Crafting My Book of Essays
Crafting My Book of Essays Let’s say you have been writing essays for years. Might be blogs; might be Substack essays; might be short nonfiction in magazines. Perhaps writing essays was your primary goal, or you may have intended these pieces as publicity to lure readers to your books. But eventually these shorter works begin […]
Had to Get this Off My Chest
Had to Get this Off My Chest. I can picture her white uniform, and the cap from her Chicago nursing school pinned to her dark, curly hair. The year is 1953. She is 27, a floor nurse at Scripps Hospital in La Jolla. She’s in motion all day, bringing medications, lifting and turning patients. She […]
My Lusty Encore Career
My Lusty Encore Career Sexual pleasure is a human treasure. This revelation did not come to me as some blinding flash of the obvious. From getting my period at eleven to being post-menopausal at 55, struggling with vaginal dryness and lack of desire until I was in my sixties, breast cancer at 67 and again […]
Vampire as Crone Metaphor
Vampire as Crone Metaphor Five years ago I had terrific fun writing my first novel. Brilliant Charming Bastard is the story of three women scientists in their sixties who join forces for smart revenge when they discover they are dating the same lying dilettante (who is stealing their ideas). I loved pushing back on social […]
Age is not Just a Number
Age is not Just a Number One of the things that distresses me about ageism is the insidious ways it finds to undermine and disrespect the natural process of human ageing. Western culture, with its deeply embedded ageist thinking, conjures up platitudes and catchphrases that any slick advertising agency would be proud of having penned, […]
Retirement is Another Lifetime
Retirement is Another Lifetime When I announced my retirement there was a distinct divide in the reactions from my colleagues. Some were happy for me and a little jealous, while others told me I would be back to work in six months. This last statement puzzled me until I dug deeper. For a start, all […]
