I tend to read, watch, and listen to an awful lot of Oldster-adjacent content. Now and then I’ll pass some of it along to you in a link roundup like this one.
PS Thank you for all the sweet happy birthday wishes in response to my essay that was published on Monday! 🎂
PPS *This digitally-dense roundup might be too long to show up in full in your email. Click on the title to read the whole thing on the web.*
I’m inspired by the unretouched photos of 71-year-old Isabella Rossellini in the current issue of Vogue Italia by Zhong Lin.
“Now 90…the actor and culinary trailblazer is making peace with the twin tracks of her life…” - in The Guardian, Jay Rayner profiles nonagenarian actor and cookbook author Madhur Jaffrey, who in November will release a 50th anniversary edition of her popular cookbook, An Invitation to Indian Cooking, with an introduction by Yotam Ottolenghi.
“Hey, this country was founded on a long tradition of subjugating women and we’re just trying to keep that going!” In Roxane Gay’s The Audacity., a devastating illustrated essay by Aubrey Hirsch on the state of abortion rights in the U.S.
I did not know about Menopause: A Comic Treatment, an anthology of comics and graphic essays on “the change” published in 2020—a book I just ordered!—until I saw this Instragram post by genius graphic memoirist and cartoonist Lynda Barry about her contribution.
I’m enjoyingElizabeth Gilbert’s excellent new newsletter:Letters From Love with Elizabeth Gilbert.
“What will happen when I get old? What kind of work could I do? he would ask himself. Would there be any more depth?” - in GQ, Zach Baron profiles 80-year-old filmmaker Martin Scorsese, whose latest movie, Killers of the Flower Moon, will be released on October 20th.
Speaking of Scorsese, I found this TikTok video of him being quizzed by his 23-year-old daughter Francesca on Gen Z lingo kind of hilarious and charming. (I have no idea what is going on with their voices—in her other TikToks she sounds more like a 23-year-old woman.)
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And speaking of Gen Z, perspectives of aging really are all relative. To wit, this Insider post by Aimee Pearcy: “Gen Zers are worried they're getting old and out of touch after realizing they don't understand Gen Alpha's memes.” (h/t Jessica Kerwin Jenkins)
“Over half of LGBTQ+ adults are concerned about mistreatment in long-term care because of their sexuality.” - at NextAvenue, Elliot Montgomery Sklar, PhD, MS writes, about how concerns about caregiving are different for the LGBTQ+ Community.
“In the months, then weeks, before his death, Reed fretted about his legacy, worrying that time would erase him.” - Vulture/NYMag has an excerpt of my pal Will Herme’s new, long-anticipated biography, LOU REED: The King of New York.
“My mother was 50 when she was diagnosed and 64 when she died.” - at AARP’s The Ethel, Rochelle Newman-Carrasco writes “They Gave My Mother Two Years. She Had Other Plans,” about learning from her mother to stand up to doctors.
“Although I am 70, I am a young writer.” - in her fantastic new newsletter, How To Be Old, author, Accidental Icon blogger, and aging influencer Lyn Slater writes “Unfinished,” about herself and her house. From Slater’s popular Instagram account:
“I had covered these roots with henna every two and a half weeks for more than twenty years.” - in Air/Light Magazine, Oldster contributor Catherine Texier writes “In Praise of White Hair.”
I enjoyed talking all things Oldster Magazine with Lauren Gilger on KJZZ, a Phoenix NPR affiliate.
Did you see last week’s open thread pondering the parameters defining “middle-aged”? Well, I am hardly the only one musing about this nebulous distinction! At Spark,Elizabeth Marro and The Long Middle’sLisa Renee contemplated this back in May…
That’s a lot of links! Enjoy and have a great weekend.
-Sari
I love Menopause: A Comic Treatment!
Only in Italy would you see a beautiful, untouched photo of an "older" woman on a magazine cover. Wonderful round up. Thx.