In this era where ageism is rampant, isn’t it great to see older writers hit it out of the park?  Ageism is prejudice or discrimination against people based on their age.  It is predominantly experienced by older Americans but can also affect younger people.  A poll conducted in 2020 found that 82% of older Americans reported experiencing ageism regularly.  Like other forms of discrimination, ageism can negatively impact the health and well-being of older adults.  It also sets a despondent tone for the generations that follow.
 
While some people feel and act like older people should be put on a shelf to collect dust or be stored in a back closet like a pair of old sneakers, older writers are packaging their years of life experience and generating stories that readers are gobbling up.  Older writers have real-life experience to reflect on and create novels with depth, historical perspective, and wisdom younger generations just can’t offer yet.  
 
Delia Owens is one such example.  Owens published her first novel, Where The Crawdads Sing,  at the age of sixty-nine.  Her drama mystery set in the marshlands of North Carolina has shattered book sales records across the globe and has now been made into a motion picture produced by Reese Witherspoon.  Not bad, for an ‘old lady’, huh?
 
Sue Monk-Kidd published her first novel, Secret Life of Bees, at the age of fifty-three in 2001.  Her story of a young girl set in the south trying to find answers after her mother is tragically killed has sold over 8 million copies worldwide and has been adapted into a movie, and a musical off-Broadway play.  
 
Other notable senior authors?  James Patterson now seventy-five continues to publish best-selling novels, many of which have become movies.  Nora Roberts has published over 225 novels and yet her new releases continue to be shelved on the New Fiction shelves in major bookstores across the country.  The list goes on!
 
Older writers have had time to polish the craft of writing.  They refuse to drink the ageism KoolAid.  They refuse to be put out to pasture.  They are seen on the back of book jackets, interviewed on popular shows, featured in magazine articles, and appear on the internet.  They inspire us all.

Looking for more inspiration to combat ageism?  Read my latest book #CoolGrannies.  Two sassy age-old friends hit the road in a modern Thelma & Louise story, minus the cliff.