Kamla K. Kapur considers the pleasures and complexities of old age on our Indie Episode.

On this special Indie Episode of Fully Booked, Kamla K. Kapur joins us to discuss The Privilege of Aging: Savoring the Fullness of Life (Park Street Press, 2024)—in conjunction with the seventh annual Indie Issue of Kirkus Reviews, celebrating independently published books across all genres. Kirkus calls The Privilege of Aging, “a moving celebration of life before death, balanced between plangent reflection and exuberant affirmation” (starred review). Kapur’s lyrical work of nonfiction won the Nautilus Book Gold Award, as well as a Best Indie Book Award.

Kapur is a decorated playwright, memoirist, novelist, essayist, and poet. Born and raised in India, she pursued higher education in the United States. A former distinguished literature professor at Grossmont College, she is the author of more than a dozen books, including Rumi: Tales of the Spirit and The Singing Guru; the poetry collections Gift of Grief and Radha Sings; and the plays “Kaamiya” and “Kepler Dreams.” She and her husband divide their time between the Indian Himalayas and San Diego, California.

Here’s a bit more from our starred review of The Privilege of Aging: “Kapur, a 77-year-old Indian American playwright and poet, mordantly catalogues the difficulties of age, such as an initial sense of uselessness after retirement, lack of energy, aches and pains, and the increasing awareness of death as she and her husband, Payson Stevens, struggle with cancer. Yet she finds consolations, like a new capacity to adapt and pace her energies…and an ability to live contentedly in the moment while doing nothing in particular. Kapur’s autobiographical recollections explore themes of love and loss.…Readers will find much hard-won wisdom here.”

Kapur and I discuss the ins and outs of aging, the importance of slowing down, of heeding messages from one’s body, and the value of rest. We talk about love, commitment, self-acceptance, finding joy in simple moments, and Guru Nanak, the first Sikh. At the end of the interview, she recommends to listeners a recent memoir that she loves. Follow @kirkus_reviews on Instagram, DM us the title of that memoir (along with your email and location), and you’ll be entered in a drawing to receive a $100 Visa gift card, courtesy of Kirkus.

THANKS TO OUR SPONSORS:

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Fully Booked is produced by Jessica Lockhart and Megan Labrise.