Ann S. Epstein writes novels, short stories, memoir, essays, and poems. Please use the links or site menu to go to the HOME PAGE; learn about her NOVELS, SHORT STORIES, MEMOIR, ESSAYS, and POEMS; find interesting facts in BEHIND THE STORY; read REFLECTIONS on writing; check NEWS for updates on publications and related events; see REVIEWS; learn about her END-OF-LIFE DOULA credentials and services; and CONTACT US to send webmail.
Nils Bohlin was 38 when he designed the harness seat belt in 1958. He was working for Volvo when he came up with the seat belt model that has saved millions of lives. Lap belts had been around for nearly a century, but his three-point system (shoulder, chest, and lap) was a major improvement. After some initial resistance from drivers who resented being told what to do, even for their own good, Bohlin’s seat belt became standard equipment around the world. Read Who Cares? about the struggle for dignity at Woodruff Home for the Aged, “a lively place where old people go to die.” Learn more about the book and its characters, aged 9-90, in NOVELS.
Harness belt more effective than lap belt at preventing injuries and saving lives
Woodruff Home for the Aged, a lively place where old people go to die
Judy Garland was 16 when she was cast as Dorothy Gale in The Wizard of Oz, 17 when the movie was released in 1939. Born Frances Ethel Gumm into a vaudeville family, she began performing at age two with her older sisters. At 12, she signed with MGM, where she made 27 of her 34 films. Her long career earned Garland an Academy Award, two Grammys, and a posthumous Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. Her personal life was a struggle however, and she died of an accidental overdose at 47. Read Who Cares? about the struggle for dignity at Woodruff Home for the Aged, “a lively place where old people go to die.” Learn more about the book and its characters, aged 9-90, in NOVELS.
The iconic singer-actress was successful on screen but troubled in life
Woodruff Home for the Aged, a lively place where old people go to die
Henry Dunant was 73 when he won the first Nobel Peace Prize in 1901. Appalled at the suffering he witnessed during the Second Italian War of Independence, he published a book, A Memory of Solferino, and proposed that the nations of the world form their own relief societies to care for the wounded and train volunteers to treat them. Dunant helped to found the International Committee of the Red Cross in 1863, at age 35, and launch the first Geneva Convention in 1864, which has since saved the lives of millions of soldiers worldwide. Read Who Cares? about the struggle for dignity at Woodruff Home for the Aged, “a lively place where old people go to die.” Learn more about the book and its characters, aged 9-90, in NOVELS.
First Nobel Peace Prize winner helped found International Red Cross
Woodruff Home for the Aged, a lively place where old people go to die
Charles Feltman, age 30, is credited with inventing the hot dog on a bun in 1871. After a modest beginning selling sausages from a pushcart, the German-American went on to establish a large restaurant complex on Brooklyn’s Coney Island that included a beer garden and carousel, and served millions of customers annually. Nathan’s hot dog stand, which sold nickel franks on the boardwalk, was opened in 1916, 45 years later, by Polish immigrant Nathan Handwerker, who originally worked for Feltman. Read Who Cares? about the struggle for dignity at Woodruff Home for the Aged, “a lively place where old people go to die.” Learn more about the book and its characters, aged 9-90, in NOVELS.
30-year-old Charles Feltman invented hot dog on a bun in Coney Island 45 years before Nathan’s opened
Woodruff Home for the Aged, a lively place where old people go to die
My Goodreads and Amazon review of Whidbey: A Novel by T Kira Madden (Rated 5) – Impact Statement.Whidbey: A Novel by T Kira Madden, about a serial rapist named Calvin, is told from the perspectives of two victims and his mother. I read the book with trepidation, knowing it would be a trigger. Reading it took courage; writing it took guts. It’s a testament to Madden’s talent that she portrays these three women with insight, sensitivity, and authenticity. Birdie, raped while still in elementary school, chooses to live her life in the shadows. Her privacy is disrupted when Linzie, who was a young adolescent at the time of her assault, writes a memoir that becomes a best seller. Birdie retreats to Whidbey Island off the coast of Washington State to escape the unwanted attention deflected on her. Through Calvin’s trial and incarceration, his mother Mary Beth remains loving and loyal to her otherwise reviled son. Pitted against one another in this drama, each woman struggles with how she sees herself and how society defines her role. As a novelist myself (see my Amazon author page and Goodreads author page), who strives to make difficult characters understandable, if not likable, I admire Madden’s ability to render each protagonist with depth and honesty; she doesn’t sugar coat the outcomes for the victims or their families. The narrative is painful to read, but worth the emotional investment. Whidbey is a gripping story and valuable book, whatever brings readers to its pages.
A fraught topic, sensitively and honestly handled
Why writers read: “Many people, myself among them, feel better at the mere sight of a book.” – Jane Smiley
In 2002, Aiden Byrne at age 22, was the youngest chef to earn a Michelin star, while working at Adlards restaurant in Norwich, England. Since then, he’s run his own ventures and cooked at other noted restaurants across the UK. Byrne refuses to be pigeon holed, but says be cooks with British, seasonal produce in the classical way he’s been trained. He does admit to a favorite ingredient — globe artichokes — which can be “robust and delicate at the same time.” Read Who Cares? about the struggle for dignity at Woodruff Home for the Aged, “a lively place where old people go to die.” Learn more about the book and its characters, aged 9-90, in NOVELS.
The youngest Michelin-starred chef is a fan of globe artichokes
Woodruff Home for the Aged, a lively place where old people go to die
At 110 (1914-2024), Australian Eileen Kramer was the oldest person to still dance professionally. She choreographed her graceful, dramatic movements to increasingly use the top half of her body. In addition to dancing, Kramer wrote a story a day and painted. She disliked the word “old,” claiming “My attitude to creating things is identical to when I was a child.” Read Who Cares? about the struggle for dignity at Woodruff Home for the Aged, “a lively place where old people go to die.” Learn more about the book and its characters, aged 9-90, in NOVELS.
Oldest professional dancer as well as writer and painter
Woodruff Home for the Aged, a lively place where old people go to die
My Goodreads and Amazon review of The Violet Hour by James Cahill (Rated 3) – Empty Canvas.The Violet Hour by James Cahill opens sharply, gradually fragments, and finally fizzles. The narrative purports to be a finely observed picture of today’s art market: agents and curators, collectors and critics, the artists themselves. Instead the novel is a convoluted tale of loves lost or foundering, among people about whom readers have scant reason to care. They are self-absorbed and controlling, cold and cruel, manipulative and murderous. The gratuitous sex ranges from gross to violent. As a fiber artist and novelist (see my Amazon author page and Goodreads author page), I hoped for insights into the creative process. But facing the canvas, the painter/protagonist shows an utter lack of engagement, a failure (his own judgment) to create anything of value. Presumably, that is the message of The Violet Hour — that today’s art world is devoid of artistry. However, the book itself is an empty canvas that fails to paint a picture what art should, or could, be.
An unflattering portrait of today’s art market
Why writers read: “Why are we reading, if not in hope of beauty laid bare, life heightened and its deepest mystery probed?” – Annie Dillard
Erato has once again whispered in my ear. My poem “Perversity” has been accepted for publication in The Avocet, summer print issue (Volume 74, Number 3, June 2026). The first line says it all: “What I love about summer is what others hate.” My unpopular summer pleasures include humidity, weeding, construction, and frizz. The Avocet, a poetry nature journal, emails a weekly PDF and prints four seasonal issues a year. The print issue should also be available online this summer. Read more about my occasional forays into writing poetry in POEMS.
What enervates others, energizes me
Why writers write: “I write to provide a verbal reflector for my 60-watt lighted head.”) – Sylvia Plath
In a fifteen-year study, when researchers analyzed audio samples gathered by people aged 10-94 as they went about their daily lives, they found that the number of words spoken has fallen by 28% percent. That’s 120,000 fewer words per year for the average person. The decline, although steepest for those under 25, happened across all age groups. The reasons are multiple. We communicate via text and messaging apps; more people live and spend time alone; ATMs, self check-out, and online ordering eliminate humans from transactions. While the loss of conversation between family members and friends is lamentable, it’s the lack of casual interactions between strangers — shoppers and clerks, bank tellers and customers, people waiting in the lunch line — that presents an immeasurable loss. “The experience of being seen by a chaplain, teacher, or doctor can be quite intense. But research shows that being seen by a passing acquaintance can also make a difference to our well-being” (Hidden Brain). “Small talk” plays a big role in boosting self-esteem and feelings of belonging. Chatter acts as a glue of community.
