Amanda Barusch
Author, Scholar, Explorer
An international scholar and award-winning instructor, Amanda Barusch is best known for her insightful narrative inquiries into the experiences of older adults and for her research and advocacy on social policy. She lectures on age-affirmative practice at the University of Otago (New Zealand) and teaches creative writing in US correctional facilities.
Amanda grew up on a horse ranch in California's San Jacinto Valley, where she spent most of her time barefoot. This free-range childhood gave her an abiding disdain for boundaries. She has the scars to prove it!
She holds an MFA from the University of Utah and spends most of her time in the Intermountain West. Her poetry, essays, and short form fiction have appeared in international journals, including Everyday Fiction (US), Flash Fiction Magazine (US), Flash Frontier (NZ), Crack the Spine (US), Mulberry Fork Review (US), Bravado (New Zealand), Stone Path Review (UK), and The Legendary (US).
Amanda has published seven books, including Love Stories of Later Life (Oxford University Press) and Foundations of Social Policy (Cengage). She edited the Journal of Gerontological Social Work for six years and has published countless articles in academic journals. She loves teaching and her favorite lecture topics are Social Security and Scholarly Writing. Amanda is a fellow in the Gerontological Society of America. She her book on late-life activism tentatively titled, Ageing Angry: From Rage to Resistance is forthcoming with Oxford University Press.
She divides her time between New Zealand and the American West.
Genre:
- Adult Fiction
Skills:
- Academic Writing
- Editing
- Readings (adults)
- Research
- Short Story Writing
Branch:
Central Districts
Location:
New Plymouth
Publications:
Love Stories of Later Life, Oxford University Press, 2008
Even with baby boomers retiring and greater media and research attention being lavished on older people, most gerontologists have studiously avoided examining romance among the elderly. Love Stories of Later Life is an appealing and eye-opening remedy to this neglect, as leading gerontologist Amanda Smith Barusch presents original research into what love and romance mean in seniors' lives. The result is a glimpse into a world many people didn't know existed - that of romantic love in later life.
The True Shape of Raindrops, Mulberry Fork Review, Sept. 2014
A California family take their friends and their ghost on a rafting trip that goes awry. This e-book is available for free on my website: www.amandabarusch.com
Conversations with Suzanna, 2018
This chapter appeared in an amazing interdisciplinary collection curated by Moshoula Capous-Desyllas and Karen Morgaine called Creating Social Change Through Creativity. It details a five-year-long conversation I had with the mother of a young woman going through gender transition.
Ageing Angry: From Rage to Resistance. Forthcoming, Oxford University Press.
Cougars and Crones: Maverick Archetypes for Older Women, 2022
This chapter in Adriana Teodorescu's editied book, Shaping Ageing, explores the individual lives and societal impacts of people who reject the conventional shape of old age. It argues that these ‘mavericks’ fulfil an important social function by expanding the range of possibilities available to their more conventional counterparts. It focuses on two archetypes: ‘cougars’ and ‘crones’ and suggests they are revamping public understanding of feminine ageing.
A Place for Dad, 2017
This is a highly personal chapter published in S. Chivers & U. Kriebernegg (Eds). Care Home Stories. It details my family's experience as Dad descended into the depths of dementia and the US long-term care industry.
Itch
This short story is the second in my metamorphosis series. I'm delighted that it appeared in Flash Fiction Magazine. Here's a link:
https://flashfictionmagazine.com/blog/2022/10/31/itch/?fbclid=IwAR0QLgDWjtUqohYuoL3DSIgoTGtugsZU9EATUuBLiaEGq5FFGTN9PkOSmhM
Aging Angry: Making peace with rage
Fear of anger can ultimately be as destructive as expressed rage, fomenting social isolation, injustice, and misunderstanding. In Aging Angry: Making Peace with Rage, Amanda Smith Barusch argues that now, more than ever, it is time for older adults to turn toward anger rather than denying or avoiding it. By taking anger seriously, we can neutralize its destructive potential and harness its energy and wisdom for personal and social change.
Aging Angry was released in 2024 by Oxford University Press. Please see author website (amandabarusch.com) for a 30% discount when purchasing the book.