TN10: Jenny Laden, Visual Artist & First-Time Published Author At 53

Your Age: 53

Basic bio: Jenny is an artist, writer, teacher, organizer, fundraiser and mother. Her debut novel, This Terrible True Thing, is out now from Blackstone Publishing. She is the development director for the Institute of Contemporary Art in Philadelphia. She loves George Michael, good peaches and cool air.

Beyond the bio: Ensconced in menopause, motherhood, work and home, I am navigating blending family with my sweet partner, working at the top of my game, helping my aging parent, and like all the badass women I know, bending time to get everything done while sweating and experiencing bouts of rage. A visual artist most of my life, I learned to write a novel as an artistic dare, with the mission of telling my own story of AIDS to a younger generation, through the lens of a girl who lost her gay father to the virus. Learning a new art practice has allowed me to find whole new parts of myself I never knew existed.

What makes you a grown-ass lady? I know who I am and I'm not afraid to talk to anyone, ask for anything I know I need, and make shit happen. I am not really concerned with pleasing others anymore. I focus on both the big picture and the little details that make my heart grow. I put my energy into building my community, feeding my relationships and absorbing new ideas.

Here’s her TueNight 10:

1. On the nightstand: All The Bright Places, by Jennifer Niven. Congratulations, The Best is Over, by R. Eric Thomas. Also, lip balm, toe spacers and an eye mask. And a hearing aid case.

2. What I’m listening to: The playlist for my book; each chapter is titled for a song.

3. ‘80s crush/current crush: Rupert Everett; Andrew Scott

4. Latest fave find: No7 Menopause Skincare Radiance Serum, Olly Goodbye Stress Gummies for when you're in the car and your teenager is driving :-)

5. What was your first job: My first real job was at White Columns, a non-profit alternative space for emerging art. I started as an intern, worked my way up to become a development associate, and then assistant director before I moved on.

6. What’s a misconception about getting older: I think it’s trash that you become less sexy as you age. I think confidence is the foundation of attraction and if we play our cards right, we gain this immensely as we get older.

7. What are you most proud of: My kid. I had her as a single mother, and my job was immense. She is smart, strong, kind and funny as hell.

8. Is there anything you’d like a do-over for in life: I’d like to do over my job path. I think I talked myself out of a lot of possible opportunities, and I wish I could go back with a tad more resilience and try different things.

9. Best advice you ever got: I used to go to attend a support group at a place called Friends in Deed. There were many useful sayings I learned there, but one was about how to receive other people’s opinions: it’s a little about you and a lot about them.

10. What are you looking forward to: I'm looking forward to seeing my book reach even more people. I love the conversations I’ve been able to have about the themes: grief, art, activism, AIDS, growing up. And starting the next one! More, please!