[B]old Ladies Who Write

Seven [b]older women writers who delight, inspire and motivate me; plus dozens more you should check out.

First, a word about ElderStack

My favorite thing about Substack has been hearing truths about getting old from the several hundred [b]old women writers and readers who have introduced themselves on my ElderStack Chat¹. These women, in their 60s to 80s², are from Australia, Canada, the UK, the U.S. and other places; they are generous with their thoughts and comments and they have so much to teach us. They have created a safe and creative space for older women to support each other. If you haven’t already, be sure to check out the ElderStack posts here. 

My list of six [b]old women writers (plus a bonus 7th)

But today I want to offer you my personal list of a half dozen “old ladies” who are magnificent writers. These are the women who most inspire and motivate me to be [b]old and to keep writing. To make my list, the [b]old woman had to be “old” and had to be an excellent writer. Both criteria are open to interpretation, of course. Sixty to early 70s is considered young-old; but I wanted to include as many old-old³ women as possible.

My definition of excellence in writing is prose that stuns, delights, informs, and changes me, the reader, in some way. It’s writing that’s nearly flawless in composition and word choice and that shows me how to become a better writer. Often, the writing is economical and as notable for what’s left out as what is included. Most of all, these women write about hard stuff: death, grief, loss, regret, sadness; they help us truly understand.

94-year-old [b]old writer Hilma Wolitzer and I met outdoors in New York City this week and chatted for an hour-and-a-half, despite the windy chill.

1. Abigail Thomas

Abigail Thomas

, 83, is a bestselling author and an extraordinary writer, best known on Substack for her short, insightful, and beautifully crafted riffs on  the “liquid moments” of her life, as experienced in her home in Woodstock, NY. My recent interview with her, Legendary memoirist Abigail Thomas doesn’t give a shit, connected strongly with readers, who left dozens of comments appreciating her no-bullshit approach to life and writing. I want to be just like Abigail in 10 years, when I’m 83!

🎙️I interviewed Abigail on my podcast: Abigail Thomas on Life at 81: Liquid Moments, Memory, French Toast and Writing (May 12, 2023).

2. Ann Richardson

Ann Richardson

, an energetic octagenarian, likewise engaged readers with her no-nonsense answers in our Q&A: On savoring old age, writing, and sex at 82. She’s American but has lived in the UK with her British husband for decades. I admire her oft-stated acceptance of being an old woman, the topics she tackles (including sex), and the fact that she is unapologetic about her sensible every fortnight publishing schedule. Ann and I almost met up in Paris when I was there recently for a visit; she was headed down from London for the weekend. She had to cancel at the last minute so we are looking forward to an IRL meeting soon. 

3. Lois Lowry

Beloved and bestselling children’s author

Lois Lowry

, 87, began writing on Substack fairly recently. I sent her an email, nervously asking if she’d be willing to do a Q&A with me. She promptly replied: “Sure, happy to. I’m stuck at home with a virus and need something to do.” This is the result: Lois Lowry on The Giver, friendship, and writing at 87. What I love about Lois’s writing is how deftly she blends fact with emotion (cf her matter-of-fact response to my email invitation), which makes her an exceptional writer for both children and adults. Like the other writers I admire, she writes in a fluid, conversational voice, speaking directly to her reader. 

4. Nan Tepper

I met

Nan Tepper

, 63, through her clever Substack design business, Style Your Stack. She can help you unravel the confusing backside of Substack, spiff up your home page⁴ so it more effectively showcases your publication, and more. But I’ve been following Nan’s publication, The Next Write Thing, for several months now and she has given me more insight into what it’s like to be an open-hearted, queer, single woman in her 60s than I’ve ever had before. When I recently published How will I cope if my husband dies?, Nan gently suggested that I add “wife,” in order to include lesbian couples, to my disclaimer to substitute “spouse” or “partner” if “husband” wasn’t appropriate for the reader. Nan’s graceful writing about tough and/or awkward topics makes me think. She writes about wearing her brother’s underpants when she was eight, overcoming depression and applying for disability benefits (which she later gave up⁵), and feeling fat (and her recovery from disordered eating). 

5. Rona Maynard

Rona Maynard

, 75, is an extraordinarily impressive writer. Her most recent book⁶ is about her adopted mutt, Casey. Initially I avoided picking it up, pegging it as another “dog book;” but when I finally did read it, I was blown away. It’s the beautifully woven story of her life as a young woman and a young wife, her ambitions, her relationship to food (and how it’s different from Casey’s), getting older, and how taking Casey for daily walks ultimately made her a kinder person. She pulls her past and present together, and, engagingly, includes quotations from two of my favorite poets, Emily Dickinson and Gerard Manley Hopkins. On Substack, Rona continues exploring her life and her long marriage, sharing multi-layered stories about her aging dog, her favorite book, brave encounters, and whatever crosses her path—and Casey’s.

🎙️I interviewed Rona on my podcast: Rona Maynard on How Adopting a Rescue Mutt When She Was 65 Made Her a Better Person  (Nov. 10, 2023)

6. Susan Orlean

Yes, the

Susan Orlean

, 69, author of at least eight acclaimed books, including The Orchid Thief and The Library Book, and also a staff writer for The New Yorker. Susan is another relative newcomer to Substack who kindly agreed to a [b]old woman Q&A. The result is A (surprising) Q&A with celebrated writer Susan Orlean about her obsession with fashion. What I love about Susan’s writing is how fluid and sure-handed it is. She is masterful, taking us firmly by the hand as she spins out a story, nailing perfect sentence after perfect sentence.

Susan’s life lessons from her old dog: “But it’s hard not to feel a pang when you realize you no longer have that new car smell. You’re comfortable, broken-in, reliable, steady, but you know you will never be young.” - Susan Orlean

And the bonus [b]old woman writer

7. Hilma Wolitzer

Hilma Wolitzer, 94, does not write on Substack but her recent [b]old woman Q&A, I’m not just an old lady, delighted and inspired readers, so I feel compelled to include her. An acclaimed author for almost 50 years, she published her most recent book⁷, a collection of her short stories, at 92. Her stories of sharply observed domestic life were published in the Saturday Evening Post and Esquire in the 1960s and 1970s. She’s taught writing at the Bread Loaf Writers' Conference, the Iowa Writers' Workshop, NYU, and Columbia and is the recipient of national awards and fellowships.

Her daughter, Meg Wolitzer, a New York Times bestselling novelist, encouraged Hilma to write through her grief and tell the story of her husband’s hospitalization and death from Covid, to round off the new collection. Hilma ironically titled this final story The Great Escape, delineating Morty’s sudden disappearance from her life. Her style is diamond sharp–not a wasted word. Also, she’s funny and there's even sex.

Hilma and I met up for coffee this week in New York City. After a second bout of Covid for her, she is now being extra careful; so an outside table in November it was, chilly and windy and blasted by a procession of fire engines. We talked nonstop for an hour-and-a-half about books, writing, our families, what it’s like to be a widow in her 90s, and more. We’ll meet again to continue the conversation!

🎙️I interviewed Hilma for my podcast two years ago: Hilma Wolitzer on Writing at 92 and Turning Domestic Life Into Art.

Check out these other [b]old women writers

There are so many notable “old women” who write on Substack. Here are additional names of writers (not in any order) that I admire. I hope you will meet me in the Comments to add more names!

Sari Botton

,⁸

Ramona Grigg

⁹,

Kate Hill

¹⁰,

Suzanne Noble

¹¹,

Donna McArthur

,

Mary Roblyn

,

Jody Day

¹²,

Jeannine Ouellette

,

Jane Ratcliffe

,

Jo Linney

,

Judith Hannah Weiss

,

Anne Kadet

,

Janice Walton

,

Nancy Hendrickson

, K.R. Dodd¹³,

JULIA HUBBEL

,

lyz

,

Nancy Harmon Jenkins

,

Laurie Stone

, Katherine Esty PhD,

Mariah Burton Nelson

,

Patricia Cusack

,

Tina Hedin

,

Valerie Monroe

,

Nancy Jainchill

,

Joan Stommen

and many others. And another famous [b]old writer:

Margaret Atwood

.

And a shoutout to some of my favorite midlife writers

Age is irrelevant when it comes to exceptional writing, but for the purposes of this post I define midlife as roughly 40 to 60. These are some of the midlife women whose writing I enjoy the most:

Sarah Fay

,

Dana Leigh Lyons

,

Dr. Lucy McBride

,

Isabel Cowles Murphy

,

Kirsten Powers

,

Good Humor by CK Steefel

,

Jessica Smock

,¹⁴

Holly Starley

,

Amanda B. Hinton

,

Jessica DeFino

,

Meghan O'Rourke

,

Claire Diaz-Ortiz

.

And several younger-than-midlife writers who are just so goddamn good:

Amy Hoggart

and

Erin Shetron

. Plus

Emma Gannon

.

Questions for readers

• Who are your favorite older women writers on Substack?

• What’s your criteria for putting them on your list?

If you’ve read this far… thank you!

And if you want to read more about [b]old women (including me!), please consider becoming a paid subscriber. Paid subscribers have access to my most personal and revealing essays, as well as to my Ask Debbie column, where I answer questions from both a practical and existential perspective.

1. A shoutout to

Jody Day

who generously called me “the queen of elderstack”

2. I also invite younger women to participate in ElderStack Chat, so a number of those who comment are in midlife.

3. Old-old is usually defined as 75-84 and oldest-old as 85 and up. 

4. Take a look at my home page via this link. Nan helped me break it into sections by topic and also inserted customized “subscribe” messages.

5. This one is complicated; you’ll have to read it: Emancipation.

6. Starter Dog: My Path to Joy, Belonging, and Loving This World by Rona Maynard (ECW Press, April 18, 2023)

7.  Today a Woman Went Mad in the Supermarket by Hilma Wolitzer (Bloomsbury, 2022)

8. Sari, 59, is an honorary member of [b]old writing women because of her wonderful Oldster Magazine interviews.

9. Read my B]old Woman Q&A with Ramona, 86.

10. Read my [B]old Woman Q&A with Kate, 73, about her life in France.

11. Suzanne writes Sex Advice for Seniors and is co-author of Advantages of Age.

12. Jody writes eloquently about the childless movement and being childless at 60. 

13. K.R. writes Words, Wisdom and Conversation.

14. Check out Midstack and read a [B]old Woman Q&A with Jessica.