
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.
At
’s, has a fantastic graphic essay about ageism, sexism, and a woman's "expiration date."106-year-old tattoo artist Apo Whang-Od is utterly stunning on the cover of the April issue of Vogue Phillipines. She’s the oldest person to ever appear on a Vogue cover. (And to think I was worried that in my 40s and 50s I was too old to be getting tattoos.)
“I’ve always lived under this illusion that I’m about 30 years younger than I am.” - in the New York Times Magazine, David Marchese profiles Dr. Roland Griffiths, a pioneer in using psychedelics to treat “depression, addiction and, in patients with a life-threatening cancer diagnosis, psychological distress”—and who is getting through is his own terminal cancer with the benefit of psychedelics.
Why do we make groaning sounds when we exert ourselves in in middle age? In the New York Times, Jancee Dunn investigates.
I’m hooked on Stiffed, a new Crooked Media podcast by journalist Jennifer Romolini (co-host of delightful Everything is Fine) about Viva, a smart, erotic magazine for women launched by Bob Guccione in 1973. The magazine both featured and was staffed by a long list of brilliant women—Anna Wintour, Betty Friedan, Maya Angelou, Bianca Jagger, and Shelly Duvall to name a few.
If I didn’t succeed in selling you on Stiffed, Lauren Mechling’s Guardian article about Jennifer Romolini’s excellent podcast just might.
“I had no idea I was ever, in my whole life, going to do an album…” -
crosses Delancey with 69-year-old actor—and now singer/songwriter—Amy Irving for a Vanity Fair profile.
89-year-old author Norman Rush’s 1991 novel, Mating, is having a moment again. - Marie Solis reports in The New York Times.
I love Drinking Coffee Elsewhere, Z.Z. Packer’s 2003 short story collection, and I also love the Ursa Story podcast, featuring authors Deesha Philyaw and Dawnie Walton. So it was an extra thrill to hear Philyaw and Walton’s recent interview with Packer, Ursa’s Season Two premiere, on the occasion of the story collection’s 20th anniversary
At Mr. Beller’s Neighborhood, Oldster Magazine contributor Michael A. Gonzales looks back at the 1977 evening when D.J. Hollywood and his crew, The Corporation, played outside his building in Harlem.
I can’t wait to see Pretty Baby: Brooke Shields, the Hulu documentary series about the 57-year-old model and actor’s experience with objectification, sexual abuse and more, beginning in childhood. Chloe Malle writes about it in Vogue.
Susanna Hoffs, The Bangles’ 64-year-old singer-songwriter, just published her debut novel, This Bird Has Flown. At NextAvenue, Sandra Ebeger interviews her about it.
I’m a big fan of 63-year-old British author Deborah Levy, and I really enjoyed Charlotte Higgins’ profile of her in the Guardian.
Looking for something to watch this weekend? Why not binge Tiny Beautiful Things on Hulu, based on Cheryl Strayed’s recently-reissued advice collection, Tiny Beautiful Things: Advice from Dear Sugar, starring Kathryn Hahn and produced by Reese Witherspoon’s Hello Sunshine? Hulu dropped all the episodes at once! (Did you see that Cheryl took The Oldster Magazine Questionnaire this week?!?!?! Forgive me—I’m still overcome with excitement and gratitude.)
Okay, that’s probably more enough Oldster-adjacent content to keep you occupied this weekend. Have a good one…
-Sari
Whang-od on the cover of Vogue has brought a moment of pride for me and many of my friends here in Manila, at a time when it’s difficult to see our country in a positive light. That she’s now inspired women the world over has also given us the gift of visibility. It’s beyond humbling. Thank you for including her in your list!
I too found that Vogue cover absolutely stunning. What an awesome person as well.