Erica Jong had the audience’s rapt attention. The 82-year-old writer, famous for her 1970s bestseller Fear of Flying , was discussing creativity and her need to capture the world around her in prose and poetry. Hands shot up with questions: “What was it like growing up in a literary family?” “What made you want to write?” “Can you describe the process you use to decide on a theme for a new book?” As Jong spoke, sunlight streamed through 24-foot windows.
Just outside, trees swayed in the breeze; inside, where the crowd had gathered, it looked like money. The walls were clad in red onyx marble and the beamed ceiling was crafted from white oak. Subscribe to Kiplinger’s Personal Finance Be a smarter, better informed investor.
Sign up for Kiplinger’s Free E-Newsletters Profit and prosper with the best of expert advice on investing, taxes, retirement, personal finance and more - straight to your e-mail. Profit and prosper with the best of expert advice - straight to your e-mail. Jong could have been delivering a lecture at a Toney Ideas festival anywhere from Aspen to Cape Town.
Instead, the author and her audience were ensconced on the 17th floor of a retirement living facility called the Inspīr Carnegie Hill on the Upper East Side of New York City. Jong lives in the complex. So do most of those who were in attendance.
Some afternoons, the residents pass the time serenaded by a string quartet. On others, they might pop into the onsite spa for a facial, or enjoy.