I tend to read, watch, and listen to an awful lot of Oldster-adjacent content. Every other Friday I’ll pass some of it along to you in a link roundup like this one.
PS This roundup will probably be too long and digitally dense to show up in full in your email. Click on the title to read the whole thing on the web.
***PPS Now through 12/31/23 I’ve got a 10% off sale on paid subscriptions—which help me to pay contributors, and will give you access to the paywalled content that is coming soon…
“Rosalynn Carter, first lady who championed mental health, dies at 96.” - via Joe Holley and Kevin Sullivan in the Washington Post.
Nixon’s Secretary of State Henry Kissinger is dead at 100 (but not dead enough for Rolling Stone’s Spencer Ackerman.)
RIP Shane MacGowan, 65-year-old frontman of Celtic rock band The Pogues. - Gil Kaufman reports in Billboard.
The literary community lost one of its kindest citizens this week. RIP my friend Gabe Hudson, author of the acclaimed story collection Dear Mr. President, and the YA novel Gork, the Teenage Dragon who was just 52. At McSweeney’s, where Gabe was an editor, Dave Eggers is compiling remembrances. You can email yours to: remembrances@mcsweeneys.net
“I Never Said Thanks for the Meal. Sister Agnes Taught Me How: A Thanksgiving lesson about grace, and the many people who feed us.” - I loved this New York Times essay by my friend and Goodbye to All That contributor Rosie Schaap.
“We should all make more friends of different generations.” - in the Atlantic, Annie Midori Atherton advocates for intergenerational friendships.
“Learning is hard on the ego…It would certainly explain why I hated the motorcycle class.” - at LitHub, “On Learning to Ride a Motorcycle After Fifty,” an excerpt of Kim McLaren’s memoir, Everyday Something Has Tried to Kill Me and Has Failed: Notes from Periracial America.
“The best gift would be something extremely intimate and sentimental that makes your siblings’ money look cold and heartless.” - Need (sardonic) gifting advice this holiday season? Amy Sedaris to the rescue, in The Strategist/NYMag.
Lots of great gift ideas here, too, some of them suggested by you.
“I’m humbled and amazed and grateful that Guyville, this little record that could, is still relevant and powerful to people 30 years later.” - Liz Phair, currently on tour, talks to Vivian Manning-Schaffel in The Cut/NY Mag.
“While some older adults have used pot for decades, studies suggest that others are turning to the drug for the first time to help them sleep better, dampen pain or treat anxiety — especially when prescription drugs, which often come with unwanted side effects, don’t work as intended.” - in the New York Times, Christina Caron writes “Why Some Seniors Are Choosing Pot Over Pills.
“At 78, Norma Kamali Is Not Done Evolving: The designer opens up about adapting to a changing fashion world—and her absolute disinterest in retirement.” - by Carolyn Twersky in W Magazine.
“What if aging were something to aspire to, not dread?” - I really enjoyed Jennifer Romolini’s Everything is Fine interview with Karen Walrond, author of Radiant Rebellion: Reclaim Aging, Practice Joy, and Raise A Little Hell.
The folks behind the Ursa Story Short Fiction podcast (Questionnaire-taker Deesha Philyaw, Dawnie Walton, Mark Armstrong) have started a new Instagram reading series (@ursastory), featuring writers including Lizz Huerta and Avitus B. Carle. This week, Carle talks about her flash story "Gentlemen Callers," about a woman who discovers her grandmother and ex-boyfriend...together. Here's what she learned about writing sex scenes for older characters:
Welp, he kind of seemed too good to be true. “The Golden Bachelor’s Not-So-Golden Past—Secret girlfriends, a juiced-up résumé and the selling of a septuagenarian stud: The secret history of America’s senior sweetheart, Gerry Turner.” - by Suzanne O’Malley and Barbara Lippert in the Hollywood Reporter.
“At 98, She’s a Social Media Star: Dorothy Wiggins needed a hobby after the death of her husband. Now she’s big on TikTok and Instagram.” - by Alex Vadukul in the New York Times Styles section.
“Giving birth at 45 is rolling the dice.” - in Slate, Grace Glassman writes “The Train Wrecked in Slow Motion: I gave birth at 45. It was a miracle that almost cost me everything.”
Something from the Oldster Magazine archives to revisit from this time last year:
That’s a lot of links! Have a great weekend, everyone.
-Sari
IT'S TOO MUCH AWESOME, JEEZ! Every time one of these link roundups comes into my inbox I know I'm gonna lose like 2 hours of that day \_(ツ)_/
Sari, why are you doing this to me? All these great links, and HOW AM I GOING TO FIND THE TIME TO READ THEM? I guess I'll have to try, lol. Seriously, thanks for all this!