /> {{ISBN|978-0763683955}} * ''One Mean Ant with Fly and Flea and Moth'', Candlewick Press, 2021<ref name="His website" /> {{ISBN|978-0763683962}}

===Librettos===

* ''The Juniper Tree'' (music by Philip Glass and Robert Moran), New York: Dunvagen Music, 1985, produced at the American Repertory Theater, Boston, MA, 1985.<ref name="Encyclopedia" /> * ''The Fall of the House of Usher'', (music by Philip Glass) produced at American Repertory Theater, Boston, MA, May 1988.<ref name="Encyclopedia" />

===Audio plays===

* ''Their Eyes Were Watching God'' (2012)<ref name="NYT" /><ref>{{cite web |title=Their Eyes Were Watching God: A Radio Play |url=https://www.thegreenespace.org/event/their-eyes-were-watching-god-a-radio-play-2/ |website=The Greene Space |access-date=August 27, 2023}}</ref> * ''A Christmas Carol''<ref name="Audio plays">{{Cite web |title=A NEW THEATER OF SOUND |url=https://www.arthuryorinks.com/a-new-theater-of-sound |access-date=August 27, 2023 |website=arthuryorinks.com}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=A Christmas Carol: A Radio Drama |url=https://www.thegreenespace.org/event/a-christmas-carol-a-radio-drama-5/ |website=The Greene Space |access-date=August 27, 2023}}</ref> * ''The Rat Race''<ref name="Audio plays" /> * ''Metamorphosis''<ref name="Audio plays" />

== References ==

{{reflist}} {{Authority control}} {{DEFAULTSORT:Yorinks, Arthur}} Category:1953 births Category:Living people Category:American children's writers Category:Writers from New York (state) Category:American opera librettists Category:American artistic directors Category:American male dramatists and playwrights Category:Cornell University faculty Category:20th-century American dramatists and playwrights Category:20th-century American male writers Category:21st-century American dramatists and playwrights Category:21st-century American male writers Category:People from Roslyn, New York