Class

Writing Elder

“It is,” as poet and novelist May Sarton puts it, “quite easy to wither into old age, and hard to grow into it.” For writers, however, the mastery of language is a lifelong journey. Toni Morrison, for example, published four novels, four children’s books, and numerous essays after the age of 70. A Yale study found that reading thirty minutes a day extends one’s life expectancy; another study demonstrates that keeping a journal can reduce the risk of dementia. In language, the medium of our creativity, we may have at our disposal a uniquely powerful tool for growing our own aging.

In this class we creatively address aging in our lives. It is a generative class in which we meet head on prevailing stereotypes of age, as well as the behaviors and attitudes that result from them. The class consists of writing to prompts, sharing the outcome, and supporting each other’s writing in a safe, exploratory environment. Writing and generating material for poems, essays, and stories is supplemented by reading and discussing selections from writers we admire. We explore how their varying attitudes on aging reflect the wide range of cultural attitudes toward elders in community.

This class takes place in-person, at the Loft at Open Book; we encourage participants to be fully vaccinated and masked in the interest of everyone’s safety. Please see the Loft’s website for the most up to date information about the Loft’s COVID policies.