Brenda Johnson is changing the narrative surrounding aging, one story at a time.

Johnson, a transplant Hoosier storyteller, blogger and part-time Conner Prairie employee, is preparing to debut her one-woman show, “Aging. Reimagined!” on Nov. 9 at the Indiana Historical Society as the 2025 Frank Basile Emerging Stories Fellow. Johnson sat down with the Recorder ahead of the performance to chat about her outlook on aging and the importance of storytelling within the Black community.

Responses have been edited for brevity and clarity.

Tell me a little bit about yourself, your background and connection to Indianapolis. 

Johnson: I moved to Indianapolis in 1993 for a job transfer. I was with Boehringer Mannheim before they became Roche Diagnostics, and I left them in 2001, but I’m originall

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