Editing Dave Barry

{{Short description|American author and columnist (born 1947)}}
{{Other people}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=October 2012}}
{{Infobox writer <!-- for more information see [[:Template:Infobox writer/doc]] -->
| name = Dave Barry
| image = Dave-barry-post-hunt-2011.jpg
| caption = Barry at the 2011 ''[[Washington Post]]'' Hunt
| birth_name = David McAlister Barry
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1947|7|3|mf=y}}
| birth_place = [[Armonk, New York]], U.S.
| death_date = 
| death_place = 
| occupation = [[Humorist]]<br />Author
| spouse = Ann Shelnutt (1969–19?)<ref name="shelnutt" /><br />{{marriage|Beth Lenox|1976|1993|reason=divorced}}<br />{{marriage|[[Michelle Kaufman]]|1996}}
| alma_mater = [[Haverford College]] ([[Bachelor of Arts|BA]])
| children = 2
| website = {{URL|davebarry.com}}
| signature = Dave Barry signature.jpg
| signature_alt = Dave Barry signature
}}

'''David McAlister Barry''' (born July 3, 1947) is an American author and columnist who wrote a nationally [[Print syndication|syndicated]] humor column for the ''[[Miami Herald]]'' from 1983 to 2005. He has written numerous books of humor and [[parody]], as well as [[comic novel]]s and [[children's literature|children's novel]]s. Barry's honors include the [[Pulitzer Prize for Commentary]] (1988) and the [[Walter Cronkite Award for Excellence in Journalism]] (2005).

Barry has defined a sense of humor as "a measurement of the extent to which we realize that we are trapped in a world almost totally devoid of reason. Laughter is how we express the anxiety we feel at this knowledge".<ref>{{cite journal|last=Curtis|first=Bryan|title=An elegy for Dave Barry|journal=Slate |date=January 12, 2005 |url=http://www.slate.com/id/2112218/|access-date=June 3, 2007}}</ref>

== Early life and education ==
Barry was born in [[Armonk, New York]], where his father, David W. Barry,<!-- his father did not have the same middle name, and therefore it's not a Jr/Sr thing. This is as per Barry's assistant} --> was a [[Presbyterianism|Presbyterian]] minister. He was educated at Wampus Elementary School, Harold C. Crittenden Junior High School (both in Armonk), and [[Pleasantville High School (New York)|Pleasantville High School]], where he was elected "Class Clown" in 1965. He earned a bachelor of arts degree in English from [[Haverford College]] in 1969.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.biography.com/people/dave-barry-20699073|title=Dave Barry|website=Biography.com|access-date=September 19, 2017|archive-date=April 15, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190415040004/https://www.biography.com/people/dave-barry-20699073|url-status=dead}}</ref>

As an alumnus of a [[Religious Society of Friends|Quaker]]-affiliated college, he [[draft evasion|avoided military service]] during the [[Vietnam War]] by registering as a religious [[conscientious objector]].<ref>[https://www.chicagotribune.com/1985/09/22/the-world-according-to-dave-barry/ "The World According To Dave Barry"], 1985, Eric Zorn, ''Chicago Tribune''</ref> Barry decided "early on" that he was an [[Atheism|atheist]].<ref name="Huberman">{{cite book|title=The Quotable Atheist|last=Huberman|first=Jack|year=2007|publisher=Nation Books|page=[https://archive.org/details/quotableatheista0000unse/page/31 31]|isbn=978-1-56025-969-5|url=https://archive.org/details/quotableatheista0000unse/page/31}}</ref> He said, "The problem with writing about religion is that you run the risk of offending sincerely religious people, and then they come after you with machetes."<ref name="Huberman"/>

== Writing career ==
Barry began his [[journalism]] career in 1971, working as a general-assignment reporter for the ''[[Daily Local News]]'' in [[West Chester, Pennsylvania]], near his [[alma mater]], Haverford College. He covered local government and civic events and was promoted to city editor after about two years. He also started writing a weekly humor column for the newspaper and began to develop his unique style. He remained at the newspaper through 1974. He then worked briefly as a [[copy editor]] at the Philadelphia bureau of [[Associated Press]] before joining Burger Associates, a consulting firm.<ref>{{cite web | publisher=Dave Barry | title=2008ish bio | url=http://www.davebarry.com/dave-barry-other-bio.php | access-date=November 1, 2017}}</ref>

At Burger, he taught effective writing to businesspeople. In his own words, he "spent nearly eight years trying to get various businesspersons to...stop writing things like 'Enclosed please find the enclosed enclosures,' but...eventually realized that it was hopeless."<ref name="bioold">{{cite web|title=1999 Dave Barry Biography|url=http://www.davebarry.com/bioold.htm|access-date=May 6, 2007}}</ref>

In 1981, he wrote a humorous guest column in ''[[The Philadelphia Inquirer]]'' about watching the birth of his son, which attracted the attention of [[Gene Weingarten]], then an editor of the ''[[Miami Herald]]'' Sunday magazine, ''[[Tropic (magazine)|Tropic]]''. Weingarten hired Barry as a humor columnist in 1983. Barry's column was syndicated nationally. Barry won a [[Pulitzer Prize for Commentary]] in 1988 for "his consistently effective use of humor as a device for presenting fresh insights into serious concerns".<ref>{{cite web|title=Pulitzer Prize Winners 1988|url=http://www.pulitzer.org/awards/1988|access-date=May 6, 2007}}</ref>

Barry's first novel, ''[[Big Trouble (novel)|Big Trouble]]'', was published in 1999. The book was adapted into a [[Big Trouble (2002 film)|motion picture]] directed by [[Barry Sonnenfeld]] and starring [[Tim Allen]], [[Rene Russo]], and [[Patrick Warburton]], with a cameo by Barry (deleted in [[post-production]]). The movie was originally due for release in September 2001, but was postponed following the [[September 11, 2001 attacks|September 11, 2001 attacks]] because the story involved terrorists smuggling a [[nuclear weapon]] onto an airplane. The film was released in April 2002.

In response to a column in which Barry mocked the cities of [[Grand Forks, North Dakota]], and [[East Grand Forks, Minnesota]], for calling themselves the "Grand Cities", Grand Forks named a sewage pumping station after Barry in January 2002. Barry traveled to Grand Forks for the dedication ceremony.<ref>{{cite web|title=Idling in the Grand Cities|website=[[Chicago Tribune]] |date=March 17, 2002 |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/2002/03/17/idling-in-the-grand-cities/|access-date=April 11, 2016}}</ref>

Articles written by Barry have appeared in publications such as ''[[Boating (magazine)|Boating]]'', ''Home Office Computing'', and ''[[Reader's Digest]]'', in addition to the ''[[Chicken Soup for the Soul]]'' inspirational book series. Two of his articles have been included in ''[[The Best American Sports Writing]]'' series. One of his columns was used as the introduction to the book ''Pirattitude!: So You Wanna Be a Pirate? Here's How!'' ({{ISBN|0-451-21649-0}}), a follow-up to Barry's role in publicizing [[International Talk Like a Pirate Day]]. His books have frequently appeared on [[The New York Times Best Seller list|''The New York Times'' Best Seller list]].

On October 31, 2004, Barry announced that he would be taking an indefinite leave of absence of at least a year from his weekly column to spend more time with his family. In December 2005, Barry said in an interview with ''[[Editor & Publisher]]'' that he would not resume his weekly column, although he would continue such features as his yearly gift guide, his year-in-review feature, and his blog, as well as an occasional article or column.

In 2005, Barry won the [[Walter Cronkite Award for Excellence in Journalism]].<ref>{{cite web|last1=Arizona State University|title=Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication|url=https://cronkite.asu.edu/about/walter-cronkite-and-asu/walter-cronkite-award|access-date=November 23, 2016}}</ref>

== ''Dave's World'' television series ==
From 1993 to 1997, [[CBS]] broadcast the sitcom ''[[Dave's World]]'' based on the books ''[[Dave Barry Turns 40]]'' and ''Dave Barry's Greatest Hits''. The show starred [[Harry Anderson]] as Barry and [[DeLane Matthews]] as his wife Beth. In an early episode, Barry appeared in a [[cameo appearance|cameo]] role. After four seasons, the program was canceled shortly after being moved from its "coveted" Monday night slot<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.mcall.com/news/mc-xpm-1993-05-30-2915050-story.html|title=CBS Hopes Broad-based Programming Keeps It on Top|last=Lawler|first=Sylvia|date=May 30, 1993|work=The Morning Call|access-date=2020-01-03}}</ref> to the "[[Friday night death slot]]", so named because of its association with low viewership.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/blakeoestriecher/2015/10/22/wwe-smackdown-going-live-on-tuesdays-is-best-for-business/|title=WWE SmackDown Going Live On Tuesdays Is Best For Business|last=Oestriecher|first=Blake|website=Forbes|language=en|access-date=2020-01-04}}</ref>

== Music ==
During college, Barry was in a band called the Federal Duck (the band issued a self-titled album on [[Musicor Records]] in 1968, but by that time Barry was no longer in the group). While at the ''Miami Herald'', he and several of his colleagues created a band called the Urban Professionals, with Barry on lead guitar and vocals. They performed an original song called "The [[Tupperware]] Song" at the Tupperware headquarters in [[Orlando, Florida]].<ref>Barry, Dave. ''Dave Barry's Greatest Hits'', p. 110</ref>

Beginning in 1992, Barry played lead guitar in the [[Rock Bottom Remainders]], a rock band made up of published authors. ''[[Remaindered book|Remainder]]'' is a publishing term for a book that does not sell. The band was founded by Barry's sister-in-law, [[Kathi Kamen Goldmark]], for an [[American Booksellers Association]] convention, and has included [[Stephen King]], [[Amy Tan]], [[Ridley Pearson]], [[Scott Turow]], [[Mitch Albom]], [[Roy Blount Jr.]], [[Barbara Kingsolver]], [[Matt Groening]], and Barry's brother [[Sam Barry (author)|Sam]], among others.<ref name=RBR_NYT1>{{cite web |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/04/arts/music/04rema.html |title=Rock On, but Hang on to Your Literary Gigs |last=McGrath |first=Charles |date=June 4, 2007 |work=The New York Times |access-date=May 25, 2012 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.davebarry.com/about.html|title=Dave Barry|access-date=September 5, 2016}}</ref> The band's members "are not musically skilled, but they are extremely loud", according to Barry. Several high-profile musicians, including [[Al Kooper]], [[Warren Zevon]], and [[Roger McGuinn]] have performed with the band, and [[Bruce Springsteen]] sat in at least once. The band's road tour resulted in the book, ''Mid-Life Confidential: The Rock Bottom Remainders Tour America with Three Chords and an Attitude''. The Rock Bottom Remainders disbanded in 2012 following Goldmark's death from breast cancer. They have reunited several times, performing at the [[Tucson Festival of Books]] in 2016 and 2018.

== Other activities ==
Beginning in 1984, Barry and ''Tropic'' editors [[Gene Weingarten]] and [[Tom Shroder]] have organized the [[Tropic Hunt]] (now the Herald Hunt), an annual [[puzzlehunt]] in Miami. A [[Washington, D.C.]], spinoff, the [[Post Hunt]], began in 2008.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/05/18/AR2008051802315.html|title=Urban Safari Participants Find Equal Parts Fun and Frustration|last=Ruane|first=Michael E.|date=2008-05-19|newspaper=The Washington Post|language=en-US|issn=0190-8286|access-date=2019-11-23}}</ref>

Barry has run several mock campaigns for president of the United States, running on a [[Libertarianism|libertarian]] platform. He has also written for the [[Libertarian Party (United States)|Libertarian Party]]'s national newsletter.<ref>[http://politics1.com/indep2k.htm  Presidency 2000:The Independent, Write-In, and other Candidates], Politics1.com {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100616165144/http://politics1.com/indep2k.htm |date=June 16, 2010 }}</ref>

The screen adaptation of Barry's book ''Dave Barry's Complete Guide to Guys'' was released in 2005; it is available on DVD.<ref>{{Citation|title=Complete Guide to Guys (2005) - IMDb|url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0407680/|language=en|access-date=2019-11-23}}</ref>

== Personal life ==
Barry married Lois Ann Shelnutt in 1969.<ref name="shelnutt">{{Cite web |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/7104439/the_morning_news/ |title=Lois Ann Shelnutt Bride of Mr. Barry |access-date=September 19, 2017 |date=June 9, 1969 |publisher=The Morning News}}</ref> He married Beth Lenox in 1976. Barry and Lenox worked together at the ''Daily Local News'', where they began their journalism careers on the same day in September 1971; they had one child, Robert, born 1980. Barry and Lenox divorced in 1993. In 1996, Barry married ''Miami Herald'' [[sportswriter]] [[Michelle Kaufman]];<ref>{{cite news|title=We're Not Making This Up: Dave Barry Gets Hitched|author=Joan Fleischman|date=November 13, 1996|work=The Miami Herald|page=2B}}</ref> they had a daughter, Sophie, in 2000.

Barry's father and his youngest brother suffered from [[alcoholism]], and his father died in 1984; his sister Mary Katherine was institutionalized for [[schizophrenia]]; and his mother died by [[suicide]] in 1987.<ref>{{cite news|title=He Can't Make This Up|date=December 15, 1991|work=[[Newsweek]]|url=http://www.newsweek.com/he-cant-make-200904|access-date=May 30, 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Loon over Miami: The On-Target Humor of Dave Barry|author=Peter Richmond|date=September 23, 1990|work=[[The New York Times]]|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1990/09/23/magazine/loon-over-miami-the-on-target-humor-of-dave-barry.html|access-date=May 30, 2017}}</ref>

Barry has had dogs named Goldie, Earnest, Zippy, and now Lucy. All have been mentioned regularly in Barry's columns.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://maxnorman.com/2012/04/05/people-their-pets-social-miami-paws-4-you-rescue-march-2012/|title=People & Their Pets {{!}} Social Miami & Paws 4 You Rescue {{!}} March 2012|website=Max Norman Pet Photography|date=April 5, 2012 |access-date=October 11, 2016}}</ref>

== Works ==

=== Non-fiction ===
* ''The Taming of the Screw'' (1983, with illustrator Jerry O'Brien)
* ''Babies and Other Hazards of Sex: How to Make a Tiny Person in Only 9 Months With Tools You Probably Have Around the Home'' (1984, with illustrator Jerry O'Brien)
* ''Stay Fit and Healthy Until You're Dead'' (1985, with illustrator Jerry O'Brien)
* ''Claw Your Way to the Top: How to Become the Head of a Major Corporation in Roughly a Week'' (1986, with illustrator Jerry O'Brien)
* ''Dave Barry's Guide to Marriage and/or Sex'' (1987 with illustrator Jerry O'Brien)
* ''Homes and Other Black Holes'' (1988)
* ''Dave Barry Slept Here: A Sort of History of the United States'' (1989)
* ''[[Dave Barry Turns 40]]'' (1990)
* ''Dave Barry's Only Travel Guide You'll Ever Need'' (1991)
* ''Dave Barry's Guide to Life'' (1991) (includes ''Dave Barry's Guide to Marriage and/or Sex'', ''Babies and Other Hazards of Sex'', ''Stay Fit and Healthy Until You're Dead'' and ''Claw Your Way to the Top'')
* ''Dave Barry Does Japan'' (1992)
* ''Dave Barry's Gift Guide to End All Gift Guides'' (1994)
* ''Dave Barry's Complete Guide to Guys'' (1996)
* ''[[Dave Barry in Cyberspace]]'' (1996)
* ''[[Dave Barry's Book of Bad Songs]]'' (1997)
* ''[[Dave Barry Turns 50]]'' (1998)
* ''Dave Barry Hits Below the Beltway: A Vicious and Unprovoked Attack on Our Most Cherished Political Institutions'' (2001)
* ''"My Teenage Son's Goal in Life is to Make Me Feel 3,500 Years Old" and Other Thoughts On Parenting From Dave Barry'' (2001)
* ''"The Greatest Invention in the History Of Mankind Is Beer" And Other Manly Insights From Dave Barry'' (2001)
* ''Dave Barry's Money Secrets'' (2006)
* ''Dave Barry on Dads'' (2007)
* ''[[Dave Barry's History of the Millennium (So Far)]]'' (2007)
* ''[[I'll Mature When I'm Dead|I'll Mature When I'm Dead: Dave Barry's Amazing Tales of Adulthood]]'' (2010)
* ''You Can Date Boys When You're Forty: Dave Barry on Parenting and Other Topics He Knows Very Little About'' (2014)
* ''Live Right and Find Happiness (Although Beer is Much Faster): Life Lessons and Other Ravings from Dave Barry'' (2015)
* ''Best. State. Ever.: A Florida Man Defends His Homeland'' (2015)
* ''For This We Left Egypt?: A Passover Haggadah for Jews and Those Who Love Them'' (2017, with [[Alan Zweibel]] and [[Adam Mansbach]])
* ''Lessons from Lucy'' (2019)
* ''A Field Guide to the Jewish People'' (2019, with [[Adam Mansbach]] and [[Alan Zweibel]])

=== Collected columns ===
* ''Dave Barry's Bad Habits: A 100% Fact-Free Book'' (1985)
* ''Dave Barry's Greatest Hits'' (1988)
* ''Dave Barry Talks Back'' (1991)
* ''The World According to Dave Barry'' (1994) (includes ''Dave Barry Talks Back'', ''Dave Barry Turns 40'' and ''Dave Barry's Greatest Hits'')
* ''Dave Barry is NOT Making This Up'' (1995)
* ''Dave Barry Is from Mars and Venus'' (1997)
* ''Dave Barry Is Not Taking This Sitting Down'' (2000)
* ''[[Boogers Are My Beat]]'' (2003)

=== Fiction ===
* ''[[Big Trouble (novel)|Big Trouble]]'' (1999). {{ISBN|978-0-399-14567-4}}.
* ''[[Tricky Business (novel)|Tricky Business]]'' (2002). {{ISBN|978-1491509692}}.
* ''[[Peter and the Starcatchers]]'' (2004, with [[Ridley Pearson]]). {{ISBN|0-7868-3790-X}}.
* ''[[Peter and the Shadow Thieves]]'' (2006, with Ridley Pearson). {{ISBN|0-7868-3787-X}}.
* ''[[Peter and the Secret of Rundoon]]'' (2007, with Ridley Pearson). {{ISBN|0-7868-3788-8}}.
* ''[[Never Land Books|Escape From the Carnivale]]'' (2006, with Ridley Pearson). {{ISBN|0-7868-3789-6}}.
* ''The Shepherd, the Angel, and Walter the Christmas Miracle Dog'' (2006). {{ISBN|978-0425217740}}.
* ''[[Never Land Books|Cave of the Dark Wind]]'' (2007, with Ridley Pearson). {{ISBN|0-7868-3790-X}}.
* ''[[Science Fair (novel)|Science Fair]]'' (2008, with Ridley Pearson). {{ISBN|978-1423113249}}.
* ''[[Peter and the Sword of Mercy]]'' (2009, with Ridley Pearson). {{ISBN|978-1423130703}}.
* ''[[Never Land Books|Blood Tide]]'' (2008, with Ridley Pearson). {{ISBN|978-0786837915}}.
* ''[[The Bridge to Neverland]]'' (2011, with Ridley Pearson). {{ISBN|978-0425253373}}.
* ''Lunatics'' (2012, with [[Alan Zweibel]]). {{ISBN|978-0425253373}}.
* ''Insane City'' (2013). {{ISBN|978-0399158681}}.
* ''The Worst Class Trip Ever'' (2015). {{ISBN|978-1484708491}}.
* ''The Worst Night Ever'' (2016). {{ISBN|978-1484708507}}.
* ''Swamp Story'' (2023). {{ISBN|978-1982191337}}.

=== Film adaptations ===
* ''[[Big Trouble (2002 film)|Big Trouble]]'' (2002)
* ''Dave Barry's Complete Guide to Guys'' (2005)
* ''Peter and the Starcatchers'' (Disney project, announced May 17, 2012. Release date TBA)

=== Collaborations ===
* ''Mid-Life Confidential: The Rock Bottom Remainders Tour America With Three Chords and an Attitude'' (1994) with [[Stephen King]], [[Kathi Kamen Goldmark]], [[Al Kooper]], [[Ridley Pearson]], [[Roy Blount, Jr.]], [[Joel Selvin]], [[Amy Tan]], [[Dave Marsh]], [[Tad Bartimus]], [[Matt Groening]], [[Greil Marcus]], [[Tabitha King]], [[Barbara Kingsolver]], [[Michael Dorris]]
* ''[[Naked Came the Manatee]]'' (1998) with [[Carl Hiaasen]], [[Elmore Leonard]], [[James W. Hall]], [[Edna Buchanan]], [[Les Standiford]], [[Paul Levine]], [[Brian Antoni]], [[Tananarive Due]], [[John Dufresne]], [[Vicki Hendricks]], [[Carolina Hospital]], [[Evelyn Mayerson]]
* Novels (as listed above) with Ridley Pearson and Alan Zweibel
* ''Hard Listening'', (July 2013) is an interactive ebook about his participation in a writer/musician band, the Rock Bottom Remainders. Published by digital publisher, [[Coliloquy]], LLC<ref>{{cite web|url= http://www.rockbottomremainders.com/pages/hard-listening.html|title=Hard Listening}}</ref>

=== Audio recordings ===
* ''A Totally Random Evening With Dave Barry'' (1992)
* ''A Prairie Home Companion: English Majors: A Comedy Collection for the Highly Literate'' (as guest) (1997)
* ''[[Stranger than Fiction (compilation album)]]'' (1998)

== See also ==
{{portal|Novels}}
* [[Exploding whale]]
* [[International Talk Like a Pirate Day]]

== Notes ==
{{Reflist|30em}}

== External links ==
{{Wikiquote}}
* [http://writetv.okstate.edu/bestofWOL.html ''Write TV'' Public Television Interview with Dave Barry] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161206170130/http://writetv.okstate.edu/bestofWOL.html |date=December 6, 2016 }}
* {{C-SPAN}}
* {{IMDb name}}
* {{cite web |title=Dave Barry Living Columns & Blogs |url=http://www.miamiherald.com/living/liv-columns-blogs/dave-barry/ |work=[[Miami Herald]] |access-date=September 7, 2017}}

{{PulitzerPrize Commentary 1976–2000}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Barry, Dave}}
[[Category:1947 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:20th-century American novelists]]
[[Category:20th-century American male writers]]
[[Category:21st-century American novelists]]
[[Category:Absurdist fiction]]
[[Category:American atheists]]
[[Category:American male bloggers]]
[[Category:American bloggers]]
[[Category:American satirists]]
[[Category:American parodists]]
[[Category:American satirical columnists]]
[[Category:American children's writers]]
[[Category:American conscientious objectors]]
[[Category:American crime fiction writers]]
[[Category:American humorists]]
[[Category:American humorous columnists]]
[[Category:American male novelists]]
[[Category:Haverford College alumni]]
[[Category:New York (state) Libertarians]]
[[Category:People from Armonk, New York]]
[[Category:People from Pleasantville, New York]]
[[Category:Pulitzer Prize for Commentary winners]]
[[Category:Rock Bottom Remainders members]]
[[Category:Miami Herald people]]
[[Category:Novelists from Florida]]
[[Category:21st-century American non-fiction writers]]