And increasingly, the need to read the words written by people in my own age becomes challenging.  Much good to read, but oh, to hear from those with the years of experience that leads to wisdom.

What an absolute treat then, when Persimmon Tree appeared.  A challenge for those of us who prefer to touch and feel the paper we are reading, but still a remarkable assemblage of creativity and talent by women over 60.  To quote the editors, “Many women are at the height of their creative abilities in their later decades and have a great deal to contribute. Persimmon Tree is committed to bringing this wealth of fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and art to a broader audience, for the benefit of all.”

Okay,  sometimes I print it and sometimes I email the magazine and beg for the inclusion of a one button option that would print the whole thing, but that is me and their offerings are great.  Some of the authors and artists have fame from the past and it will feel like a step into a scrapbook of sorts and some are delightful new finds.

Go find it — you’ll even be able to read their library that dates back to the grand beginning — Spring of 2007.  No cost.  Quarterly.  Immerse yourself.

http://www.persimmontree.org.

The new issue, Summer 2009, includes in the nonfiction section, the following offerings, by decade,  of sagely wonder aimed at the experience of entering the next decade –

Vivian Gornick Turning Sixty

Sandra Butler Tiptoeing Toward Seventy

Dorothy Bryant Pushing Eighty-Still Pushing Books

Roussel Sargent Reaching Ninety

Katherine Bradway On Approaching My Hundreth Year

Theodore Roszak’s genius in The Making of a Counter Culture is certain once again to revolutionize our understanding in his new book, The Making of an Elder Culture.

His latest insightful treat offers one of the more salutary visions of what may be possible as the “saging” demographic continues to swell in numbers. As he says in his foreword, “Every institution in our society will be transformed as its population drifts further and further from competitive individualism, military–industrial bravado, and the careerist rat race. It is as if the freeways of the world will one day soon begin to close down, starting with the fast lane and finally turning into pastures and meadows.”

The link below will take you to an excerpt and the opportunity to purchase the book. I plan on reading it and am certain you will want to do so as well!

http://www.secondjourney.org/itin/09_Spr/Roszak_09Spr.htm

Reb Zalman was among the first to offer insights into reconceptualizing the aging process, drawing on many religions and traditions and emphasizing the increasing importance of making meditation, exercise, and spiritual healing a part of the second half of life.

In his efforts to “revitalize” Judaism he has been committed to interfaith dialogue, feminism, the Gaia hypothesis, and the rights of LGBTs.  His entire life is a tribute to the power of self-growth and community service to effect change in the world. His book, From Age-ing to Sage-ing, is one of the many insightful guides we can find for making the transition from a youth-dominated mentality and culture to a deepened wisdom and maturity.