From Behind the Scenes to the Page and the Stage: Laura Bergman on Becoming a Writer in Midlife
Laura Bergman spent almost forty years raising money for the arts. Now she is writing and performing her own work, from her Menopause Monologues piece “Menopause Showdown” to her debut memoir, Waiting for Miles. We talk about what it takes to become the one making the art, and why this season of life makes it easier.
In this episode, we talk about:
- How a theater board seat and a friend’s workshop led Laura to write and perform
- The true stories behind “Menopause Showdown,” including her experience with hormone pellets
- What her mother told her about performing, and what she let go of to do it anyway
- Turning a short story about adopting her son into a book, and finding a publisher for women over 50
- Why beginner’s doubt is not imposter syndrome
- “Just write for the fun of it,” and why the process matters more than the result
About Laura Bergman:
Laura Bergman spent almost 40 years in the nonprofit world, most of it raising money for the arts. She was executive director and later development director of Z Space in San Francisco, and she serves on the boards of Z Space, Town Hall Theatre in Lafayette, The Job Forum, and the Menopause Monologues. Her piece “Menopause Showdown” has been performed in the Menopause Monologues and was a nonfiction finalist in a San Francisco writers’ conference anthology. Her debut memoir, Waiting for Miles, the story of adopting her son, comes out April 23 from Sibylline Press.
Connect with Laura Bergman:
Substack: Laura Bergman Writes
Instagram @laurabergmansays
Laura performs “Menopause Showdown” at Litquake with the Menopause Monologues on Sunday, October 18 at 3:00 p.m., in “Menopause Extravaganza: The Science and Culture of a Subject No One Used to Want to Talk About,” at Gray Area in San Francisco’s Mission District.
Mentioned in this episode
Episode 15: The Menopause Monologues, with Lulu Braunstein, Carrie Vanhouten and Lisa Anne Morrison
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Nothing in this episode is medical advice. Any decision about your own health belongs with your own healthcare provider, who knows your history and your whole picture.
