Can authors ever really retire?

2)    William Zinsser. The celebrated author of “On Writing Well,” a classic guide to the craft, continues to work as a writing coach at 90, even though the recent loss of his sight forced him to give up his online column for The American Scholar. The essays from that column were recently collected in “The Writer Who Stayed” (Paul Dry Books, 14.95). Also available from Paul Dry’s backlist are two classic Zinsser reprints: “American Places,” his travelogue of national landmarks, and “Mitchell & Ruff,” his account of a pivotal visit to China by American jazz musicians in 1981.

3)    Edward Hoagland.  Hailed by John Updike as “the best essayist of my generation,” Hoagland is still knitting sentences together at 80, as evidenced by his recent essay collection, “Sex and the River Styx” (Chelsea Green, $17.95). Hoagland’s essays display the emotional complexity of a novel, and they have deepened in emotional resonance as Hoagland has matured. “Summer won’t be endless now; nor episodes of drama and romance,” he writes of aging  in “A Last Look,” a landmark essay in the book.  In spite of that, Hoagland still finds the winter of his life full of adventure – and insightful observation. “Alaskan Travels” (Arcade Publishing, $22.95), Hoagland’s reminiscence of his travels in the Great White North, is a great companion title.

4)    Mary Oliver. Cited by The New York Times as “America’s bestselling poet,” the 77-year-old Oliver crafts poems in the tradition of Robert Frost, offering introspective musings inspired by the New England landscape. “A Thousand Mornings” (Penguin, $24.95) shows Oliver at the top of her form, especially in “Today,” which expresses her views on the serenity of aging: “Today I’m flying low and I’m / not saying a word.  / I’m letting all the voodoos of ambition sleep.” Penguin plans to publish a collection of Oliver’s canine poems, “Dog Songs,” in October.

5)    W.D. Wetherell. Novelist and essayist W.D Wetherell turns 65 this year, but retirement doesn’t seem likely for one of America’s most consistently engaging writers. In “Yellowstone Autumn” (University of Nebraska Press, $24.95), Wetherell recalled coming to terms with aging while spending his 55^th birthday in Yellowstone National Park. “The Writing on the Wall” (Arcade, $24.95) his 2012 novel, is an engrossing tale of a woman who seeks solace in an old vacation house, only to discover that she’s not really alone. But my favorite Wetherell book is “On Admiration” (Skyhorse,  $12.95), an autobiography improvised from the author’s survey of people he’s admired over the years. “No book like this has ever been attempted before,” he says in introducing his concept. The desire to find something new, even after decades of experience, is what keeps many seasoned authors  writing – and seasoned readers  following along.  

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