August 2023
I’m here to tell you that it’s NOT too late. My memoir, Neighborhood Girl, is forthcoming from Sunbury Press this fall, and I’m over the moon excited! By the way, I celebrated my 76th birthday at the end of March.
I wondered if it was too late when I started an MFA program at age 71 (Carlow University low res program was terrific!!). I had recently retired from an academic career and found joy in the transition from writing academic papers to crafting creative nonfiction. My sons, wise men that they are, convinced me that it wasn’t too late.
I wondered if it was too late when I finished the MFA with a completed manuscript a month after my 74th birthday. I knew it would take months to polish the chapters, then many more months (maybe years) to submit in the hopes of finding a publisher. I decided that I’d come this far, so why stop now?
I thought it was perhaps too late when a full year went by after I had begun to submit. I focused on small traditional publishers and university presses and got a few requests for full, some rejections, and a lot of no responses. So, I did the only thing I could think to do—I started another memoir.
Then, it happened! An offer of a contract from a traditional press that I respected. This fall, Neighborhood Girl is out in the world.
So, to all of you who are “of a certain age,” I’m here to tell you that it’s NOT too late!
Linda Schifino 