Sari Botton
@saribotton.bsky.social
Bestselling Author/Editor/Teacher/Oldster Memoir: And You May Find Yourself… Anthologies: Goodbye to All That and Never Can Say Goodbye Newsletters: @oldstermag.bsky.social, @memoirland.bsky.social, Adventures in *Journalism* http://saribotton.com
Yesterday we launched The Oldster Radio Hour! Episode 1: Yes and No features Seinfeld actress Annie Korzen and Anna Holmes. Check it out… podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/e...
The Oldster Radio Hour: Episode 1
Podcast Episode · The Oldster Radio Hour · October 2 · 47m
podcasts.apple.com
Trailer for The Oldster Radio Hour, a video/audio podcast you can subscribe to on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, etc. youtu.be/JwSnVcNi5Es
Oldster Radio Hour Trailer Final fixed
YouTube video by The Oldster Radio Hour
youtu.be
I'm in here, doing my part to rep olds with “exceptional taste” in eye makeup (and fragrance allergies). nymag.com/strategist/a...
Steal My Eyes
Thirty people with exceptional taste on their favorite eye makeup.
nymag.com
Good morning, Bluesky. Not going to lie, it’s a little annoying when someone else writes the best two sentences in one of my essays, but so it goes. Bonus: an appearance by @earlfckinweaver.bsky.social (and by extension all of Oriole Bluesky). oldster.substack.com/p/i-dont-kno...
A fantastic interview with philanthropist @ruthannh.bsky.social by @greenwell.bsky.social on @columjournreview.bsky.social's The Kicker podcast. Ruth Ann is the primary sponsor of the forthcoming @oldstermag.bsky.social podcast, and I couldn't be more grateful. www.cjr.org/kicker/journ...
The Kicker: Journalism philanthropy, but make it fun.
Ruth Ann Harnisch on life as the fairy godmother of newsletters, podcasts, and blogs.
cjr.org
Tomorrow’s essay will be at Oldster, thanks to the goddess who is @saribotton.bsky.social
"The bigger part that matters is, ‘What was I doing there’? Looking at my own behavior, my choices. Yeah, [my ex] was a jerk. ... Why did I keep going back? That’s the more important thing." @saribotton.bsky.social on the art of the personal essay. niemanstoryboard.org/2026/09/11/a...
Author and editor Sari Botton on giving yourself permission to write personal essays - Nieman Storyboard
The editor behind the popular newsletters Oldster and Memoir Land discusses her own journey to writing a memoir, and how journalists can find their voice
niemanstoryboard.org
“People are so concerned about whether they’re going to be a likable character if they tell the ugly truth. [But] that’s what makes you a likable character. It makes you someone that people can relate to. It means you’re just human.” — @saribotton.bsky.social niemanstoryboard.org/2026/09/11/a...
Author and editor Sari Botton on giving yourself permission to write personal essays - Nieman Storyboard
The editor behind the popular newsletters Oldster and Memoir Land discusses her own journey to writing a memoir, and how journalists can find their voice
niemanstoryboard.org
A thrill an honor to be interviewed by my friend and @longreads.com founder @markarms.bsky.social for @niemanlab.org Storyboard. niemanstoryboard.org/2026/09/11/a... www.instagram.com/p/DdJb_M3x4L...
Author and editor Sari Botton on giving yourself permission to write personal essays - Nieman Storyboard
The editor behind the popular newsletters Oldster and Memoir Land discusses her own journey to writing a memoir, and how journalists can find their voice
niemanstoryboard.org
My latest newsletter and podcast for @niemanstoryboard.org: Stories from 9/11, and my conversation with @saribotton.bsky.social on giving yourself permission to write personal essays. Photo by me, from the candlelight vigils in Union Square, September 2001. niemanstoryboard.org/2026/09/11/p...
Personal stories of 9/11, 25 years later - Nieman Storyboard
Plus: Sari Botton on the craft of memoir, and what happens when a source becomes the main character
niemanstoryboard.org
I'm so excited to share my Oldster Questionnaire. I worked on it w/the same angst I imagine someone working on their dissertation! Went back & forth on what to say but decided all I could do was be as authentic as possible. Thanks @saribotton.bsky.social! :) oldster.substack.com/p/this-is-55...
This is 55: Lawyer Turned Y.A. Author Rebecca Morrison Responds to The Oldster Magazine Questionnaire
“I don’t care what’s proper, what’s age-appropriate, what’s ‘lady like.’ Freedom to me means living the way I want. That feels more important than anything else. ”
oldster.substack.com
I’m not judging the notables getting deep plane neck-and-face-lifts, but their language defending/promoting it is so similar across the board it makes me wonder whether they’ve been in some way compensated in exchange for being spokespersons for the procedure.
Today @saribotton.bsky.social’s @memoirland.bsky.social, a beautiful essay by @rodman.bsky.social on friendship, literature, and how a life can unfold alongside the long and winding path to publication: substack.com/home/post/p-...
How a Book and its Cover Were Reunited...
...after the passage of a long period of time.
substack.com
So grateful to have it among the stellar essays on #memoirmonday today Thank you @saribotton.bsky.social) open.substack.com/pub/memoirla...
"Memoir Monday" Personal Essay Roundup 7/20/26
PLUS: Scroll down to the bottom for so many great workshops and calls for submissions...
open.substack.com
A dream to have my introduction from LIVING, TOGETHER in MEMOIR LAND. Here are some snippets. Thank you @saribotton.bsky.social for the opportunity! memoirland.substack.com/p/home-is-ot... @beaconpress.bsky.social
Home is Other People
The key to a good life isn’t necessarily two adults and a couple of kids separated from the rest of the world by four walls—a model that is less accessible than ever, it’s not what many of us need.
memoirland.substack.com
this story by @saribotton.bsky.social about Joe Coleman's apartment is so very '90s NYC, I love everything about it. memoirland.substack.com/p/joe-colema...
Joe Coleman and Me
I owe my favorite decade in the city to a gore-obsessed artist who got evicted.
memoirland.substack.com
I saw Marjane Satrapi speak about her work at Smith College 19 years ago, and she said something I have thought about and taught ever since when I teach comics. “I draw what I can’t write and I write what I can’t draw.“
Over the moon excited to be featured on @saribotton.bsky.social’s Memoir Land Substack memoirland.substack.com/p/the-memoir...
The Memoir Land Author Questionnaire 208: Wendy Swift
"'A Dream Life' affirms that anyone can unknowingly fall prey to false beliefs, but once the truth is revealed and the fear of dislocation and upheaval is faced, renewal and strength can emerge."
memoirland.substack.com
Darcey Steinke, author of This is the Door, reflects on aging: "I am filled with wonder more. I see, say, bare branches before a streetlight in the dark and it just sends me. I can feel the sorrow people carry. I am less self-consumed." @oldstermag.bsky.social H/T @saribotton.bsky.social
This is 63: Darcey Steinke Responds to The Oldster Magazine Questionnaire
"I don’t worry about looking feminine. I actually model my style on elegant older male rock stars, like David Bowie."
oldster.substack.com
Save the date, NYC: Excited to join this amazing group of performers/storytellers for @saribotton.bsky.social and @oldstermag.bsky.social's Gen X Piano Karaoke Night, June 10 at Sid Gold's Request Room. www.eventbrite.com/e/oldster-ma...
Oldster Magazine Presents: Gen X Piano Karaoke at Sid Gold's Request Room
An evening of songs released in or before 1997, with a little side-order of storytelling. Hosted by Oldster founder Sari Botton
eventbrite.com
Returning via Amtrak from a long weekend in NYC, where I went to college and imagined I’d stay forever… only to develop, within 3 years, a desperate need to see a horizon line. This book is perfect for this train ride. Thanks @saribotton.bsky.social
I’m so excited to share this deeply personal piece about seeing myself in the window of a passing house when I was walking & being shocked at how I looked. Thank you so much to @saribotton.bsky.social for seeing my story. oldster.substack.com/p/is-the-ima...
Is the Image You See in the Mirror the Real You?
Maybe Not. Rebecca Morrison on the persistence—and shifting—of body image issues as we age. PLUS: An open thread where you can weigh in on your own similar experiences before the mirror.
oldster.substack.com
Check out @saribotton.bsky.social’s interview with @courtneykocak.bsky.social on @memoirland.bsky.social’s Substack! 💜💛💜💛 open.substack.com/pub/memoirla...
The Memoir Land Author Questionnaire 191: Courtney Kocak
"The essays in Girl Gone Wild are episodic but very much in conversation with each other. I think of them as crêpes—individually snackable, but collectively filling."
open.substack.com
Thanks to @saribotton.bsky.social for sharing my essay about Osteoporosis on this weekend’s Oldster roundup!
What to Read, Watch, and Listen to this Weekend
Some Oldster-adjacent articles, essays, podcasts, books, music, plays, shows, comedy nights and more.
open.substack.com
I answered some questions about turning 50 for @saribotton.bsky.social’s incredible substack publication, @oldstermag.bsky.social oldster.substack.com/p/this-is-50...
This is 50: Literary Hub EIC Jonny Diamond Responds to The Oldster Magazine Questionnaire
"I don’t believe age automatically grants anyone wisdom about the world (look at the terrible things done every day by old men in power). I do know it gives us opportunities to learn from mistakes."
oldster.substack.com