Lois Utz (née Cook) (January 4, 1932 – November 12, 1986;

Paterson, New Jersey Paterson ( ) is the largest City (New Jersey), city in and the county seat of Passaic County, New Jersey, Passaic County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey.Little Falls, New Jersey Little Falls is a township in Passaic County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. The township was named after a waterfall on the Passaic River at a dam near Beattie Mill. As of the 2020 United States census, the township's population was 13,360 ...

. She received her

Associate degree An associate degree or associate's degree is an undergraduate degree awarded after a course of post-secondary study lasting two to three years. It is a level of academic qualification above a high school diploma and below a bachelor's degree ...

Fine Arts In European academic traditions, fine art (or, fine arts) is made primarily for aesthetics or creativity, creative expression, distinguishing it from popular art, decorative art or applied art, which also either serve some practical function ...

from the

Art Students League of New York The Art Students League of New York is an art school in the American Fine Arts Society in Manhattan, New York City. The Arts Students League is known for its broad appeal to both amateurs and professional artists. Although artists may study f ...

. Utz wrote a poetry column for the ''Paterson Morning Call'' and published in literary anthologies nationally. In 1957, she married Donald Utz, and in 1962 they had a daughter, Heidi. While exhibiting her paintings and

collage Collage (, from the , "to glue" or "to stick together") is a technique of art creation, primarily used in the visual arts, but in music too, by which art results from an assembly of different forms, thus creating a new whole. (Compare with pasti ...

s, she began creating children's books that were first published in 1972."Lois Utz writes children's books; Three by Little Falls woman just published, due in fall"
''

The Herald-News ''The Herald-News'' is a daily newspaper headquartered in Joliet, Illinois, United States. It serves the Joliet, Will County and Grundy County area, and is owned by Shaw Media. History The paper was founded in 1904 as the ''Joliet Herald''. In ...

'', May 13, 1972. Accessed June 4, 2020. "Since Lois Utz has always taken an interest in children's literature, she decided to write some of her own.... Mrs. Utz lives with her husband, Donals, and daughter, Heidi, in Little Falls." For many years, she produced and sold collage works through her business, Lois Utz Originals. Utz also collaborated as a

lyricist A lyricist is a writer who writes lyrics (the spoken words), as opposed to a composer, who writes the song's music which may include but not limited to the melody, harmony, arrangement and accompaniment. Royalties A lyricist's income derives ...

with classical composer Richard Lane on a number of songs, including several for children. Throughout her life, she worked as a volunteer for the

mentally ill A mental disorder, also referred to as a mental illness, a mental health condition, or a psychiatric disability, is a behavioral or mental pattern that causes significant distress or impairment of personal functioning. A mental disorder is ...

and wrote several novels about her experiences. She later received a

Bachelor of Arts A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts deg ...

degree in

psychology Psychology is the scientific study of mind and behavior. Its subject matter includes the behavior of humans and nonhumans, both consciousness, conscious and Unconscious mind, unconscious phenomena, and mental processes such as thoughts, feel ...

and a

Master of Arts A Master of Arts ( or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA or AM) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Those admitted to the degree have ...

degree in

counseling Counseling is the professional guidance of the individual by utilizing psychological methods especially in collecting case history data, using various techniques of the personal interview, and testing interests and aptitudes. This is a list of c ...

, and practiced as a therapist until her death in 1986. Her children's books are known for their whimsical illustrations of animals and stories told in rhyme. Her illustrations often incorporate elements of collage.

Bibliography

* ''The Pineapple Duck with the Peppermint Bill'' (Bobbs-Merrill, 1968) * ''A Delightful Day with Bella Ballet'' (Oddo Publ., 1972) * ''The Houndstooth Check'' (Oddo, 1972) * ''The Simple Pink Bubble That Ended the Trouble with Jonathan Hubble'' (Oddo, 1972) * ''The King, the Queen, and the Lima Bean'' (Oddo, 1974). * ''Tara's Sister'' (unpublished) young adult novel * ''Parenthesis Twenty-Five'' (unpublished) poetry anthology

References

Sources

*''Contemporary Authors'', Detroit: Thomson Gale Pub., v. 25-28R, 735. *''Contemporary Authors'', Detroit: Thomson Gale Pub., 1987, v.121, 421. *''Something About the Author'', Detroit: Thomson Gale, 1975, v. 5. *''Something About the Author'', Detroit: Thomson Gale, obituary, 1987, v. 50. *''Star Ledger'', Newark, NJ, obituary (Nov. 16, 1986). *''Who's Who in America'', 42nd ed., New Providence, NJ: Marquis Pub., 1982. {{DEFAULTSORT:Utz, Lois 1932 births 1986 deaths American children's writers 20th-century American novelists Novelists from New Jersey Mental health professionals American women illustrators 20th-century American illustrators American women poets American women novelists American lyricists People from Little Falls, New Jersey American women children's writers 20th-century American women writers 20th-century American poets Songwriters from New Jersey 20th-century American women artists Art Students League of New York alumni 20th-century American songwriters Writers from Passaic County, New Jersey