Project and content management for Contemporary Authors volumes
WORK TITLE: What Would Virginia Woolf Do?
WORK NOTES:
PSEUDONYM(S):
BIRTHDATE: 1969
WEBSITE: http://ninalorezcollins.com/
CITY: Brooklyn
STATE: NY
COUNTRY: United States
NATIONALITY: American
RESEARCHER NOTES:
PERSONAL
Born 1969, in New York , NY; divorced Cliff Perlman; children: four.
EDUCATION:Barnard College, bachelor’s degree, 1990; Columbia University, master’s degree; IPEC certified life coach.
ADDRESS
CAREER
Book publisher, scout, agent; IPEC certified life coach; Brooklyn Public Library, board trustee.
WRITINGS
Narrator of audiobook, Whatever Happened to Interracial Love?, by Kathleen Collins, HarperAudio, 2016.
SIDELIGHTS
Nina Lorez Collins is a life coach who writes about women’s issue, menopause, aging, loss, and separation. Her book, What Would Virginia Woolf Do? And Other Questions I Ask Myself as I Attempt to Age Without Apology, discusses the support community for women over forty. Collins graduated from Barnard College, earned a master’s degree in narrative medicine at Columbia University, and became a certified life coach with IPEC. She has also worked in book publishing as a scout and agent.
Collins is the daughter of black writer and filmmaker Kathleen Collins, who died in 1998 at age forty-six from breast cancer. Nina found and collected her mother’s unpublished short stories which provided insight into her mother’s life, her thoughts on the African American experience, race and gender, and civil rights. For the audiobook, Whatever Happened to Interracial Love?, Nina narrates selected stories written by Kathleen. Talking to Scott Simon at NPR, Nina explained that she read her mother’s stories in her late 30s when she was going through a difficult time in her life. “They’re probably the most powerful of anything she’s done because they’re so completely autobiographical. I mean, I recognize pretty much every character setup, every single story … for me, they were this incredible gift into my mother’s life, which I felt I had so many questions about and, you know, not enough answers,” said Collins.
As Collins began symptoms of peri-menopause at age forty-six, she saw her life jolt from being a relatively young woman to a relatively old woman. She created a Facebook group for her girlfriends to commiserate, share advice, talk about aging, and embrace their impending cronehood. In an interview online at Spirit of Story, Collins described the camaraderie of her support group: “I absolutely love the women and the conversation and take great pride in the fact that it’s been so meaningful for so many women.”
The 2018 book What Would Virginia Woolf Do? sprang from the comments and discussions in her group. The book is part memoir, part self-help guide with tips for fashion, skincare, sex, mental health, empty nest syndrome, finance, cultural expectations of older women, as well as anecdotes about healthy aging. In a review in Publishers Weekly, a writer pointed out the “great benefit to understanding one’s choices, having a community, knowing what’s happening to one’s body, and accepting change.”
BIOCRIT
PERIODICALS
Publishers Weekly, January 29, 2018, review of What Would Virginia Woolf Do? And Other Questions I Ask Myself as I Attempt to Age Without Apology, p. 182.
ONLINE
Spirit of Story, https://www.spiritofstory.com/ (April 22, 2018) author interview.
Weekend Edition Saturday, NPR, https://www.npr.org/ (December 3, 2016), Scott Simon, author interview.
I was born in NYC in 1969, raised in Rockland County, and graduated from Barnard in 1990. I had a long career in book publishing, first as a scout and then as an agent, and then made a career change in 2008 to pursue other interests. In 2013 I completed both a life coach certificate and a Columbia University Masters in Narrative Medicine and have been consulting and writing since then. My interests -- issues around transition, loss, separation, end of life, how we, particularly women, tell our stories -- have come together in my creation of a closed online community for women over 40 called “What Would Virginia Woolf Do?” which is now also the title of a book I have under contract with Grand Central Publishing, to be published in 2018. I’m also at work on a memoir about my mother. I have four children, live in Brooklyn, and am a trustee of The Brooklyn Public Library.
< Daughter Of African-American Filmmaker Asks, What Happened To Kathleen Collins? December 3, 20168:39 AM ET Listen· 7:29 7:29 Queue Download Embed Facebook Twitter Flipboard Email SCOTT SIMON, HOST: Much of the world is getting to know the work of Kathleen Collins - all the more to regret that she's not around to hear the praise. Kathleen Collins was a writer and filmmaker who died in 1988 of breast cancer. She was 46 years old. Her 1982 film, "Losing Ground," was one of the first features directed by an African-American woman. It never opened in theaters. But last year, the film sold out at Lincoln Center. And now her first collection of short stories has been published, "Whatever Happened To Interracial Love?" Stories, almost all of them unpublished in Kathleen Collins' lifetime, have now been collected by her daughter Nina Collins and published by HarperCollins - no relation. Nina Collins, who's been a literary agent and a writer, joins us from New York. Thanks so much for being with us. NINA COLLINS: Thank you for having me. SIMON: I have to begin by asking - you've worked so hard to bring your mother's work to new attention. But I gather, having read articles you've written over the years, that you didn't feel particularly close to her when you were a child. COLLINS: No, I think I did feel really close to her. But I - she was quite preoccupied as a mother. She was - as much as I know, she loved us. She was probably a writer more than she was anything else. And so our childhood was complicated. You know, she was a divorced, single, black woman writer-mother. She had no money. And so I think it was hard. And I think she was frequently depressed. And then when she died when I was 19 of an illness that she'd kept a secret for, it turns out, much of my childhood - she first got sick when I was 11, and I didn't know about her cancer until two weeks before she died. It was a huge trauma. And I'm probably, you know, still not quite in touch with the anger I feel about it. Or maybe I am. Maybe that's what's come out in all this - in this process and the writing I've done. SIMON: Where do these stories come from? Where'd you find them? COLLINS: She had remarried shortly before her death. And my stepfather and I didn't get along very well. And so in the aftermath of her death, kind of in the immediate aftermath, I gathered all of her stuff that I could and put it in this trunk - all of her writings and photographs and journals and really whatever I could kind of lay my hands on - and took it with me. And then in my mid- to late 30s, I went through a very difficult personal time in my life. And I really needed to understand what my own pain was about in my childhood. And so I took this trunk up. And I opened it up. And I started to read it. And, for me, they're probably the most powerful of anything she's done because they're so completely autobiographical. I mean, I recognize pretty much every character setup, every single story I can - you know, I think I know the story behind, to some extent. And so, for me, they were this incredible gift into my mother's life, which I felt I had so many questions about and, you know, not enough answers. SIMON: Let me ask about some of the stories. "The Happy Family" - young, white man becomes part of an African-American family that he meets at a civil-rights rally in a church. A romance follows. But go ahead. COLLINS: Yeah. That story - you know, I don't know who the white man is in that story. And often, when I read it, I get confused because I think it's my mother telling the story. So my mother met a woman named Peggy Priestley (ph), who's also still alive. And it was a very close friend of hers - at a SNCC rally, at a Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee rally. And Peggy brought my mother home to her apartment in Harlem, where she lived with her brother and her parents. And her brother Hank, her younger brother, my mother fell in love with and had a romance with. And a bunch of years later - maybe eight or nine or 10 years later - Hank killed himself. SIMON: Another phrase of your mother's I marked in there - the narrator says, looking at the romance - he says, oh, my God, how life will take them apart. COLLINS: Yeah. (Laughter) It's a good line. It's a sad one. And it did. And I don't know. It's interesting. I don't know when she wrote "The Happy Family." Did she write it - she must've written it after Hank died. And he died when I was 2. So she knew that life had taken them apart. SIMON: Did life do that to your mother? COLLINS: You know, I think the two kind of personal, big sadnesses of her life were her mother's death and I think her trouble with men. Or, at least, her relationship with my father was very problematic. And, you know, larger issues like race and being a black woman artist and trying to have your voice heard and be recognized - I think those were also struggles. But I don't think those things tore her apart. I think it was more kind of the personal pain. SIMON: I've read articles you've written, I guess, for Vogue, for Elle. And, you know, at one point, you - not to be oblique about it - you seem to hold your relationship with your mother responsible for some of the problems that you had with violence. COLLINS: Yeah. She had a terrible temper. I mean, we would have violent fights when I was a child. She had a real rage in her. There's no doubt. And she and my father fought a lot. It's not as if I saw a lot of domestic violence. There was a lot of yelling and some hitting. And I think my response to her death was to kind of do, do, do. So within a couple of years of her death, I got married. I started a business. I had four children. I kind of went in super overdrive through my 20s and into my 30s and, you know, was depressed and saw therapists but never really looked at what was underneath my kind of hyper, you know, almost manic attempt to create a life. And then, basically, it kind of crashed down. In my 30s, I went through a very, very difficult divorce. I was extremely angry. I think it was a lot of unexplored anger about her death and the secrets. And yeah, I probably had been raised in an environment where rage was not unusual. SIMON: Again, not to be oblique, but you took it out on your then-husband, right? COLLINS: Yeah, I did. SIMON: Does getting to know your mother through these stories help you close a circle within yourself with your mother? COLLINS: It has, I think. I mean, when I got divorced, I was 37. And that's when I started reading all of her work. And I wrote a draft of a memoir. I also went into therapy. And yeah, I mean, I certainly don't feel violent anymore (laughter). I'm still sad sometimes. I'm not probably nearly as sad. I mean, this process of bringing her work out is - I mean, it's very emotional. It's extremely sad for me that she doesn't know that this is happening. And it feels like a weird role. Like, I'm talking for her. But this is not my work. This is her work. And I'm so pleased that I've done this for her and, really, for the world. I'm so glad her voice is out there for people to enjoy and learn from. But it's certainly bittersweet. SIMON: Nina Collins - her mother Kathleen Collins died in 1988. But her first collection of short stories has just been published, "Whatever Happened To Interracial Love?" Nina Collins, thanks so much for being with us. COLLINS: Thank you for having me.
Nina Lorez Collins was born in New York City in 1969 and attended Barnard College. She had a long career in book publishing, first as a scout and then as an agent. She completed a Masters in Narrative Medicine at Columbia University and become a certified Life Coach with IPEC. She has four children and lives in Brooklyn, where she is a trustee of The Brooklyn Public Library.
Transitions: Nina Lorez Collins
January 23, 2017 297 Views 0 Comment
I met Nina Lorez Collins through a confidential group she runs on Facebook for women over 40. So very BARB. I liked her immediately; warm, funny, and that intrinsic thread that I’m seeing amongst ladies us—knowing that there’s so much more in us—ran rapidly between us. I was immediately comfortable with Nina, rare for me. While we spoke, I noticed over her shoulder, a tower of books—all feminist tomes—that were an exact replica of what is on my shelf. If there’s ever anything that reminds you of what binds you to another, it’s the crossover of a book collection. As I left, she graciously gave me a copy of her mother’s, the great Kathleen Collins, book, Whatever Happened to Interracial Love. And that is how you know you want to be friends with someone: when they give you a book off their shelves, as books are sacred.
What is your name? Nina L Collins.
How old are you? 47.
If you were to give your 20 years ago self any advice what would it be? Get a lot of therapy.
What is your biggest concern for yourself for the next ten years? I hope that I can be disciplined enough to fulfill whatever creative expectations I have of myself.
What is your relationship situation? Married 2 years to my second husband (the father of my four children and I divorced ten years ago).
How do you define work? That which stimulates and excites you and hopefully earns you a paycheck?
How do you define relaxation? Peace, quiet, joy, anything that settles my mind and limbs.
What is your favorite band/artist? Nina Simone.
How has your definition of feminism evolved over your lifetime? I feel stronger every year – more confident about what I have to offer and how I can take care of myself and others, so I suppose I’d say that my definition of feminism has become more clear as I’ve become more clear myself about myself as a woman in the world.
Turbulent personal life of self-help author who has helped thousands of women: Nina Collins reveals she's divorcing her second husband who 'punched her in the face' after a heated argument while driving in Brooklyn
Nina Lorez Collins is now divorcing Cliff Perlman, a lawyer for nonprofits
Collins alleged that after a heated argument last year, Perlman attacked her
On September 15, 2017, Perlman allegedly punched her and broke her nose
In new book What Would Virginia Woolf Do? she tells of her own personal life
By Valerie Edwards For Dailymail.com
Published: 19:44 BST, 4 March 2018 | Updated: 20:49 BST, 4 March 2018
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Self-help author Nina Lorez Collins has revealed that she is in the process of divorcing her second husband who allegedly punched her in the face following a heated argument last year.
Collins has helped thousands of people with her advice to women.
But in her new book, What Would Virginia Woolf Do?, she tells of her own turbulent personal life.
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Self-help author Nina Lorez Collins has revealed that she is in the process of divorcing her second husband, Cliff Perlman (right) who allegedly punched her in the face following a heated argument last year
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Readers will find a loving chapter about her and Perlman (pictured in the letter O), in her book, but the mother-of-four is no longer happy in her marriage
Readers will find a loving chapter about her second husband, Cliff Perlman, in her book, but the mother-of-four is no longer happy in her marriage.
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Collins is divorcing Perlman, who is a lawyer for nonprofits.
Last September, the couple had a heated argument while driving through Brooklyn Heights when Perlman allegedly punched her and broke her nose, according to PageSix.
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'I was deeply saddened by the end of my marriage. I'm not going to comment on the ongoing legal issues,' Collins told the news site.
But Collins has had her own personal problems as well.
During her first marriage, she was arrested three times.
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But Collins (left) is divorcing Perlman (right), who is a lawyer for nonprofits
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Last September, the couple had a heated argument while driving through Brooklyn Heights when Perlman allegedly punched her and broke her nose. What Would Virginia Woolf Do? will hit bookshelves on April 10
One of those arrested stemmed from an alleged assault on her husband and a second for an alleged assault her spouse's new girlfriend, according to PageSix.
'It's really sad. I loved him, but it's over,' Collins reportedly told one of her friends.
Perlman is due in court on March 13 over the alleged attack.
Collins is the daughter of Kathleen Collins, a pioneering African-American film director, playwright, civil rights activist and educator.
What Would Virginia Woolf Do? will hit bookshelves on April 10 and is being published by Grand Central Life & Style.
Self-help author Nina Lorez Collins in marital turmoil
By Richard Johnson
March 4, 2018 | 9:52am
Nina Lorez Collins gives great advice to women in her new book “What Would Virginia Woolf Do?” but her own life has been marred by violence.
The passionate mother of four writes lovingly about “Hubby No. 2” in her book, out April 10 from Grand Central Life & Style, and readers might assume she is still happily married — there is a whole chapter on cuddling.
But Collins is now divorcing Cliff Perlman, a lawyer for nonprofits. The couple was having a screaming match while driving through Brooklyn Heights on the night of Sept. 15 when he allegedly punched her and broke her nose.
Perlman, who had never been in trouble with the law before, is due in court March 13.
“I was deeply saddened by the end of my marriage. I’m not going to comment on the ongoing legal issues,” Collins told me.
Collins has issues as well. She was arrested three times as her first marriage ended — once for assaulting her husband, once for assaulting her spouse’s new girlfriend, and then a third time for violating an order of protection.
In a 2013 article for Elle about her arrests, Collins wrote, “I do think I’ve changed. I’ve learned to detect my danger signs with men.”
But now her second marriage is done, and Collins told a friend: “It’s really sad. I loved him, but it’s over.”
Filed under authors , celebrity marriages
April 22, 2018
A Conversation with Nina Lorez Collins
Interview, Author
A couple months ago I was invited to join a private Facebook group called “What Would Virginia Woolf Do?” I didn't know anything about it at the time, but was immediately struck by the candid conversations happening among the other members -- and so I took a closer look.
As it turns out, this closed online forum for women over 40 was created in 2015 by Nina Lorez Collins in response to her aging body and a craving to talk about it with her closest friends--without apology. It quickly attracted more people, and to date, has grown to nearly 16K members with a companion book just published by Grand Central Publishing.
In the interview below, Nina brings the same intimate, candid, and witty talk to our conversation. You might even decide to become a Woolfer yourself!
In 2015, at 46 and out of the blue, Nina Lorez Collins started waking up drenched in sweat every morning at 4am. She soon discovered that she was entering peri-menopause, that netherworld state which will take her from relatively young to relatively old, and that realization jolted her into creating a closed Facebook group for her girlfriends so that she could ask some questions, commiserate, and get advice. She called it “What Would Virginia Woolf Do?” in what she thought was a funny nod to a brilliant feminist she admired, a woman who chose to end it all in her late 50s.
Her goal was to create a haven where she could talk about aging without feeling ashamed, and where she could get information and support that would help her on this rocky road to crone-hood or aged bliss. What started as a small network among her closest friends has since blossomed to nearly 16K members and counting, along with the release of a companion book by the same name.
To order the book, visit:
Amazon
See Nina's Upcoming events
Karin Gutman: Oh my, what a phenomenon you’ve created… Is this what you imagined would unfold when you first set out to create the original “What Would Virginia Woolf Do” Facebook group back in 2015?
Nina Lorez Collins: Not in a million years—this was intended to just be a place for me and my closest girlfriends.
How do you think Virginia Woolf would have responded to all of this?
(Laughs) Hard to say. I do think she would applaud our feminism and study of our internal lives.
Who is the WWVWD group for and how does one join?
One has to be a woman over 40, ideally smart and funny and willing to be open and supportive. Just search on Facebook for “What Would Virginia Woolf Do?” and answer the three questions that pop up.
Totally off topic perhaps, but I loved learning that you received a Master’s degree in Narrative Medicine from Columbia University. I have been circling around it for some time. How does that inform who you are and what you do in the world?
Hugely. My mother died of breast cancer when I was 19 and she'd had cancer for years and kept it a secret from everyone including her children. I'm very interested in ideas around loss, transition, how we live in our bodies.
I am the kind of person who gets a little wary when online communities take on an aggressive edge. I know there have been some heated banters and conversations in the WWVWD Facebook group. What is your take on that, beyond “it's par for the course.” Is it constructive?
Of course it can be upsetting when things get ugly, but generally you can see that it's someone who has been triggered in some way—there's some pain underneath the reaction. We try really hard to soothe people, but sometimes it's just not a good fit and people have to leave.
Where will all of this go from here? Do you have a vision for the Woolfers? Also, what’s next for you, within or outside of this community?
I'm really not sure yet… I absolutely love the women and the conversation and take great pride in the fact that it's been so meaningful for so many women. I'm hoping we can turn it into an identity brand for women over 40 with a website, blog, podcast, etc.
I recently read about the recent break up of your marriage. How do you manage everything that’s going on personally and professionally?
It's been really hard, harder than I expected given that it had only been a four-year relationship. I'm wondering if these things just get harder as we get older? The feeling of failure, the missing him; it's all been pretty awful. I suppose I'm grateful that WWVWD has kept me so busy and been such a distraction and a delight. Also, I really have incredible support from so many women!
What I just asked feels like such a personal question, but you seem to be comfortable with self-exposure - is that true? If so, where does that come from?
Yes, totally comfortable. I'm much less comfortable when people aren't saying what’s really going on. I think our pain is what's real and it should be discussed; how else can we grow?
I work with memoir writers, largely women, who are looking to discover and write their truths on the page… and out loud. What advice would you give them?
Write every day. It's a craft and it's hard as hell.
It seems to me that there is a movement happening - women gathering with women - empowering each other to live out loud and speak their truths. I have been experiencing it in my ongoing memoir groups for the last 8 years and it feels increasingly like it’s part of a growing historical movement. What do you think?
I think it's certainly happening now but I'm not sure if it hasn't always been true in different forms. The consciousness raising groups of the 70s etc.
How did you land your book deal? I imagine having a background as a literary agent helped.
One of my oldest friends is my agent and we worked closely together and got lucky getting a deal.
With your background as an agent, what are your candid thoughts regarding traditional versus self-publishing?
It's all hard and sort of awful, but I'd say it's always better to go the traditional route if you can.
What does your writing process look like?
Way too erratic. I don't write nearly enough. When I'm working on a project I spend a ton of time in bed with my laptop, often crying.
What do you know and trust about your creative process?
It's new and I've barely scratched the surface. I need to work harder at it.
Tell me THREE WORDS you live by.
Honesty, bravery, love.
~ Meet Nina ~
Writers Bloc presents:
Nina Lorez Collins in Conversation
with
Annabelle Gurwitch and Sandra Tsing Loh
Friday, May 4th, 7:30pm
Temple Emanuel
Beverly Hills
Buy tickets
See other WWVWD events happening around the country
April 11, 2018
WRITE LIKE A MOTHER: Nina Lorez Collins
For most women, aging is seen as something to be denied or ignored. And the writing world is not immune: award lists often tout those under 30 or 40. Nina Lorez Collins, a colleague of mine from Columbia’s Narrative Medicine program, has been quietly changing this with her “sisterhood of literary-minded feminists,” What Would Virginia Woolf Do?, which is also the title of her new book. A hybrid of memoir and self-help, the book confronts aging with the kind of sarcasm, wit, and camaraderie that Woolf herself would enjoy.
What have you done to maintain a space for yourself and your work (writing and otherwise) within motherhood?
I’ve always been a big believer in the idea that I need to be sane and happy in order to be a role model for my four children. I also hugely value independence as an important quality, so these things combined have given me some justification for prioritizing my own work and personal growth within the context of motherhood.
How does being a writer affect your experience of motherhood?
Probably somewhat negatively, to be honest—in that I’m interested in writing about my personal life, and I’m sure that’s embarrassing at times to my children. I’ve tried a few times to write fiction, but it just doesn’t feel right to me. On the other hand, kids are a great source of material, if you can figure out how to use it without betraying them :)
Can you tell me more about the impetus to write this book?
A little over two years ago I started a secret (later changed to closed) Facebook group. I called it “What Would Virginia Woolf Do?” in a nod to the daring feminist I admire who killed herself in her 50s. The joke was that I was feeling demoralized by aging, and wondered if I should just bag the whole thing. The group was never intended to be anything beyond a forum for me and my girlfriends, but friends invited friends, and it took off in this unimaginable way. We now have almost 7500 women all across the country in the group. About a year into it, I was spending ALL my time on Facebook, and I realized that there might be more to explore in a longer form.
How has motherhood changed for you as you (and your children) have gotten older?
It gets easier and also harder as they get older. My kids are now young adults, ranging in age from 17 to 24, and I’m so much calmer and wiser now, and wish I’d had more of this balance and ability when I was younger. I loved having small children, and in contrast I found the crucial years of adolescence (13-17) very, very taxing… I can’t believe I’m not all gray at this point. But now, as they slide into actual adulthood, I’m relaxing a bit more again, and it’s a huge treat to see how interesting and able they all are. And to have almost complete freedom for the first time in my life!
It’s so interesting to see how the landscape of motherhood changes over time. As someone with a toddler, I love hearing about how each stage of parenting is different. How has the experience of writing changed over the course of their lives?
I don’t know, because I didn’t start writing until about eight years ago, when my kids were 9, 11, 11, and 15. It gets easier when they are out of the house!
WWVWD tackles various issues a woman faces as she gets older, and though we talk a lot about sexism in the workplace and in various industries (for good reason), do you think there’s ageism, particularly in the publishing world?
I don’t know—I was just remembering this morning the publication of Julia Glass’s The Three Junes, which won the National Book Award in 2002. That was her first novel, and she was in her late 40s when it was published. Or Stephanie Gangi’s The Next, which is a marvelous debut novel that came out when the author was in her early 60s. And book publishing is of course full of great women in the houses and agencies. I suppose I would say that there is ageism everywhere, but maybe it’s no worse in the publishing world?
What books inspire you, and what are you reading right now?
What I’m reading right now: Meg Wolitzer’s The Female Persuasion and Amy Bloom’s White Houses.
What inspires me: anything by Laurie Colwin, Anita Brookner, Margaret Drabble, Jean Rhys, Virginia Woolf, Alice Munro, Carol Shields.
Jaime Rochelle Herndon graduated with her MFA in creative nonfiction from Columbia and is a writer and editor living in NYC. She is a contributor at Book Riot and a writing instructor at Apiary Lit, and her writing can be seen on Healthline and New York Family Magazine, among others.
Nina Lorez Collins
Founder & Author of WWVWD
Photos by Elena Seibert
In 2015, at 46 and out of the blue, I started waking up drenched in sweat every morning at 4am. I soon discovered that I was entering peri-menopause, that netherworld state which will take me from relatively young to relatively old, and that realization jolted me into creating a closed Facebook group for my girlfriends so that I could ask some questions, commiserate, and get advice. I called it “What Would Virginia Woolf Do?” in what I thought was a funny nod to a brilliant feminist I admire, a woman who chose to end it all in her late 50s. My goal was to create a haven where I could talk about aging without feeling ashamed, and where I could get information and support that would help me on this rocky road to cronehood or aged bliss, or whatever it will be.
I’m a lifelong New Yorker, born here in 1969. I graduated from Barnard College in 1990 and got a Masters in Narrative Medicine from Columbia in 2013. I have four kids who are mostly launched, and serve as a trustee on the board of the Brooklyn Public Library.
What Would Virginia Woolf Do? And Other Questions I Ask Myself As I Attempt to Age Without Apology
Publishers Weekly. 265.5 (Jan. 29, 2018): p182.
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2018 PWxyz, LLC
http://www.publishersweekly.com/
Full Text:
What Would Virginia Woolf Do? And Other Questions I Ask Myself As I Attempt to Age Without Apology
Nina Lorez Collins. Grand Central, $26 (355p)
ISBN 978-1-5387-2795-9
Life coach Collins comes across as a close, plainspoken friend in this wise guide to midlife intended to "bring to light some of the things that aren't discussed enough about this particular phase." The bulk of the book is concerned with fashion, beauty, and unwanted changes to the body to a degree that verges on obsessive, but there are also chapters on finances, mental health, parenting, physical health, and work. Along the way, Collins leavens her advice with humor and honesty: wrinkle-fighting skin cream Retin-A works; Kegels work, but actually making the commitment to doing them is another issue; "brain fog" as a menopause-related issue is real, but generally temporary. There are also relatable discussions of life choices and regrets, such as over a decision between focusing on parenting or career. Collins supplements her own stories with those from her friends and from members of the Facebook group Collins started that provides this book's title. Her takeaways are that there is great benefit to understanding one's choices, having a community, knowing what's happening to one's body, and accepting change. Women in the market for advice on entering midlife will find her a funny and reliable guide. (Apr.)
Source Citation (MLA 8th Edition)
"What Would Virginia Woolf Do? And Other Questions I Ask Myself As I Attempt to Age Without Apology." Publishers Weekly, 29 Jan. 2018, p. 182. General OneFile, http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A526116571/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=ITOF&xid=bbafb503. Accessed 27 May 2018.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A526116571