A Share Thread and Our Midstack Reinvention Roundup, Part 2
Share what you wrote recently in our weekly share thread and read more essays on our theme of reinvention
As promised (although a day late!), I’m excited to bring you the second installment of essays submitted to us for our first Midstack Roundup, this time on the theme of midlife reinvention. (Read Part 2 here.)
To support the midlife writers in this roundup, you can:
Leave a comment on a post.
Restack a post.
Subscribe to a publication.
Shout out the essay or the writer in a note.
1. “What If No One Cares About Your Midlife Reinvention?” by in
About the essay: “How does a midlife career change story compete with the onslaught of flash-bang newsfeeds? Why do the self-discovery stories of peri and post menopausal women matter more than ever? Because, when the world is a dumpster fire, women’s stories are both oxygen and water.”
About Catherine: Catherine Palmer is a former marketing executive turned writer. In her mid-fifties, she moved to Vermont and hired a life wizard to help her test the theory, “it’s never too late to be what you might have been.” She is currently writing a memoir about her midlife career and personal reinvention. She shares a 200-year-old farmhouse with her partner of 17 years, who says she can write anything she wants about him as long as she calls him Felix.
2. “…We’re Co-Editing a Book on Second Chances..!” by of
About the essay: “Call for submissions! My brand new husband and I are a real-life second chance couple, and we’re co-editing a book about second chances — be it in love, location, outlook, or any other aspect of starting over. The book is called WE BEGAN AGAIN: Collected Essays on Second Chances. Submit your essay (750 max) about what starting over felt like for you.”
About Christine: Christine is a memoir coach and a former opinion columnist with the Chicago Tribune. She is the traditionally published author of Politics, Partnerships, & Power: The Lives of Ralph E. and Marguerite Stitt Church. She’s a mom of three, bonus mom of four and a workshop instructor at Northwestern University.
3. “So, You Want To Be an Author?” by of Dream Big
About the essay: “Big dreams can also be terrifying. Motherhood and writing my first novel have required trust in the process, the journey, and myself.”
About Maria: “I’m an aspiring novelist at The Novelry, a mother of three boys, and a former teacher. I started writing in my 40s—the perfect time in life to chase a new dream. My Substack publication is called Dream Big, where I post biweekly about writing my first novel, nurturing a creative life, and everyday inspiration as I juggle a busy family life and my dream of becoming a published author.”
4. “Fellow Gen X Creatives: We Are Not Alone” by Katrina Woznicki of
About the essay: “What happens during a zigzag career that starts in a newsroom in rural New Hampshire and nearly 30 years later is unfolding in classrooms in South Central Los Angeles? This post explores career pivots and pitfalls; my career has never been boring.”
About Katrina: “Writer. Teacher. Traveler. Fan girl of vintage and vinyl. Fell in love with California. Bylines on the cover of AAA's Westways as well as in The Toronto Star, The Los Angeles Times, U.S. News & World Report, National Geographic Traveler, Flung, The Washington Post and The Boston Globe.”
5. “Transformation Through Hibernation” by of Tsundoku and Strawberries
About the essay: “Right before being diagnosed with breast cancer I made a wish for more time. A few days later it was granted when I found out I’d be taking off of work for cancer treatment. I was going into hibernation - what would become of me?”
About Bridget: Bridget is a book lover, a mother to three energetic kids, and a doctor who has rediscovered her love of writing during breast cancer treatment, using the time off of work to start her Substack and begin work on a memoir about how cancer treatment allowed her the time she needed to fall back in love with medicine and herself after a time of burnout.
6. “The Great Pivot” by Rhonda Chiger of
About the essay: “Changing direction at any point of your life is challenging and being open to and implementing the pivot takes soul searching, guts, and a plan.”
About Rhonda: Rhonda Chiger, 60, is a professional dancer, turned corporate executive, turned amateur dancer, entrepreneur, and PTA mom. Her blog, Rhonda’s Musings, provides readers with essays about life from a middle-aged woman’s perspective.
7. “The Doctor/Wife Dilemma” by of Time To Care
About the essay: “When you are used to being on one side of the doctor's desk, how do you cope with being on the other? This is the story of the conflict between my roles of doctor and wife when my husband became seriously ill, and how at 54 I have had to learn to be 'more wife, less doctor'. It's a short article, but also introduces a podcast I took part in where I discuss the doctor/wife dilemma in more detail.”
About Rachel: “Having worked as a family doctor for 25 years, my world was turned upside down by my husband's serious cancer diagnosis in 2019. Being flung into the role of carer, and then juggling the challenges of that with the stress of my job, I began to journal. I now write to share the wisdom I learned on my journey as a carer, through my doctor lens, in the hope of providing solidarity, tips and empathy to others dealing with a caring role or cancer survivorship.”
Aging bodies can be so rude.
Wrote this one, "I Used to be Cursive, But Now I'm Chicken Scratch," a few months back, but my article this week was shared in Part 1 of the Reinvention Roundup, so I'm sharing what could be considered a companion piece. Anyone relate?!
https://open.substack.com/pub/distractedbyprettythings/p/i-used-to-be-cursive-but-now-im-chicken?r=43tgx8&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=false
Thank you so much for featuring my CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS for my forthcoming book, WE BEGAN AGAIN: Collected Essays on Second Chances. I love Midstory and all that you do here on Substack. Thanks for bringing so many of us together. You’re teaching me how to build an even stronger and more impactful community.