Ann Elizabeth Carson releases new book and reframes old age as rewarding stage of life
Summary: We All Become Stories captures the stories of 12 elders as they discover the changes they make to live a satisfying old age. Old age is reframed as a tough, but fascinating and rewarding stage of life that offers benefits and insights not available to the young.
“You begin to see that you can truly welcome old age when you learn about it from people you have come to know and value.” ~ Ann Elizabeth Carson
Toronto, ON—September 16, 2013—Poet, author, artist and psychotherapist Ann Elizabeth Carson launches her fourth book, We All Become Stories (Blue Denim Press), at the Rivoli on September 29th at 3pm. We All Become Stories is conversations with 12 people about their experiences of aging and memory, with a foreword by Dr. Ellen B Ryan. Each story begins with a portrait by Jennifer Kenneally and ends with a poem that captures the essence of each story.
Old age gets a bad rap. We’re surrounded by books about aging—the aging brain, ageism, caring for the aging, financial planning, sex and aging—and so on. We are warned about the flood of old people that will have dire effects on the health care system, the social safety net and stressed out caregivers.
The “fix-it” literature—from wrinkle cream to financial planning, from memory strategies, exercises classes, “lifts” of every possible body part and sales literature for “homes”—portrays elders as broken “things” to be stacked away in a warehouse, out of sight and out of mind.
Missing are the voices of older people themselves, telling us what it’s like to be old, and what is truly important to them. For over 30 years, Carson spoke with dozens of older people—learning, aging and growing along with them. She describes the extraordinary changes people make throughout their lives to find places for themselves in our Western society that seldom welcome or respect old age.
The elders in We All Become Stories have few illusions. Life, aging and old age are “a tall order,” as Meyer says, and more difficult for those who are sick, disabled, isolated or not used to “looking within.” Independence and community are also key, as Rebecca tells us, “to not tell your story is to forget your life.”
Aging is a lifelong evolution. Carson shows us that we can discover remarkable restorative powers if we continually reshaping ourselves at each stage of life, in a journey of self-discovery that is open to everyone.
We All Become Stories is available on Amazon.ca and sold through participating bookstores in Toronto for $22.00. More information can be found on www.anncarson.com.
About Ann Elizabeth Carson
Born in 1929 in Toronto, Ann Elizabeth Carson—poet, writer, artist, feminist and psychotherapist—was selected as one of Toronto’s Mille Femmes at the 2008 Luminato Festival, which paid tribute to women who have made a contribution to the arts. Ann Elizabeth writes and sculpts full time in Toronto and on Manitoulin Island, reads at multimedia events and leads workshops in the arts.
Published work: The Risks of Remembrance (2010 Words Indeed Publishing), Shadows Light (2005 Longboat Alliance), My Grandmother’s Hair (2010 Dundurn Publishing), We All Become Stories (2013 Blue Denim Press). Northern anthologies: A Tour Through Time (2010), Our Lakes Shall Set Us Free (2012), Canadian Crossroads (2013).
Ann Elizabeth has devoted her career to understanding the silenced voices in our society, and to attempting to give them voices.
For more information about We All Become Stories, please visit www.anncarson.com/stories or contact Margaret Lam at media@anncarson.com.
Full media kit is available at www.anncarson.com/media.