Local authors reflect on midlife and reconnect with old friends

Two decades ago a group of authors met at the University of Alberta's student newspaper The Gateway.

Twenty years later, they've released a second collection of essays on a topic many people are familiar with, navigating life in their 40s.

"A lot of us are dealing with our careers arcing in a certain way, dealing with parents, dealing with loss in new ways we wouldn’t have anticipated," said Sarah Chan, co-author and publisher of Midlife 2.

The group published the first collection, Midlife, during the pandemic.

The second book invites readers to learn how their lives have changed.

"Post-pandemic midlife is a lot different I feel like than I ever expected," said contributor Amanda Ash.

"I took up skiing with my kids after divorcing, and it’s about becoming a single mom and reimagining my family in new ways," said Chan.

"Midlife" and "Midlife 2" on display.

The contributors say they enjoyed reading each other's stories, and they're getting good feedback from readers as well.

"It turns out the stories we have to tell are not just gifts to us but it turns out they’re really resonating with others in our age range," said Chan.

Neil Parmar says the process was therapeutic as he was going through life changes.

"My essay was really a thank you letter to my parents and loved ones who helped me through a journey where I was chasing a lot of success and what I thought was success and kind of grounding me on what I really wanted out of life," he said.

Ash says writing Midlife has helped her rekindle old friendships.

"It’s been really lovely to kind of reminisce about who we were 20 years ago and to see where everyone has gone in 20 years, it’s kind of incredible."