Calling all [B]old Women: please introduce yourself!
Hello and welcome to a new community for old(er) women writers and readers hosted by me, Debbie. Please tell us about yourself by leaving a comment.
Welcome to something new on my Substack
One of my greatest pleasures on Substack has been meeting other older women writers, many of whom are in the UK, Canada, and the U.S. (where I live). Who knew there were this many (b)old women wanting to exchange support, ideas and more?! Given interest in such a gathering space, I’m hosting [B]old Women, a lively space where old(er) women writers and readers can support and encourage one another. If that’s you, I invite you to join in to help kick off this community. Tell us about yourself in a comment. Anything goes! We don’t need rules at this stage in our lives.
My Substack
I also write about [B]OLD AGE without regard to gender or pronouns, offer Writing Tips, and include Behind The Scenes for each episode of my [B]old Age podcast, now in Season 6 with over 100 episodes. I also do Q&As with [B]old Women. Upgrade to a paid subscription for full access.
My intro
I’ll go first…
My name is Debbie Weil and I’m 72. I’m a writer and editor (and more) with many decades of experience. I write on Substack about what getting old is really like. As I explain on my About page: “I’m in good health and still very active; yet I’ve entered the land of the old. It’s a foreign country and, frankly, I’m quite surprised to find myself here. This place was not on my bucket list.” However, writing (and in my case, getting back to writing) IS on my bucket list. I try and write about hard things, including cognitive decline and the hard stop of death. But I also write about slowing down and taking more pleasure in little things. I started writing on Substack in June, 2023. I live in the U.S., on the coast of Maine and in New Haven, CT. And I so look forward to meeting everyone.
P.S. I live with my husband of 51 years
. We have three children in their 40s and six grandchildren.Now, your turn to leave a comment!
Introduce yourself in the comments so we can get to know one another!
There is no age qualification to participate but my thought was that this space is for women in their 60s, 70s, 80s who may share similar concerns (and pleasures) about old age. And other women (40s, 50s?) who are old souls at heart or who are interested. Again, no hard and fast rules. Let’s see how this develops. Things you might include in your introduction:
Your name and age
What your Substack is about and a link to it (it’s fine if you’re a reader and you’re not posting)
When did you start writing on Substack?
Where do you live?
One thing on your bucket list
If relevant, marital / partner status, children, grandchildren, pets, etc.
And anything else you want to tell us.
More discussion amongst [B]old Women over on my chat
I generally pose a new question every week or so on my chat. I’m still getting the hang of “chat” on Substack but it’s kinda fun.
I’m Denise Taylor, aged 66.
I started my Substack: Rethinking Retirement and Conscious Ageing about 6 weeks ago.
https://substack.com/@drdenisetaylor
I write about finding joy and meaning in later life with a focus on writing deep and engaging commentary on retirement, ageing and later life. Much of this is based on my academic research, I gained my PhD aged 64. I’ve had a blog for about 20 years, and also have a weekly newsletter on LinkedIn for about 18 months.
I’m a psychologist, writer, commentator. I’ve had 7 books published including Rethinking Retirement for Positive Ageing and Find Work at 50+. Both lead to media work which I enjoy. I’m also a wilderness rites of passage guide. I live in Cheltenham, The Cotswolds, UK.
I don’t have a bucket list; instead, I take advantage of opportunities such as earlier this year I was part of a group of 7 women who spent 2 weeks living with a Maasai tribe. We were there to ‘give voice’ to their story.
I also own a 4-acre wood and get a great deal of satisfaction spending quiet time out in nature, loving to stay overnight sleeping in my hammock and to listen to the sounds of the wood.
Having been married twice (taking up most of my adult life) I am now appreciating living alone. I enjoy going to gigs and improv comedy alongside the quiet of my wood.
It’s good to be here.
Hello, I'm Jeanine, 71 in June. I just discovered [B]old Women through serendipity, I guess. Grew up during the feminist and hippie revolutions which left an indelible mark on me, for the better. After graduating college in the midwest a quarter early so I could move to California, I felt I'd found my spot. Moved from SoCal to NorCal in a roundabout way. Landed in SF, worked in publishing w/ a travel magazine, got offered a job in sales through my only woman friend who was Not complaining about her job or her boss. She was making 6 figures, owned a house and drove a sporty 2-door Honda. All the new accounts were in Silicon Valley and our male sales counterparts could not deign to drive 40 min. south. But Nancy and I did, and we got all the choice tech accounts first. Met my husband, we went to the Mex-Caribbean for vacation, fell in love with it, and decided we had to move there. We stumbled onto a fishing village we fell for, bought land, it was taken by eminent domain by MX govt. Our next lot also had problems, but we persevered, and our 3rd lot was just right. Built a house, moved lock, stock and barrel to Puerto Morelos. Founded a bookstore (one of 7 in the state) and as a sideline, started writing for MX websites, newspapers and occasional guidebook updates. Became a Mayaphile as we lived within 100 miles of 4 major pyramid sites. Have studied the Maya since. Wrote a travel memoir (I'm condense-serializing on SubS) at https://mexicosoul.substack.com and write about all things Mexican. Wrote non-fiction on Maya 2012 calendar conundrum and two narco thrillers set in my fertile stomping grounds of the Yucatán. Between MX and CA now. Sold the bookstore but it still thrives. And--lastly--I do not feel my age! I'm so glad you're here, Debbie! Thanks for this.