Sari Botton is a Kingston-based writer, editor, and publisher whose work has shaped conversations around identity, storytelling, and aging. A longtime journalist and literary force, she has edited anthologies, worked as an editor, and built a career amplifying personal essays as a vital form of storytelling. Today, she runs two highly regarded Substack magazines, as well as her own blog. This Wed., Oct. 1, she’ll be at Unicorn Bar in Kingston putting on a live, in-person event with a group of writers and performers.
You’re a prolific creator, from books to podcasts — can you give us a quick overview of the various projects you’re involved in currently?
Sari Botton: I publish two popular magazines on Substack—Oldster and Memoir Land—plus a personal blog, Adventures in *Journalism*. It’s the job I accidentally created for myself after I left Longreads, where I was an editor for five years, and encountered ageism on the hiring front. It’s also the best job I’ve ever had. Oldster is my flagship publication. It features people telling what it’s like to be exactly their age, in their own words, either through The Oldster Magazine Questionnaire, or personal essays, or comments on “open thread” blog posts. I’ve gotten feature some big names—Neko Case, Rosie O’Donnell, Ricki Lake, Nick Flynn, Ava DuVernay, Susan Orlean, Kate Pierson, NYMag art critic Jerry Saltz, and many others—but more often I feature people you’ve never heard of, Humans of New York-style.
One topic you’ve explored in your work is how various forces shape one’s identity, whether that’s aging, moving or choosing a new career path. What got you so interested in exploring the nature of how we see ourselves and how others see us?
Because I’ve always felt slightly different from everyone around me, and passed through milestones at a different pace from my peers, I’ve historically been slightly obsessed with identity, and what factors make a person who they are. When I was in my late 20s I began studying the personal essay, a form of writing that has a lot to do with exploring identity. Then I began writing and publishing them, and interested in publishing essays by other people. It’s my favorite literary form. I’ve published many people’s essays in various places over the years—my NYC anthologies, Goodbye to All That, and Never Can Say Goodbye; Longreads; Oldster; Memoir Land. It’s very satisfying work to me, writing, editing, publishing, and teaching this vital form of storytelling.
What is it about the Hudson Valley and Kingston that you like in terms of being a resident and doing your work here?
I love the rich history of the Hudson Valley and Kingston. And it dovetails with my family history: In 2015, after living in the area for 10 years, I learned that my ancestors were in Kingston from the 1860s to the 1920s—Eastern European Jews who had escaped persecution. A distant cousin I met on Ancestry told me that my great-great-great grandparents and other relatives are buried in Wiltwyck Rural Cemetery, and now I visit them regularly on walks. I especially love living in midtown Kingston, which is very walkable, but also not far from gorgeous walks and hikes that I can drive to in 20 minutes.
How do you navigate the ever-changing digital media landscape, and how are you building an audience around your creative work these days?
Right now, Substack is a good environment for me. They’ve brilliantly combined the best of blogging, social media virality, and crowd-funding. But boy, do I miss Twitter pre-Musk. I was able to attract a big following for my work, and find community there. I post all of my work on Substack Notes, Facebook, and Instagram, although the latter two with diminishing returns. It’s frustrating. I probably should have gotten on TikTok, which is now sure to be ruined by the deals being put in place.
Please tell us about the events you have coming up.
Join the family! 
