Janice Harayda (born July 31, 1949) is an American author, newspaper writer, and book reviewer. She has worked for multiple magazines and has taught in colleges. Her writing includes five books and a blog with book reviews.

Personal life and career

Harayda was born on July 31, 1949, in New Brunswick, New Jersey, to John and Marel Harayda. She attended the

University of New Hampshire The University of New Hampshire (UNH) is a public land-grant research university with its main campus in Durham, New Hampshire. It was founded and incorporated in 1866 as a land grant college in Hanover in connection with Dartmouth College, m ...

and received a cum laude

Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four year ...

degree. Harayda enjoys listening to opera, watching theater, doing ballet, traveling, and dancing. She said that her Episcopal faith is the most important thing in her life. Harayda was an editorial assistant for the magazine '' Mademoiselle'' and senior editor of the magazine '' Glamour''. From 1981 to 1987, she was a freelance writer, and she was an editor for ''

The Plain Dealer ''The Plain Dealer'' is the major newspaper of Cleveland, Ohio, United States. In fall 2019, it ranked 23rd in U.S. newspaper circulation, a significant drop since March 2013, when its circulation ranked 17th daily and 15th on Sunday. As of Ma ...

'' from 1987 to 1998. She was editor-in-chief for ''New Jersey Lifestyle Magazine'' in 1998. Harayda taught writing at

Marymount Manhattan College Marymount Manhattan College is a private college on the Upper East Side of New York City. As of 2020, enrollment consists of 1,571 undergraduates with women making up 80.1% and men 19.9% of student enrollment. The college was founded in 1936. Hi ...

in 1977, journalism at

Boston University Boston University (BU) is a Private university, private research university in Boston, Massachusetts. The university is nonsectarian, but has a historical affiliation with the United Methodist Church. It was founded in 1839 by Methodists with ...

in 1979, and journalism at Fordham University in 2005. She wrote the books ''Women: A Book for Men'' (1979), ''Titters'' (1979), ''The Joy of Being Single'' (1986), ''The Accidental Bride'' (1999), and ''Manhattan on the Rocks'' (2004). Despite writing ''The Joy of Being Single'', she has said that she is not against marriage. Harayda writes the blog ''One-Minute Book Reviews''. In 1974, Harayda was responsible for starting an all-woman church service at Park Avenue Methodist Church in New York City.

Reception

In 2010, Harayda was listed as one of the best book reviewers on

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by ''

Adweek ''Adweek'' is a weekly American advertising trade publication that was first published in 1979. ''Adweek'' covers creativity, client–agency relationships, global advertising, accounts in review, and new campaigns. During this time, it has cover ...

'' Galley Cat blog. Vince Brewton, writing for ''Foreword Reviews'', stated that the book ''Manhattan on the Rocks'' "will make readers laugh out loud, and the Hungarian-American, basketball-playing heroine is more human than one might expect". The '' Chico Enterprise-Record'' wrote a positive review of ''The Joy of Being Single'', concluding with: "At times there is an unspoken assumption that marriage is the ultimate goal, yet the book's point is that being single can be a joy". Joanne Kaufman of the ''

Chicago Tribune The ''Chicago Tribune'' is a daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, United States, owned by Tribune Publishing. Founded in 1847, and formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" (a slogan for which WGN radio and television a ...

'' reviewed ''The Accidental Bride'', stating: "Harayda set a tough task for herself—to write a modern comedy of manners (the sort at which the late Laurie Colwin excelled)—and ended up, unfortunately, with a mannered comedy with tired observations about psychiatrists, child-rearing, wedding rituals and Martha Stewart".

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Harayda, Janice 1949 births Living people American literary critics American women literary critics American women writers Writers from New Brunswick, New Jersey University of New Hampshire alumni Marymount Manhattan College faculty Boston University faculty Fordham University faculty American women academics 21st-century American women