383 Jill G Hall: Shaped by her Past: Creativity Unleashed

383 Jill G Hall: Shaped by her Past: Creativity Unleashed

Author: Gail Zelitzky and Catherine Marienau June 3, 2026 Duration: 27:50

Author and artist Jill G. Hall, 71, joins us with her luminous new novel On a Sundown Sea, inspired by the mysteries surrounding the visionary woman who built Lomaland—a utopian community near the home Jill grew up in. Fascinated since childhood by the stories whispered throughout her neighborhood, for more than a century, Hall spent five years researching the extraordinary life of Katherine Tingley, tracing her journey from Massachusetts roots to her profound spiritual and artistic influence on the West Coast.

When Jill began writing after a twenty-year career as an educator, she never imagined she would become a novelist. Joining a prompt-writing group, she initially thought she might write children’s books or a memoir about teaching. Instead, unexpected characters began appearing on the page. Jill kept writing, and ten years later, when she was sixty, her debut novel, The Black Velvet Coat, was published. Two more novels completed the Anne McFarland Series with The Silver Shoes and The Green Lace Corset.

Jill has always been creative. Along the way, she’d been shaped by a series of mentors: her grandmother, a beloved fifth-grade teacher who nurtured her love of the humanities, and later, poets who helped refine her voice. Beyond writing, she’s also a visual artist whose mixed-media collages and mosaics blend found objects—especially silver trays transformed into wall-hung artworks—with words, tiles, and small artifacts. She studies modern dance, practices yoga, and takes long walks, all of which continue to enrich her life and work.

Now working on a collection of her nature-inspired poetry, Jill embraces aging with joy and curiosity.

“I feel like I am aging backwards!” - Jill G. Hall

Anne McFarland Series: The Black Velvet Coat, The Silver Shoes & The Green Lace Corset

Biographical Historical Novel: On A Sundown Sea

Website: www.jillghall.com

https://substack.com/@jillghall

https://www.facebook.com/JillGHallAuthor/#

https://www.instagram.com/jillg.hall/

Shining the Light on Age-Wise Collective—Women Over 70 is proud to be part of the Age-Wise Collective, a group of women podcasters championing pro-aging voices. We highlight Beverley Glazer, a transition coach and strategic thinking partner whose podcast-AgingwithPurposeandPassion.com –showcases the raw, empowering stories of high-achieving women who have navigated the most extreme life transitions with unshakeable resilience.


Hosted by Gail Zelitzky and Catherine Marienau, Women Over 70: Aging Reimagined turns the page on a well-worn cultural script. This is not a series about decline, but a collection of dialogues focused squarely on expansion. You’ll hear from women who are starting businesses, deepening their creative practices, forging new relationships, and confronting societal expectations with a refreshing blend of honesty and humor. These conversations, rooted in personal journals and lived expertise, delve into the practical and the profound-from the science of longevity to the personal journeys of resilience that define this chapter. The podcast moves beyond inspiration to offer tangible insight, framing the later decades as a time of active reinvention. Tune in for stories that replace stereotypes with specificity, and discover a community redefining what it means to grow older with purpose and curiosity.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 50

Women Over 70: Aging Reimagined
Podcast Episodes
397 Ann Stanford: Envisioning the Fullness of Self [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 25:32
Retirement has afforded Ann Stanford, age 75, “unbelievable luxury—the space and freedom to let things bubble up.” She savors this time to reflect on how she really wants to live and what it means to become fully herself…
396 Cynthia Goren: A Life of Learning, Listening, and Helping Others [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 26:08
At 89, Cynthia Goren is navigating a profound new chapter. Since the death of her husband last October after 67 years of marriage, she has become more aware of her own mortality—and more determined to live meaningfully.…
394 Paula Nesoff: A Social Activist Born from the Realities of Life [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 29:21
As the daughter of Holocaust survivors, Paula, 77, understood early what it meant to live with absence. Her parents each lost their entire families eventually meeting after the war and emigrating to the United States wit…
393 Terry Craig: The Power and Satisfaction of Building Community [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 24:41
At 71, Terry Craig reflects on a life shaped by creativity, curiosity, movement, and reinvention.Growing up as the second of six siblings, Terry learned early how to resolve conflicts and bring people together. Her mothe…
392 Ruby Hill: A Life Shaped by Love, Learning, and Service [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 24:27
Recently, at 95, Ruby Hill spends time reflecting on her life. Two principles stand out: “I cared deeply about the needs of others, and the results were better than I could have imagined.” She also believes that much of…
391 Maureen Rafa: Advocate for Compassionate Care for Older Adults [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 29:01
Drawing on decades of experience in psychiatric mental health and a wide range of health care settings, Maureen Rafa now runs her own business as an elder care coordinator. She also actively volunteers to improve coordin…
390 Abbie Rosner: The Psychedelic Renaissance Among Older Adults [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 31:22
What if aging could become a time of deeper meaning, connection, and personal transformation? Writer and baby boomer Abbie Rosner explores that possibility in her new book, Psychedelics and the Counterculture of Aging. D…