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Old Enough: Southern Women Artists and Writers on Creativity and Aging
In Old Enough, twenty-one women artists and writers write about the experience of aging. Gay, straight, unmarried, partnered, widowed, Black, white, Latinx, retired, and working, these women are not squeamish about the challenges of growing older, including ageism, health concerns, and loss. And they are frank about how received notions of female aging can be restrictive and diminishing. But in lyrical, sometimes wry, often inspiring essays they explore what growing older can self-knowledge, insight, and acceptance. Striking portraits by award-winning photographer Carolyn Sherer, who is also a contributor to the volume, accompany each essay.
At the heart of this invigorating collection is the bold championing of creative practice. Some contributors look back to their girlhood to recall their first powerful connections to art, while others show how they have refreshed their commitment to maintaining a practice. However, all are still driven to create and to investigate, to stay committed to the processes that work while finding new ways to stay creatively alive. Old Enough aims to honor the limitless variety, depth, and scope of being “old enough” and will resonate with readers who want to understand and find purpose, meaning, and comradery in their creative journey.
At the heart of this invigorating collection is the bold championing of creative practice. Some contributors look back to their girlhood to recall their first powerful connections to art, while others show how they have refreshed their commitment to maintaining a practice. However, all are still driven to create and to investigate, to stay committed to the processes that work while finding new ways to stay creatively alive. Old Enough aims to honor the limitless variety, depth, and scope of being “old enough” and will resonate with readers who want to understand and find purpose, meaning, and comradery in their creative journey.
200 pages, Hardcover
Published May 1, 2024
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
May 8, 2024
This is such an inspiring collection. And it’s a beautiful book—it has a variety of women who work in so many different media telling so many different stories.
February 1, 2025
What can I say? I’m a sucker for strong women speaking clearly and forcefully while acknowledging their creative and personal challenges. That I actually have met and “know” some of them makes it all the more treasured.
June 22, 2024
This is a wonderful book of essays by writers, and artists in other fields, such as photography, painting, illustrating sculpture, song writing, poetry, playwriting, and, my favorite, textiles.
I’m sure this group of women have been involved in many other artistic pursuits in their lives, in addition to the ones I have listed.
When I bought the book I was eager to begin reading and opened it up, read the inside of the dust jacket, the Contents page, the Acknowledgements, and the Introduction. Then, I read the first essay. Then I closed the book.
That first essay was so good that I was afraid to continue.
Would the remainder be as good? How could it be as good?? Would I be disappointed or would this book be filled with more insightful, moving essays?
After several days of the book sitting on the table beside my chair and me passing it by, looking at it, and saying “not ready yet”, I finally sat down and started reading again.
The first essay is still the best in my opinion, and I’m not going to say anything more about it here. Just read it.
I’m happy to say I found all of the essays filled with wit and insights of what it’s like to a woman, an artist, and now, an older woman in our society.
I also especially liked the essay about finding the freedom to pursue art in a life filled with family, friends, work, and all of the other things women have to care for and keep track of. It shows that the spark stays alive, although maybe dormant, and can come back to life (insists on coming back to life!) in a later season. Being an artist is a character trait, not an occupation or hobby.
I shared this with a young artistic woman whom I know, as hopefully a source of encouragement. She’s in the midst of raising her family and working and may have shoved her love of poetry and sketching into the rare moments she can do whatever she chooses.
So this is not a book to pass by because you’re not in the older demographic.
And finally, my favorite, the woman who works with textiles and makes Quilts that tell stories. Her quilts are amazing and known across the US.
When she first started showing her quilts some people told her she needed to take quilting classes - I guess to make her stiches uniform or her seams straight, but essentially to please them, the advice givers.
And over the years people have applied several different labels to her style. She seems not to let any of that bother her.
She has continued to make her quilts her way. Her attitude is that “their way is right for them and my way is right for me”.
Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we all adopted that philosophy?
Okay, this review is getting too long. Just go buy the book already!
I’m sure this group of women have been involved in many other artistic pursuits in their lives, in addition to the ones I have listed.
When I bought the book I was eager to begin reading and opened it up, read the inside of the dust jacket, the Contents page, the Acknowledgements, and the Introduction. Then, I read the first essay. Then I closed the book.
That first essay was so good that I was afraid to continue.
Would the remainder be as good? How could it be as good?? Would I be disappointed or would this book be filled with more insightful, moving essays?
After several days of the book sitting on the table beside my chair and me passing it by, looking at it, and saying “not ready yet”, I finally sat down and started reading again.
The first essay is still the best in my opinion, and I’m not going to say anything more about it here. Just read it.
I’m happy to say I found all of the essays filled with wit and insights of what it’s like to a woman, an artist, and now, an older woman in our society.
I also especially liked the essay about finding the freedom to pursue art in a life filled with family, friends, work, and all of the other things women have to care for and keep track of. It shows that the spark stays alive, although maybe dormant, and can come back to life (insists on coming back to life!) in a later season. Being an artist is a character trait, not an occupation or hobby.
I shared this with a young artistic woman whom I know, as hopefully a source of encouragement. She’s in the midst of raising her family and working and may have shoved her love of poetry and sketching into the rare moments she can do whatever she chooses.
So this is not a book to pass by because you’re not in the older demographic.
And finally, my favorite, the woman who works with textiles and makes Quilts that tell stories. Her quilts are amazing and known across the US.
When she first started showing her quilts some people told her she needed to take quilting classes - I guess to make her stiches uniform or her seams straight, but essentially to please them, the advice givers.
And over the years people have applied several different labels to her style. She seems not to let any of that bother her.
She has continued to make her quilts her way. Her attitude is that “their way is right for them and my way is right for me”.
Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we all adopted that philosophy?
Okay, this review is getting too long. Just go buy the book already!
August 28, 2024
I read one essay every day during my morning stretch - and felt my heart stretch too. Gorgeous.
Read
September 17, 2024I like the diversity and representation.
November 14, 2024
Honest, vulnerable, mighty, tender, all the beauty of aging and creativity bundled in this collection of essays.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews