Who’s an Oldster?
When Life Gave Her Ageism, She Created Oldster
Sari Botton started a Substack about getting older after finding employers were reluctant to hire her, a middle-aged woman. With more than 70,000 subscribers, she has clearly struck a nerve.
“Everyone who’s alive and aging is an oldster,” Ms. Botton said.
Credit...Kate Warren for The New York Times
By Kasia Pilat
Published March 3, 2026Updated March 6, 2026
Oldster, a Substack newsletter by Sari Botton, came to her in a dream. She even remembers the date it arrived: Aug. 31, 2021.
“I made a joke about it on Twitter and then I proceeded to realize, ‘Wait a minute, it’s a good idea,’” said Ms. Botton, a 60-year-old writer and editor. “I immediately went on Substack, launched it, and immediately people started signing up.”
Oldster is not, as the name might suggest, a newsletter focused exclusively on people who are conventionally considered old. As the online description of Oldster explains, “It’s about the experience of getting older, and what that means at different junctures.”
“Everyone who’s alive and aging is an oldster,” Ms. Botton said. As such, the Substack features personal essays by Ms. Botton and guest essayists (the most popular among the newsletter’s readers, by Gail Rice, a psychologist and writer, is titled “For My 70th Birthday I Hired an Escort”) and a weekly questionnaire that has been answered by such artists as the novelist John Irving, 84; the Emmy-winning filmmaker Ava DuVernay, 53; and the actress Rosie O’Donnell, 63. Ms. Botton said contributors ranged in age from 30 to 99. The newsletter also features “Ask a Sober Oldster,” a monthly series in partnership with the Small Bow, a recovery and mental health newsletter and podcast.
