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
Wallace Stevens: The Lawyer Who Won the Pulitzer for Poetry at Age 75
At age 75, Wallace Stevens won the Pulitzer for poetry while serving as vice president of Hartford Insurance. How did he reconcile this double life?
Lee Child: Fired at 40 and World Famous by 50. Is His Legend Real?
According to Lee Child’s official biography, he was downsized at age 40, spent six bucks on a pencil and pad, and wrote an international bestseller in a year. Was it really that easy?
Creative Irish Late Bloomers: The Hidden Archives
Did you realize that many Irish artists started late? A special “hello” to Anne McDonald’s Spring 2020 Portmarnock Artist’s Way Group.
Agatha Christie: Her Brilliant Late-Blooming Encore as an Archaeologist
In her 40s, after a divorce, a breakdown, and a mysterious disappearance, bestselling author Agatha Christie found true love and became an archaeologist.
Susan Boyle: How She Triumphed Over Bullies and Naysayers at Age 48
Susan Boyle made a difficult entrance into the world and life remained hard for her—until that magical night in 2009 when her voice captivated the world.
Lilian Jackson Braun: A Late-Blooming Author and Her Fabulous Feline Detective
Lilian Jackson Braun published her first “A Cat Who…” mystery at 53. Publishers rejected her fourth installment because it lacked sex and violence. But she prevailed!
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