In this episode of Sixty Plus Uncensored, host Seb Frey sits down with Stella Fosse, author, storyteller, and founder of The Creative Power of Older Women, to explore what it really means to rediscover creativity, voice, and personal freedom later in life. Stella’s journey is anything but conventional. After decades in a biotech career, she stepped into authorship in her 60s and has since written across genres that many might consider unexpected, such as erotica, speculative fiction, essays, and more. But beneath all of it is a clear and grounded message: aging is not a narrowing of life, but an expansion. Through her work and perspective, Stella challenges cultural assumptions about older women, creativity, and desire, offering a thoughtful reminder that it’s never too late to begin, or begin again.
A Creative Life That Took Its Time
One of the most striking aspects of Stella Foss’s story is how long her creative ambitions were quietly present before they fully took shape. As a child, she loved language. She wrote her first poem in elementary school and felt drawn to words even before she could fully understand them. That early fascination never disappeared. It simply took a different form.
Instead of pursuing creative writing right away, Stella built a career in science and business. With degrees in writing, business, and molecular biology, she spent years in the biotech industry, where writing was a central part of her work. But it was a very different kind of writing, technical, precise, and largely invisible to the public. She authored extensive FDA submissions and complex documentation, often running into thousands of pages, yet none of it was creative in the way she had imagined as a child.
It was only after retiring that she returned to the kind of writing she had always wanted to do. That shift is important. It highlights a reality many people experience but rarely talk about openly: sometimes the timing of a dream does not align with the structure of life. Careers, responsibilities, and practical choices can delay creative pursuits for decades. But delay is not the same as loss. Stella’s experience shows that those early inclinations can remain intact, waiting for the right moment to re-emerge.
Writing as Both Observation and Creation
Stella’s work spans both nonfiction and fiction, and she describes the difference between the two in a way that feels grounded and accessible. Nonfiction, for her, is about observing and interpreting the world as it is. It involves reflecting on lived experience, social patterns, and personal insight. Fiction, on the other hand, allows for the creation of new worlds, but even those imagined spaces are rooted in reality.
This blending of real and imagined experience becomes especially powerful later in life. Stella introduces the concept of “autofiction,” a creative approach that draws from different parts of one’s life and recombines them into new narratives. A character might reflect someone known in early adulthood, placed into a setting from midlife, facing a challenge drawn from another period entirely. The result is not a strict autobiography, but something richer, a layered, imaginative interpretation of lived experience.
This idea is particularly meaningful for older adults. By the time someone reaches their 60s or 70s, they have accumulated a wide range of experiences, relationships, and perspectives. Rather than seeing that as something to look back on, Stella treats it as creative material. Life becomes a kind of library, and writing becomes a way to revisit, reshape, and reimagine that library in new forms.
There is a natural connection here to Exploring Spirituality After Retirement: A Journey to Meaning, Peace, and Connection, since both reflect on how later life often deepens the way people interpret experience, memory, and personal meaning.
Is Writing Better With Age?
A natural question that comes up in the conversation is whether writing improves with age. Stella’s answer is honest and reflective. She does not claim that older writing is automatically better, but she acknowledges that it is different. Experience changes what a person notices, how they interpret events, and what they choose to express.
Interestingly, she reflects on a moment earlier in her life when she had the opportunity to pursue creative writing more directly but chose a different path. Like many people, she wonders what might have been. Yet there is no regret in her tone, only curiosity. That curiosity itself is a kind of maturity. It allows her to engage with her current work without being weighed down by hypothetical alternatives.
She also points out a broader shift in the publishing world that has made it easier for older writers to enter the field. In the past, traditional publishing often favored younger voices, creating barriers for those who came to writing later in life. Today, with the rise of self-publishing and digital platforms, those barriers have weakened. This has opened the door for a more diverse range of voices, including older writers who may have been overlooked in earlier decades.
The Changing Landscape of Publishing
Stella’s experience reflects a larger transformation in how books are created and shared. Traditional publishing still exists, but it is no longer the only path. Self-publishing platforms have made it possible for writers to bring their work directly to readers without needing approval from a major publishing house.
This shift has had both positive and challenging effects. On the positive side, it has allowed more voices to be heard. Writers of different ages, backgrounds, and perspectives can now publish their work more easily. This has helped reduce some of the bias that once limited who could become an author.
At the same time, the sheer volume of books available today makes it harder for any single work to stand out. Writers must now take a more active role in marketing and audience-building. Stella is clear about this reality. Whether someone publishes traditionally or independently, they are likely to be responsible for promoting their work.
Her marketing approach is steady and practical rather than aggressive. She uses social media to share both her own work and the work of others, maintains a regular presence through writing platforms, participates in podcasts, and connects her books to broader conversations. This approach reflects a larger principle: visibility grows over time through consistent effort, not sudden breakthroughs.
For readers thinking about trying something new in this season of life, When Retirement Feels Too Small: How to Reclaim Purpose, Connection, and Joy offers a helpful companion perspective on building a meaningful next chapter around interests that still feel alive.
Building a Writing Community
Another key theme in Stella’s journey is the importance of community. Writing is often thought of as a solitary activity, but Stella emphasizes the value of connecting with other writers. Through local organizations, regional groups, and writing networks, she has built relationships that support both the creative and practical sides of her work.
These communities serve multiple purposes. They provide feedback, encouragement, and accountability. They also create opportunities for collaboration, such as beta reading, editing support, and shared promotion. In many ways, they replace some of the functions that traditional publishing once handled.
What stands out here is the emphasis on reciprocity. Stella describes the idea of being a “good literary citizen,” someone who supports others as much as they seek support. This mindset shifts writing from an isolated pursuit into a shared endeavor. It also makes the process more sustainable, especially for those navigating creative work later in life.
Writing Without Permission
One of the most compelling aspects of Stella’s work is her willingness to write about topics that are often considered unconventional, particularly for older women. Her early work in erotica, for example, directly challenges cultural assumptions about aging and sexuality.
The origin of this work is both simple and powerful. A friend invited her to participate in a reading series where women over 60 wrote and shared erotic stories. What began as an experiment quickly became a creative outlet and, eventually, a published book. The experience revealed something important: many women had internalized the idea that certain parts of life, especially those related to desire and expression, ended at a certain age.
By writing openly about these themes, Stella and her peers created space for a different narrative. Younger audiences responded as well, often expressing gratitude for seeing older women represented more completely and authentically. This highlights a broader cultural gap. When certain experiences are not visible, people assume they do not exist. Creative work can challenge that assumption.
This section pairs naturally with How to Reenter the Workforce After 60: A Practical Guide to a Fresh Start, since both challenge the assumption that later life should be defined by caution, invisibility, or shrinking expectations.
Creativity Across Genres and Imagination
Stella’s writing is not limited to one genre. In addition to nonfiction and erotica, she writes speculative fiction, including a series of vampire novels featuring older women. These characters are not traditional portrayals of vampires. They are thoughtful, ethical, and complex, navigating both supernatural and everyday challenges.
This creative range reflects her broader philosophy: later life is a time to explore, not to narrow down. Without the constraints of career expectations or rigid structures, she feels free to experiment with different ideas, tones, and formats. This freedom is one of the recurring benefits she associates with aging.
Her approach to writing is also flexible. Rather than adhering to a strict daily routine, she describes herself as a “binge writer,” working intensely during certain periods, such as structured writing challenges. This highlights an important point: creative processes vary widely, and there is no single correct method. What matters is finding a rhythm that aligns with one’s personality and energy.
The Role of Play in Later Life
Toward the end of the conversation, Stella offers what may be her most meaningful insight: the idea of reclaiming play. She observes that childhood is often filled with creativity and exploration, but adulthood becomes dominated by responsibility. Careers, families, and obligations leave little room for experimentation.
Retirement, or even a shift away from full-time work, creates an opportunity to revisit that sense of play. This does not mean abandoning responsibility, but rather allowing space for curiosity and enjoyment. For Stella, writing is one form of play. For others, it might be painting, learning, building, or exploring entirely new interests.
What stands out is her concern that many people miss this opportunity. She notes that some retirees feel dissatisfied not because they lack options, but because they struggle to reconnect with what they enjoy. This disconnection can make retirement feel empty rather than expansive.
Her advice is simple but thoughtful: pay attention to what draws your interest, even if it seems small or unconventional. Follow that interest without overthinking it. In doing so, people can rediscover a sense of engagement that may have been set aside for years.
Readers who connect with this idea may also appreciate The Science of Staying Sharp: How to Keep Your Brain Young After 60, which reinforces how curiosity, creativity, and ongoing engagement can support a more vibrant later life.
Redefining Identity Beyond Age
Underlying the entire conversation is a quiet but powerful reframing of identity. Stella challenges the idea that age defines what a person can or should do. Instead, she treats age as a stage that brings its own advantages, perspective, freedom, and a broader understanding of life.
She also embraces language in a way that reflects this shift. The term “crone,” often used negatively, is redefined as a symbol of strength and experience. This act of reclaiming language mirrors her broader approach to aging. Rather than rejecting or avoiding age, she reinterprets it in a way that feels empowering.
This perspective is especially valuable in a culture that often emphasizes youth. By presenting aging as a time of growth rather than decline, Stella offers a more balanced and realistic view. It acknowledges challenges without reducing the possibilities that still exist.
Conclusion
Stella Foss’s story is not about achieving success in the traditional sense. It is about returning to something essential: creativity, curiosity, and self-expression, after many years of doing what life required. Her journey illustrates that it is never too late to begin a creative path, even if it looks different from what was originally imagined.
More importantly, her perspective invites a broader reconsideration of what later life can be. Rather than seeing retirement as an ending, she frames it as a transition into a more self-directed phase. A phase where play can return, where interests can be explored without pressure, and where identity can be shaped more freely.
For anyone approaching or already in this stage of life, the message is both simple and meaningful. Pay attention to what you enjoy. Permit yourself to explore it. Build connections with others who share that interest. And allow yourself to create, not because it leads to something, but because it is something.
In that sense, aging is not a retreat. As Stella suggests, it can be a kind of renaissance, one that is quieter, perhaps, but no less rich or rewarding.