No matter our age, we all hear and tell stories about growing older that reflect our own ideals and fears and the ideals and fears of our communities. This conversation is for people interested in exploring experiences of and obstacles to aging well in this present time. What are the revisions in our stories as we live in this time of uncertainty? What new roles are we creating? What practical information can we share with one another? How does the power of these stories affect us and those around us? Join facilitator Melissa Madenski as we look at the power of story in a conversation that will ask you to share your own experiences and ideas and listen to the perspectives of others in your community.

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Melissa Madenski is an educator who has worked throughout the Northwest in public and private schools. As a Northwest Writing Institute associate at Lewis & Clark College, she taught graduate core classes and facilitated grants that took writing programs to rural Oregon towns. At the coast, she built library programs for families, taught life skills to incarcerated adults, and prepared young adults who had immigrated or sought asylum to enter college-level writing classes. Most recently, she coordinated programs for Multnomah County Library to assist patrons pursuing personal goals in literacy, including citizenship study, English language practice, improving reading levels, and obtaining GEDs. Her poems and essays have appeared in magazines, newspapers, and anthologies. She raised her family on Slab Creek Road, a neighbor to the Siuslaw Forest on the southern edge of Tillamook County.