STORIES OF WOMEN AND AGEING BY GLENDA ADAMS, LILY BRETT, SARA DOWSE, ELIZABETH JOLLEY, JOANNA MURRAY-SMITH, GEORGIA SAVAGE, ROBERTA SYKES AND ELISABETH WYNHAUSEN.Eight of Australia's most celebrated women writers tackle the difficult subject of ageing, and why we as a society find it an awkward subject to broach. Each of the three editors who put this collection together share an interest in writing, gender and ageing, and two of the editors actively work in the area, one teaching creative writing to women aged 60-85, the other as Project Director at the Alma Unit on Women and Ageing at Melbourne University.The editors invited the eight eminent contributors to write about their experiences of ageing, asking them to reflect on what ageing means to them and to explore how their own stories challenge cultural understandings of women and ageing. They felt that, when it came to ageing, there were few storylines available to women outside the traditional stories of lost youth and physical deterioration. Powerful and positive images of older women in contemporary Australian literature and culture are rare. What we need, and what this collection gives us, are stories of ageing which give us more authentic, complex and diverse representations of what it means to grow old. After all, it will happen to all of us if we're lucky.AUTHOR INFORMATIONGLENDA ADAMS Lives in Glebe, Sydney. Her novels include Dancing on Coral (1987 - winner Miles Franklin Award and NSW Premier's Award), Longleg (1990 - winner Age Book of the Year Award) and The Tempest of Clemenza (1996)LILY BRETT Lives in New York and visits Melbourne. Her last novel, Just Like That (1995) won the NSW Premiers Award.SARA DOWSE Lives in Canberra. Her novels include West Block, Scheme Time and Sapphire.ELIZABETH JOLLEY Lives in Perth. Her novels include Mr Scobie's Riddle (1983 - winner of the Age Book of the Year Award), Milk and Honey (1984 - winner NSW Premier's Prize), The Well (1986 - winner Miles Franklin Award). Officer of the Order of Australia.JOANNA MURRAY-SMITH Lives in Melbourne. Has written the plays Love Child and Angry Young Penguins. Her first novel Truce, was published in 1994.GEORGIA SAVAGE Lives in Melbourne. Her novels include Slate and Me and Blanche McBride and The House Tibet.ROBERTA SYKES Poet and well-known activist.ELISABETH WYNHAUSEN Well-known journalist who has worked for the Telegraph, the Bulletin, the National Times and the Age. Now writes a column for the Australian. Has wriiten a memoir entitled Manly Girls.SELLING POINTS*** Please read the attached introduction, which is a perfect explanation of why the editors wanted this collection to happen and what the individual stories are about.*** The line-up of talent in this anthology is amazing and should really draw buyers to this book, as well as media. *** There is no other book around that adresses these concerns. As the majority of book buyers are women, and all women, unfortunately, grow older, there should be an enormous amount of interest in this book.*** All the contributirs will make themselves available for publicity, and the three editors are accustomed to lecturing and public speaking.*** The title, SOMETHING THAT HAPPENS TO OTHER PEOPLE, is taken from Lily Brett's story. The title and the cover are both positive and the opposite of most stereotypes of ageing.