Editor Nancy Peckenham founded Crow’s Feet to build a community of writers who are shaking up old ideas about what it means to grow old. Since mid-2019, the publication has attracted a diverse group of people who use their words to describe their unique experiences and insights.
Here are the authors whose work appears in the book and on CrowsFeet.life.
Contributing Writers
Meryl Baer is recovering from a career in finance and lives at the Jersey shore. Relatives and friends descend all summer, except during the summer of 2020, when nobody came. No one visits in winter, so she writes. Her work has appeared in anthologies and journals, including Pure Slush and Perspectives Magazine). Read her sometimes humorous and occasionally noteworthy blog, Beach Boomer Bulletin.
Marie A. Bailey has an M.A. in Creative Writing from Florida State University. She blogs about writing, nature, cats and knitting at www.1writeway.com. She’s been published in Brevity, by Nightingale & Sparrow, and in various publications on Medium as @marieannbailey. She currently lives in Florida.
Rose Bak is a freelance writer, author and yoga teacher who lives in Portland, Oregon with her family and special needs dogs. As a dedicated multipotentialite, she writes on a variety of topics including self-care, aging, inspiration, business, and pop culture and is a published romantic fiction author. Rose also teaches accessible yoga and sings. Visit rosebakenterprises.com or follow her on social media @AuthorRoseBak.
Deborah Barchi has recently retired from her career as a librarian and now has time to read, explore nature, and write poetry and essays.
Lee J. Bentch is a multi-service Veteran with a Master's in Communications. He is a career technologist, spending his entire working life involved in the world of high tech. Lee writes on various topics ranging from food to humor, weather to space, technology to trees most anything that catches his attention.
Zoe Berry is a former nurse practitioner, nurse educator, and Queen’s Nurse. She is now exploring how to age well and have the best later life. Visit www.ageingisagift.co.uk for more.
K M Brown lives in Georgia and Florida with her husband and two dogs. She is the author of From Fear to There: Becoming a Confident Traveler and considers herself to be the top (and possibly only) expert in hodophobia, the fear of travel. Even so, she’d just as soon be home.
Beth Bruno has been writing about life and all its complexities since she was eight years old. She has relished her fifties and is looking forward to her sixties. She loves hanging out with her adult children and grandchildren, gardening, raising chickens and camping on uninhabited islands.
Jean Campbell is a 4x top writer on Mediumin psychology, humor, food, and history. She writes for a true crime pub in the non-Medium world, and can be found online atjxcampbell.com.
Kathleen Cardwell is now a freelance writer/editor based in Cincinnati, Ohio, following a 30+ year career in marketing and communications. Kathleen enjoys writing relevant and entertaining narratives, personal essays, and feature articles for magazines. Kathleen has recently started editing memoirs and family ancestry books. Her writing can be found on Medium.
Eileen Vorbach Collins is a Baltimore native battling fire ants in Florida. Award-winning essayist. Pushcart nominee. Writes because it’s cheaper than therapy. Visit www.eileenvorbachcollins.com
Laura Culberg, MSW, teaches writing, meditation and yoga. Find out more about her at www.lauraculberg.com. Subscribe to her free newsletter "Welcoming opposites" at https://lauraculberg.substack.com/. Laura lives in South Seattle with her family.
Brenda Cyr is a ICU RN from Ontario, Canada who writes about life experiences, lessons learned, and the adventure of getting older. Visit her website at www.BrendaACyr.com.
Caroline Lucas de Braganza is a Wise Old Woman (WOW) who dreamed of writing when she retired. Caroline has published essays on a range of topics, from Emotional Health, Neuroscience, Self and Society to Spirit, dipping into humor when life gets too serious. Forever curious, Caroline vows to play with words for the rest of her days.
Brittany Denis, PT, DPT, RES-CPT is a physical therapist, movement coach, and educator empowering clients through the aging process with mindful movement. She inspires all adults to bring a growth mindset to aging in her movement studio as through writing and educating online. To learn more, visit https://www.advancedbalance.org/.
Dennett was always a writer but lived in a bookkeeper’s body before she found Medium and broke free — well, almost. She is working to work less and write more.
Dana Dobsonis a ghostwriter, editor and TEDx speaker coach with 30+ years of experience. She has written books, articles, blogs and speeches on a wide variety of subjects and genres, specializing in memoirs, corporate histories and non-fiction about business, leadership, health and wellness, self-help, aging, humor and food.
Catherine Dunn lives on a boat on Vancouver Island on Canada’s left coast with her partner of over four decades and their two dogs.Afterraising her sixteen children, and finally retired from work, she now has time to write and spend time with her many grandchildren.
Katharine Esty, PhD is a practicing psychotherapist, widow, mother, grandmother, and an activist for aging well. She's on a mission to dispel myths about old age. She lives in a retirement community near Boston. Her recent book, Eightysomethings: A Practical Guide to Letting Go, Aging Well, and Finding Unexpected Happiness, can be purchased at Amazon.com. Sign up on her website for her monthly newsletters.
Maggie Fry lives on a small farm south of Erie, Pennsylvania, where she spends her time gardening, cooking, spinning, and writing. She also loves to travel.
Jen Gippel has a Ph.D. in Finance from the Australian National University and a Master of Science in Creativity and Change Leadership from State University of New York. Jen lives in Canberra and researches and writes in the areas of finance, creative aging, and life matters. She has recently started a publication on Medium devoted to creativity (medium.com/creative-enlightenment).
Ramona Grigg is a long-time essayist and columnist who began her career before ‘online’ was a thing. Her political blog, Ramona’s Voices, ran for 12 years, from Barack Obama’s inauguration to Joe Biden’s inauguration. Her work has been seen at Huffington Post, Crooks and Liars, Talking Points Memo, Salon, Liberaland, Eclectablog, and other like-minded websites. She’s still writing.
J. F. Gross is a graduate of The University of Missouri School of Journalism and worked for more than 30 years for newspapers in Colorado. She is now retired in Flagstaff, Arizona.
Jan Harayda is an award-winning journalist who has been the book columnist for Glamour, the book editor of and critic for the Plain Dealer in Cleveland, and a vice president of the National Book Critics Circle, the professional organization for U.S. book critics. Her work has appeared in many major media, including the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, and the Washington Post. She's also the author of two comic novels, The Accidental Bride (St. Martin's) and Manhattan on the Rocks(Sourcebooks). Born and raised in New Jersey, she's now a freelance writer and editor on the Gulf Coast. You can find her on Twitter and Medium at @janiceharayda.
Jackie Madden Haugh calls herself the Guardian of Memories, a storyteller who preserves family history in the written form. Her musings are about everyday life, most often laced in humor, but with inspirational takeaway points in all. She has written published books and can be found at www.jackiehaugh.com.
Greg Hopkins lives in Italy with his wife Chrissy and their dog Tilda. Greg is endlessly fascinated by the paradox of perfection, wholeness and healing in the midst of chaos.
Margie Hord Méndez is a Canadian-Mexican linguist, retired EFL teacher, translator and blogger. A widow, she is soon to publish a book for older women on living a fulfilling life. She is also coauthor of prize-winning Un año con Dios, a book of 365 meditations in Spanish for women.
Paul Hossfield is a retired engineer living in the diminutive yet great state of Rhode Island. Until March of 2020 he was quite active. Now he stays home, makes masks, writes under the pseudonym Quasimodo on Medium, finds useful things to do when possible, and gets about chiefly by bicycle.
Julia E. Hubbel, when not out traveling the backwoods of the world, may be found cleaning the blackberries out of her yard in Oregon. Or writing. She's pretty good at writing, very good at riding horses, and really, really good at making fun of aging.
Robin James is a lifetime resident of Alberta, Canada. Now that her parenting duties have shifted away from a managerial role and over to a consulting one, she focuses her energy on writing a novel. A voracious reader, she also writes book reviews that can be found at: shouldbewriting.com
Emily Kingsley is a mom, teacher, runner, reader, and writer from New Hampshire. She loves colorful phrases, weird birds, and finding surprises in the mail, in the woods, or anywhere else. She writes on the backs of receipts, in notebooks, and sometimes on Medium.com. Also, she likes lists.
Barry Knister. For many years, Barry taught undergraduates before returning to writing. He has published five novels, and appreciates being able to publish shorter work on Medium. But Crow's Feet is special because it gives a voice to older writers and their concerns. For more, please visit http://www.bwknister.com/.
Ruby Lee is a Mother, Wife, Teacher, Librarian, Teller of Stories, author of The Marriage Wars available on Amazon.
Carol Lennox is a psychotherapist and hypnotherapist who leans left and reports she was Mindfulness practitioner before it was cool. She holds an M.Ed. and LPC. You can reach her at Carolsantafe93@gmail.com.
Ann Litts is a 60-year-old mother and grandmother who loves J.R.R. Tolkien, black coffee, good tequila, and losing at Candy Land. A nurse for over 25 years, she looks forward to retirement with much anticipation and joie-de-vivre. Nature is her church. She doesn't write, she listens and then shares the message The Universe dictates to whomever needs to hear it.
David Martin’s humor and political satire have appeared in many publications including The New York Times, The Chicago Tribune and Smithsonian Magazine. He has published several collections of his humor writing including Dare to be Average and Screams and Whispers, all of which are available on Amazon.com.
Mary McGrath. After spending 25 years in the advertising business, Mary retired out of corporate life to pursue her passion for writing. Her work has appeared in a myriad of publications including the Wall Street Journal, Good Housekeeping, and Chicken Soup for the Soul. For more information visit www.marymcgrathphotography.com
Nalini McNab is an internationally recognized author, blogger, wisdom teacher and transformational seer. She is the author of several books, including Walk A New Way and The Samurai Scotties trilogy. She is not affiliated with any group, organization or religion. Find her work at www.goddessportalsupport.com and on Medium.com/@chaliceofwisdom.
Shea McNaughton is a city girl living in the country doing country stuff and loving every bit of it. She says she needs two lifetimes to do all she wants to do. Blogger, photographer, world traveler, reader, dancer, and now biker chick.
Donna McNicol retired as an IT professional and started writing fiction. Her preferred genre is small town mysteries with a dash of romance, but she has also tackled children's stories, fantasy and small-town romance. Her short stories have been included in several anthologies. She lives in rural Tennessee with her husband and two Goldendoodles. Please visit Donna at https://campsite.bio/dbmcnicol to follow her.
Judy Millar is a Canadian writer of personal essays, poems, short stories and song lyrics. She has published in Reader’s Digest, Writer’s Digest and Medium, and also presents her work live as a comedic storyteller. Judy leads workshops on humour-writing and Legacy Letter-writing. To view her in action, visit https://judymillar.ca.
David Mokotoff is a retired cardiologist and avid writer. His works have been published in multiple journals and blogs. They most often involve the human side of medicine. He has also published a memoir and short story collection. When not writing or reading, he is fishing in the Gulf of Mexico, gardening or cooking.
Michelle Monet is a musician, author, poet, and seeker. She is currently writing a showbiz memoir and Broadway style Musical. Contact her at michelle@michellemonet.com Diane Overcash is a fine art painter, fiddler, actor and arranger of words. She is also a butter snob.
Scott Ninneman is a writer who works with numbers during the day. A mental health advocate, Scott maintains the blog,Speaking Bipolar, where he writes about living with bipolar disorder and chronic illness. He publishes content about additional topics on Medium. His interests include gardening, hiking, and Hulu binging.
Carole Olsen is an author, freelance writer, outdoors enthusiast, vegetarian, animal rescue worker, world hiker and traveler. She was an accountant in her last life. She lives with Eric, to whom she has been happily married for 27 years, plus two spoiled rescue dogs Zoey & Dobby. Mother of two great kids (and their terrific spouses) and the cool grandmother of two amazing grandchildren.
Orrin Onken is a retired elder law attorney from Portland, Oregon. He cooks, gets older, and writes legal mysteries for Salish Ponds Press.
Nancy Peckenham is the editor of Crow’s Feet, which she started after a career in journalism. She writes about life as we age, travel adventures, history and matters of the human spirit.
Tom Phillips is a New York writer and critic-at-large. A retired journalist, he wrote for CBS News and the New York Times, and taught at the Columbia School of Journalism. He now writes about dance and theater at www.danceviewtimes.com. His memoir, A Beginner's Life, was published in 2015.
Carol Priceis a displaced Irishwoman living in the Scottish borders. She began to write when she retired from the medical profession. She is passionate about encouraging older people to write and runs a small creative writing group in a town called Annan (not the same as a town called Alice).
Ren Powell is a Poet, Translator, and Teaching Artist, with a Ph.D. in Creative Writing from Lancaster University. She is a traditionally published writer who is currently focusing on mixed media and handbound books. She keeps a daily literary diary (Tanka Prose) online at RenPowell.com.
Jaylee Reign colors in the meaningless—crayons outside the lines. A romantic recluse, spiritual muse, poetic heart, comedic fool… an advocate of the child-within. Empathy is the spiritual literacy of her heart and humor her saving grace—her family is her world and the world.
Julie Ranson loves writing. She is a self-improver. Believer. Wife. Mother of three adults. Twitter@JulieJRanson Instagram: jjranson_writer.
Roger A. Reid is the host of the Success Point 360 Podcast and author of “Better Mondays” and “Speak up,” a guide to conquering the fear of public speaking. A certified NLP trainer with degrees in engineering and business, Roger offers tips and strategies for achieving higher levels of career success and personal fulfillment in the real world.
Charles H. Roast is a pseudonym. He has been writing on Medium for almost two years, exploring the depth of his juvenile humor, writing sarcastic sarcasm, satirical satire, and funny humorous stories. For fun, Chuck likes to have fun. He has been a top writer several times in satire, and has been published in numerous publications where they publish stuff.
Lili Rodriguez is a native New Yorker who has lived on a farm in Hawaii with two life partners and a bunch of critters (including four very loud parrots) since 1999. Over 60 herself, Lili is a cultural anthropologist, consumer researcher, entrepreneur and wannabe writer. She is fascinated by life’s surprising complexity and obsessed with understanding the “why” behind the “what.”
Sophia Rosesearches the planet for whims to follow. She declines to be defined by age, location, or occupation, given that they change with unsurprising regularity. Although she tries to keep her thoughts to herself, sometimes the pesky things force themselves onto her Medium page, sophiarose5.medium.com.
Anne Saddler lives in a lively Cornish port in the UK. After a career writing primarily non-fiction, Anne has returned to her first love, poetry and fiction writing. Her book North Of The Heart, a selection of poetry and prose, is available from Amazon books world-wide (paperback and Kindle).
Mary Dalton Selby, who is retired and living in the Midwest, transitioned from a career in the digital world to playing on the floor with her grandkids. Retirement has also given her the opportunity to explore new interests, like writing.
Carol Shamon is a writer and painter in San Diego, CA. She's been a journal keeper and poet for most of her life. In college she was published in several publications including Colorado-North Review and Poetry-North Review. She studied with Allen Ginsberg and Anne Waldman at Naropa Institute for two summers. She recently self published a zine titled "A Different More" Creating and Embracing Change While Aging. She is working on her first novel, "The Decade House.". In what feels like another lifetime ago, she created and owned a successful talent agency for 34 years.
Anna I. Smith writes about relationships and situations that make her laugh, cry or both. When not writing she loves to bake, watch movies and analyze the state of the world and everything in it. She lives in Southern California with her husband, her pets, and other wild and crazy animals.
Linda C Smith is a writer and photographer. She enjoys writing fiction and essays about the vagaries of Life and loves photographing wildlife.
Christina Sng is a poet, writer, essayist, and artist. She is the Bram Stoker Award-winning author of A Collection of Nightmares, Elgin Award runner-up for Astropoetry, and A Collection of Dreamscapes. Visit her at christinasng.com and connect @christinasng.
Mark Starlin is a musician and writer who began his writing adventure at the age of 57. He recently turned 60. His writing spans a wide variety of topics and genres, including fiction, humor, poetry, and essays. He has published one novel, a collection of fiction, and a collection of humor.
Tatyana Sussex is a writer and life coach living on Mercer Island, WA. She is finishing a memoir about marrying at almost 50, "Late Bloomer: A Midlife Marriage." She works with creative professionals, writers and inventors at Everyday Creative Coaching: www.everydaycreative.net.
The Recovering Educator is semi-retired from the Education Industrial Complex. When he is not writing subversive articles, annoying busy teachers and school administrators he is living a quiet life in the country with his lovely wife. There he spends time making beer, wine, and Adirondack chairs from which to enjoy a cool beverage and plot ways to end standardized testing and bring back Halloween carnivals to schools.
The Write Yard used to be something else, but now can hold her head up and say she is a writer. Retired doctor. Passionate about empowering people. Editor of Illumination, a publication on Medium.com
Joe Thomas at 54 years old has a seen a lot of life. He's raised four kids and now is spending time with grandkids. He is a mariner by trade but a writer at heart.
Mark Tulin is a retired family therapist living in Ventura, CA. He has authored Magical Yogis, Awkward Grace, The Asthmatic Kid and Other Stories, Junkyard Souls, and has appeared in many online magazines, anthologies, and podcasts. He can be found at www.crowonthewire.com and mftulin.medium.com.
Warren Turner is a semi-retired progressive clergyperson who writes personal essays about life at 80. Warren is a Minnesota Twins fan and supporter of all LGBTQ+ issues. He/Him.
Catherine Verner is a specialist in family dementia care at home as well as a blogger. She is the author of the “Dementia Care of Home” book series. She holds an MSc in Dementia Studies and is a prospective Ph.D. student. Contact cath@clickdementia.com or visit www.clickdementia.com.
Micah Ward lives in central Tennessee with frequent trips to Florida and Colorado. He is a veteran, a retired police officer, lifelong runner and committed beer nerd. In addition to writing about life as we age, he writes about running and Christianity..
Roz Warren, Medium Sherpa and writing coach, writes for everyone from the New York Times to the Funny Times. She is the author of several books, including Our Bodies, Our Shelves: A Collection Of Library Humor (Humour Outcast Press, 2015).
Lisa Wathen lives in southeast Virginia with her family and cat and teaches high school English and journalism. She has published a children's book and short YA fiction and is currently working on several MG and YA novels, including an anthology of ghost stories. Her short adult fiction and nonfiction work is available on Medium.
Tess Wheeler currently scrapes by as an EFL teacher, having been a financial editor, university library assistant, bookseller, historic property steward, and more. Her novel, Darkling Ford, and short story anthology, Dreamweaver, are out this year. Tess loves beach walks at home in Northumberland, England, and has four grown-up children.
Ingrid L. Williams is an unrepentant writer specializing in storytelling with purpose and impact. With over 20 years of experience ranging from international journalism and brandbuilding to marketing and storytelling, she has written or contributed to a number of articles, books, scripts, commercials, presentations, videos, speeches, mixed reality entertainment and other formats.
The Recovering Educator is a semi-retired from the Education Industrial Complex. When he is not writing subversive articles, annoying busy teachers and school administrators he is living a quiet life in the country with his lovely wife. There he spends time making beer, wine, and Adirondack chairs from which to enjoy a cool beverage and plot ways to end standardized testing and bring back Halloween carnivals to schools.
Their Words Ring True
Read what these amazing authors have to say about life as we age.