CONVERSATIONS
Conversations with Old(er) Women
Conversations with Old(er) Women: An Emerging Voices Podcast Series.
For too many of us, being old is too often to be dismissed, treated as creatures not fully part of the world’s affairs. Sometimes we’re seen as cute, our energy worthy of a chuckle or two. At worst, we’re mocked and made to disappear. Often we join in this deprecation, turning against ourselves to avoid insult. ‘Oh’, we might say, ‘pay no attention to me. I’m past it.’
But many, many of us elders are fully present. We are weary of the ageism around us. Listen to us speak about matters of life and death, the lessons we’re still learning, regrets we’ve moved beyond and the engagements which fill our days.
Listen on Emerging Voices or on Spotify. Read the transcripts below.
Share your responses and share these conversations; thank you.
Rembrant: Portrait of an Old Woman Reading
In June 2022, Emerging Voices presented a three part series on Zoom: Examining Palestine/Israel. The focus was on the history of the two peoples over the centuries; factors that led to the creation of Israel as a contemporary nation-state; and obstacles to a just resolution of the ongoing strife. To the left is one excerpt from one discussion.
Watch a full video of sessions one and three.
This series will continue in late October. We’ll present two Zoom sessions with Palestinian policymakers and peace activists. We’re now in the process of lining up our speakers, and will announce dates of the events and details of the presenters as soon as arrangements are finalized.
We invite you to join us for these two sessions. Each hour and a quarter encourages participation from all present. Send us an email at editors@emergingvoices.co.uk to receive direct notification of panelists, dates and times. Better yet, sign up to our Subscriber list, which keeps you up to date on what’s on offer.
DOES HOPE AGE?
An Audio Series by Manasa Narayanan
In this audio series, Manasa explores what happens to our hope as we grow old. The world today is experiencing grave issues – from war and violence (an old folly), to rising authoritarianism, threats to democracy, online misinformation, a crisis in journalism, and the looming storm that is climate change. With all these issues encroaching our minds and our lives, do we continue to retain our hope? Or is it all too much to take and are people slipping into hopelessness? As we age in these times, are the young today hoping and looking forward to life the same way previous generations did?
For this series, Manasa speaks to several people, across ages – people in various stages of their life, living different lives, wrestling with distinct (yet shared) issues. What are the issues that concern them? Are they hopeful things will improve? How has their hope evolved over the years? She puts forth these and many other questions in a quest to locate hope in times when it feels all too easy to fall into the pit of hopelessness.