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
Erma Bombeck: Her Hilarious Late-Blooming Wisdom Never Gets Old
Erma Bombeck’s humor column didn’t launch until she was almost 40. It ran for more than 30 years, appeared in 900 papers, and made her a household name.
Nine Inspiring Biographies About Late-Blooming Artists, Authors, and Explorers
Are you someone in midlife or beyond who’s done with the rat race and wants nothing more than to pursue a creative endeavor and/or explore the world? If so, here are some books you’ll love!
Marta Becket: Death Valley’s Brave Late-Blooming Dancing Queen
Death Valley Junction is no field of dreams. But for fifty years, dancer Marta Becket built it into an oasis of creative expression. She rescued a ghost town theater, and they came in droves.
Fourteen Classics from Late-Blooming Authors Available for Free on Kindle
Links to fourteen classic books by late-blooming writers, including Jules Verne, Bram Stoker, Edgar Rice Burroughs, Joseph Conrad, Edith Wharton and more!
Frances Glessner Lee: How One Late Bloomer’s Deathly Dollhouses Influenced CSI
A grandma born in the Victorian era practically invented forensics in her 50s. Frances Glessner Lee’s peculiar tool—miniature murders staged in dollhouses.
Olga Kotelko: 5 Secrets from a Late-Blooming Athlete on Aging with Zest
At age 95, Olga Kotelko held more than 30 Masters track records and had won more than 750 gold medals in her age category. And she didn’t start until age 77!
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