‘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

At Age 96, An Artistic Passion Revisited

(This article was originally published on Indian Country Today. ) When Annette Bilagody was growing up in the 1930s on the Navajo Nation, her job in her family was to repair broken necklaces. This was her first introduction to beading. She was born and… Continue reading

The Therapeutic Power of Making Art

Like most Americans, I’ve been feeling empty, numb, shell-shocked and dumbfounded by the COVID-19 pandemic. I’ve been socially isolating as directed, except for daily walks. I am used to working from home as a freelance writer, but I’ve often had troub… Continue reading

Solo Agers Need Connection Now More Than Ever

(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

OPINION: Technology’s Impact on the Pandemic

(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

Living Alone, Physical Distancing and Loneliness

I am a 65-year-old widower, living alone between two communities — during the week in a big city high-rise and on the weekends in a small condo in the rural western North Carolina mountains. My intimate, social and professional networks are broad, soli… Continue reading

Video Chat Services, From A to Zoom

If you never used video conferencing or “video chat” services before the COVID-19 pandemic, you probably are doing so now, or at least thinking about it. After all, video chats are a safe way to interact face-to-face with those you love. I used to hate… Continue reading

Celebrating Easter and Passover in a Pandemic

Traditionally on Easter Sunday, the Church of the Assumption is awash in beautiful spring flowers, with hydrangeas and lilies covering the marble steps on the altar of this 145-year old Catholic church in St. Paul, Minn. Every pew is normally filled, a… 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

How Musicians Are Bringing Joy During the Pandemic

Pueblo, Colo. guitarist and singer Tom Munch has performed everywhere from restaurants to dude ranches to the Royal Gorge Bridge, but nursing home concerts take up much of his time, accounting for 50 gigs a month. That all changed in March, as COVID-19… Continue reading