Oldster Magazine | Sari Botton | Substack

Oldster Magazine

Exploring what it means to travel through time in a human body, at every phase of life.


Q: Who Qualifies As An Oldster? A: Everyone. Here's Why...

Oldster Magazine is not like other aging-related media. A word about how and why I'm exploring what it means to travel through time in a human body—at…

Apr 22, 2022•Sari Botton

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This is 63: Samina Najmi Responds to The Oldster Magazine Questionnaire

"Maybe I feel younger because there’s so much I still want to learn and do."

4 hrs ago•Sari Botton

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Letter to My Younger Self #9: I Thought Becoming a Mom Would Make My Life Perfect

Rachel Kramer Bussel, a 50-year-old mom to an almost 2-year-old, lets her younger self know how later motherhood has worked out for her.

Jun 23•Oldster Magazine and Rachel Kramer Bussel

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Recent posts

I Don't Know Why #11

I Eat Things That Make Me Sick and I Don’t Know Why. The eleventh installment of an occasional Oldster Magazine column by bestselling novelist Laura...

Jun 22•Oldster Magazine and Laura Lippman

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Of Course My Dad Gave Me Puzzles

Erin Williams on grieving a father who's still alive.

Jun 19•Oldster Magazine and Erin Williams

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The Elephants in the Room

A chat with Seth Masket, aka "SMOTUS," about his new book.

Jun 18•Sari Botton and Seth Masket


This is 95: Artist and Holocaust Survivor Tibor Spitz Responds to The Oldster Magazine Questionnaire

"In essence, my birthday is every day."

Jan 29, 2025•Sari Botton

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Hope? Ha Ha Ha Ha...

In her early 80s, Abigail Thomas has her doubts about the future of humanity and life after death.

May 4, 2023•Abigail Thomas

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This is 54: Cheryl Strayed Responds to The Oldster Magazine Questionnaire

"Fifty-four years of living has taught me that I can persist through the hard times—and also that hard times pass."

Apr 6, 2023•Sari Botton

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The Art of Healing

Stumbling upon some paintings she made 16 years ago while being treated for cancer, Viney Kirpal is reminded of the meditative power of art-making, and...

Mar 18, 2023•Viney Kirpal

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Letter to My Younger Self #3: About What Happened in Chinatown

Lani V. Cox addresses her 16-year-old self, a girl who underwent plastic surgery at her mother's urging and emerged determined to never let others...

Jan 30, 2023•Lani

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This is 68: Celeste Lecesne Responds to The Oldster Magazine Questionnaire

"Ever since I was a child, I had a sense that my life would really take off when I was in my 60s. And this has turned out to be true."

Dec 19, 2022•Sari Botton

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Keeping My Promise to Popo

As Anne Liu Kellor says goodbye to her Chinese grandmother in the hospital, she taps into buried memories and family trauma.

Dec 7, 2022•Anne Liu Kellor

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This is 71: Art Critic Jerry Saltz Responds to The Oldster Magazine Questionnaire

"On the inside I feel the exact same as I did when I was like 45, so outside I act that way."

Oct 31, 2022•Sari Botton

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This is 92: Hilma Wolitzer Responds to The Oldster Magazine Questionnaire

"I loved being young, and I don’t terribly mind being an old woman, but I refuse to be an old girl—someone who’s coy about her age."

Sep 30, 2022•Sari Botton

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This is 52: Rashunda Tramble Responds to The Oldster Magazine Questionnaire

"I’m blessed to have grown up with women who didn’t have to scream that they were old, beautiful, and proud because it was a given."

Aug 15, 2022•Sari Botton

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In Conversation: Neko Case and Jacinta Bunnell

Listen in as they discuss old friendships, getting older, cloth adult diapers, Oldster Magazine, and more...

Jul 18, 2022•Sari Botton

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Burning it Down

After shearing off her dyed hair and growing it out silver, Joy Castro considers the thrill and terror that come with setting oneself free.

Jul 15, 2022•Joy Castro

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