‘Birding Is for Everyone’: Blazing a Trail for Birders of Color

(Editor’s Note: This story was originally published on Rewire.) When I first reached out to Jason Ward, the 33-year-old host of the popular YouTube series Birds of North America, I was hoping to speak with him for a lighthearted piece full of tips and … Continue reading

The Silver Lining to Staying at Home

You know all those things you say you want to do — then don’t? As disruptive as the coronavirus is proving in all our lives, there’s a silver lining: confinement is creating the time, as well as the hunger, opportunity and need, to pursue those interes… Continue reading

A Virus Doesn’t Care. People Do.

(Across caregiving and community, business and intergenerational attitudes, the pandemic and how we respond to it could change us forever. Next Avenue turned to some of our Influencers in Aging, a diverse group of thought leaders, for their insights, c… Continue reading

A Conversation in an Artist’s Studio

In James Wrayge’s quiet studio on an early winter afternoon, there is a tangible sense of  purpose. Wrayge’s paintings line the walls along the portion of the space he shares with another artist at the Northrup King Building in Minneapolis. There are a… Continue reading

Learning New Things: No Audience Required

As the instructor was assembling foam dumbbells for her upcoming water aerobics class, I was grateful her busyness kept her from looking my way. Because I was wearing goggles instead of my eyeglasses, her image had a soft blur, as if she were a figure … Continue reading

Meetups: Share Your Passions and Have Fun

Are you by any chance an African-American widower living in Des Moines who loves gourmet cooking and pickleball? Or a Seattle barista, cancer survivor and gaming fanatic? Perhaps a Denver cannabis enthusiast, heli-skier and telenovela fan? Then there’s… Continue reading

The Big World of Miniatures

For miniaturists Bradley Meinke, Joan McKenzie and Joan Warren, a love for collecting small treasures started when they were small children, and as they grew, their devotion to this pastime grew right along with them. Miniatures are definitely big. PBS… Continue reading

Finding Creative Opportunities After Retiring

Tone deaf? Turned off by a blank canvas? Two left feet? The arts enhance the lives of older adults, but even if you have no desire to sing, play an instrument, paint a picture or take up the tango, many other options for expressing creativity exist. Th… Continue reading