40. Even bad diaries are good in later life — Tracy Farr

40. Even bad diaries are good in later life — Tracy Farr

From Learning How To Be Old by Rachel McAlpine

January 11, 2026 · 26 min · Season 5 · Episode 41

About this episode

Tracy Farr discusses the value of diary writing in later life and its impact on self-reflection and mental health.

Teenage diaries tend to be brave, passionate, exploratory, funny and heartbreaking. Senior diaries enrich your life with the clarity, compassion, and wisdom you have gathered over the decades. Writing a diary in old age is a chance to stretch your mind, express yourself, record events, have fun, and make sense of your life. Writer-podcaster Tracy Farr co-founded the Bad Diaries Salon and is the author of three novels, including the brilliant Wonderland in 2025. She knows a lot about diaries and aging. You kept your teenage diary secret for good reason: but a diary at any age brings many rewards. It's a trusted confidant, a creative outlet and a close friend. You wrote it as a strictly one-way communication, but when you're older, you can look back and see that your life has had a shape, a direction. That you have learned a great deal over the decades. And that your young self was not exceptionally foolish, but just, well, young! You'll hear about Tracy's own long-lived grandparents who were her role models for old age. She talks about eight years of Bad Diaries Salons, where writers read bits from their early diaries. What's the difference between diaries or journals and social…

People in this episode

Host: Rachel McAlpine

Guest: Tracy Farr

Topics covered

  • diary writing
  • aging
  • self-expression
  • mental health
  • creative outlets

Keywords

  • diaries
  • aging
  • self-reflection
  • mental health
  • expressive writing
  • Bad Diaries Salon
  • teenage diaries

Mentioned in this episode

Books & works: Wonderland

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