(Editor’s Note: PBS will air the premiere of QUILTS, a new episode of the Peabody-Award winning series Craft in America, on Friday, December 27, 2019. Check local listings for details.) It’s Friday afternoon at Senior Court, a public housing complex in… Continue reading
Stories about retirement and unretirement are perennially popular on Next Avenue; readers are always curious about just what the transition, or “graduation,” to a new phase of life will hold. Sometimes, the answer is: “Not what was expected.” In this s… Continue reading
On a chilly Monday in New York City, legendary dancer and choreographer Jacques d’Amboise and I meet in his cramped, book-strewn office at the National Dance Institute (NDI). We go back a long way. In the early ’70s, when the dance boom made household … Continue reading
“I know someone I think you should meet,” my friend Kathleen blurted out almost as soon as I answered the phone. “Her name is Connie and she photographs nudes under water.” That caught my attention. “I just have a feeling,” Kathleen continued. “Here’s … Continue reading
When my husband, Dale, passed away at age 57 from a sudden, massive heart attack two days before Thanksgiving in 2018, the last thing on my mind was the finances. This quickly changed, however, when I realized that as a relatively young widow of 54, I … Continue reading
Q: What do a used breast pump, a gunky hand blender and a bottle of wine have in common? A: They were all regifted to people I know. And yes, you read those items correctly. Chances are, you’ve been the recipient of, or a giver of, a regift. According … Continue reading
You could say that an obituary is the definitive “origin story.” Short or long, it’s a commemorative piece of writing that offers a story of a life from beginning to end. For Mo Rocca, it’s the details, which he says can be “either mundane or prophetic… Continue reading
For many years, Erin Loughran lived independently: she owned a home and car, worked as an adult English language learner instructor, even dabbled in online dating. She now lives with a disability. Three years ago, Loughran suffered a bleed in her bra… Continue reading
Editor’s Note: Larry Carlat, Next Avenue’s first Managing Editor, wrote a story for Esquire in 1998 called “You Are Me,” about adopting his son Robbie. Unfortunately, there was a tragic end to it. Carlat’s son took his own life nine months ago. He was… Continue reading
Loneliness. Aging. Empathy. Josh Kornbluth, a storyteller whose work positions him at the intersection of art and science, explores these crucial topics in “Citizen Brain,” a series of engaging short videos about what current research in brain health c… Continue reading