Woody Weingarten is an expectant father again — as an octogenarian.

He expects his latest “baby” — an anthology of his newspaper columns, The Roving I — to be “born” shortly before his 85th birthday, Sept. 25.

This will be his third literary effort, the first two being Grampy and His Fairyzona Playmates, a children’s fantasy co-written with his 8-year-old granddaughter, and Rollercoaster: How a man can survive his partner’s breast cancer, a comprehensive memoir-chronicle and guide to scientific research, meds, and where to get help.

The Roving I collects 70 of Weingarten’s favorites, first-person essays he penned for newspapers over more than a decade. Many are light-hearted; some are weighty.

Purchasers of The Roving I can read how the author’s attempt to do nothing became an instant fiasco, how a photographer turned his Parkinson’s disease into an asset, how a Cambodian slave-labor camp escapee became a successful U.S. entrepreneur, and how the writer’s bewitching partner earned a slot in his Little Black Book. Readers can additionally peruse stories detailing how one sister carried another’s “miracle baby” inside her for nine months, how eavesdropping let Weingarten share a bicyclist’s remembrance that her boyfriend “was feral” when first met, and how Robin Williams transformed himself into a talking vagina. The collection also includes a re-telling of how happy a pet duck made residents of an assisted living facility, and how the loss of a buddy who left behind a string of wives, girlfriends, and broken hearts spurred the author to continue fighting for the environment, homeless, equal rights.

Grampy, meanwhile, is the story of Grampa Graybeard, a sorcerer who frequently must get his granddaughter Lily and her best friend Penny out of trouble when the two 8-year-old fairies mess up their magic spells. Their misadventures become great fun for all three and for young readers (6 to 10) who love to let their imaginations run wild.

Rollercoaster shows how Weingarten and his wife Nancy Fox coped with breast cancer, its treatments, and its aftermath. The author, a prize-winning journalist for more than 60 years, has led a weekly male partner’s support group for almost three decades. Though he became an expert reluctantly, he now unflinchingly shares what he’s learned.

More details about all three books are just a click away, at woodyweingarten.com.