late bloomer, n.
1. An adult whose talent or genius in a particular field only appears later in life than is normal—in some cases only in old age. [Wikipedia]
2. A person who doesn’t give a pomegranate about what’s normal and blooms in their own time; see LaterBloomer.com. [Debra Eve]
Ernestine Shepherd became a professional bodybuilder at 71
Welcome to Later Bloomer
A Captivating Archive of Lives Well-Lived
Frank McCourt: How a Brooklyn High School Teacher Published “Angela’s Ashes” at Age 66
Frank McCourt taught English in New York high schools for 27 years before writing his Pulitzer Prize-winning memoir, Angela’s Ashes, at age 66. “I refused to settle for a one-act existence.”
Claire Cook: A Passport to Reinvention from the Late-Blooming Author of Must Love Dogs
At 50, after several careers, Claire Cook attended the premiere of Must Love Dogs, an adaptation of her second book. Here’s her advice on beginning again.
Diana Nyad: A Long-Distance Swimmer Triumphs Over Sharks and Jellyfish at Age 64
Diana Nyad was once the greatest long distance swimmer in the world. Then she burned out and didn’t swim a stroke for 30 years. Read about her astounding comeback at age 60!
The Literary Art of Melissa Zink
Melissa Zink left art school in her 20s, a failure in her teacher’s eyes. She couldn’t grasp abstract expressionism, the era’s dominant style. Two decades passed before her creative impulses surfaced again.
Living the Creative Life at Burbank Senior Arts Colony
At the Burbank Senior Artists Colony, budding creatives over age 55 take advantage of art and sculpture studios, a digital film editing lab, an outdoor performance space, and a 45-seat theater.
Do You Know How Tuscany Got Its Name?
They were called the Etruscans, and modern-day Tuscany derives its name from them. Late bloomer Elisabeth Storrs brings them to life in a luminous novel titled “The Wedding Shroud.”
Later Bloomer is currently on hiatus. Please enjoy the archives!
There is nothing in the caterpillar that tells you it’s going to be a butterfly.
—Buckminster Fuller,
who patented the Geodesic Dome at age 50