The Clearing with Katherine May

Katherine May

Where would you go to rest and retreat, in good times and bad? Katherine May, author of Wintering and Enchantment, asks her guests to share their idea of a perfect sanctuary. Drawing on memory, inspiration and imagination, she explores the things we seek out when we need to restore our joy, hope and energy.  It begins with a forest clearing. What will we find there? A log cabin or a grand hotel? What cherished object or talisman would you bring? And what single work of art, be it a book, record, film or something else, would provide you with enough sustenance to see you through the darkness and remind you of the good times?   In a series of frank, thoughtful and deeply personal conversations, The Clearing will explore the cultural, social and spiritual mindset needed to survive difficult times.  Katherine's Links: Visit The Clearing website https://katherine-may.co.uk/the-clearing-podcast to discover how to enjoy the episodes ad free Buy Katherine’s books: Enchantment | Wintering | The Electricity of Every Living Thing: UK / US Follow Katherine on Instagram Visit Katherine’s Website Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  1. Jackie Morris & Robert Macfarlane ‘dream of nest’

    2D AGO

    Jackie Morris & Robert Macfarlane ‘dream of nest’

    A beautiful, bird-filled episode from the wonderful collaborative duo of writer Robert Macfarlane and illustrator Jackie Morris. Together they have created some of the best-loved books on the natural world in recent years, including The Lost Words. In this transcendent episode they share their quite different visions of what rest looks like for them. Robert conjures a wild, bird-filled landscape in the Scottish Cairngorms whilst Jackie imagines taking a sentient ship to a melding of The Rain Wilds and Earthsea. Full of wonder, wild knitting, ‘glacial erratics’, laughter and of course plenty of nature chat, this episode is a true salve for the soul. Links from the episode The Book of Birds by Jackie Morris and Robert MacFarlane  The Lost Words by Jackie Morris and Robert MacFarlane  The Lost Spells by Jackie Morris and Robert MacFarlane Jackie’s Instagram Jackie’s website Robert’s Instagram Deep Deep Light pain brushes and paints https://deepdeeplight.com/  A Wizard of Earthseaby Ursula K. Le Guin The Rain Wild Chronicles by Robin Hobb The Illustration Department Podcast Artist David Gentleman Read about Albrecht Dürer’s painting Young Hare here  The Living Mountain by Nan Shepherd Read about artist Mark Rothko on the Moma website Visit The Clearing website www.theclearingpod.com for a full transcript and to discover how to enjoy the episodes ad free and to access our bonus content Buy Katherine’s books: Enchantment | Wintering | The Electricity of Every Living Thing: UK / US Follow Katherine on Instagram Visit Katherine’s Website Production Credits Guest Booker and Admin Support - Meghan Hutchins Substack Manager - Rebecca Armstrong Producer - Alice Lloyd Music - The Leaf Library @theleaflibrary Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    1h 1m
  2. Elissa Altman on the beauty of impermanence

    MAR 14

    Elissa Altman on the beauty of impermanence

    Experiencing everything, everywhere, all at once is where we find our guest Elissa Altman this week, as she chats to Katherine in the midst of a snow cyclone in Connecticut.  An author and speaker whose work touches on issues of family, trauma, and the permission to create, she acknowledges her deep need for rest and retreat as she whisks us away to her favourite place in the world; a tiny cottage set back from a stony beach in Owl’s Head, Maine.  Overlooking the sea and with guitar to hand, Katherine and Elissa grapple with overcoming guilt, the pleasures of re-reading, the fetishisation of Mary Oliver and the horror of people placing items on their desks.  A glorious and warm-hearted episode with some timely reminders about the impermanence of things, good and bad.  Links from the episode:  Elissa’s website where you can find her books Elissa’s Substack  Elissa’s Instagram Devotions poetry collection by Mary Oliver Crossing to Safety by Wallace Stegner The Garden Against Time by Olivia Laing Visit The Clearing website www.theclearingpod.com for a full transcript and to discover how to enjoy the episodes ad free Buy Katherine’s books: Enchantment | Wintering | The Electricity of Every Living Thing: UK / US Follow Katherine on Instagram Visit Katherine’s Website Production Credits Guest Booker and Admin Support - Meghan Hutchins Substack Manager - Rebecca Armstrong Producer - Alice Lloyd Music - The Leaf Library @theleaflibrary Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    1h 1m
  3. Daisy Buchanan’s Swiss mountain glamour

    FEB 28

    Daisy Buchanan’s Swiss mountain glamour

    A deliciously glamorous escape to the snowy setting of a luxury Swiss chalet hotel where 1920s faded English aristocracy meets 1950s Hollywood starlet decadence.  Marabou-trimmed silk pajamas and well-stocked libraries with crackling fires abound in this absolute joy of an episode with author Daisy Buchanan.  Listen in as Daisy imagines herself preparing for a Grand Ball, with all the pleasure of a day spent wrapped in enormous fluffy white towels and none of the anxiety. She also romps through an array of subjects with Katherine, from her newfound love of reiki to the quest for calm in the neurodivergent brain and why she is so drawn to reading about the strangeness of large families.  The most wonderfully realised escape to indulge in at any time.  Links from the episode: Daisy’s Instagram Daisy’s books  Mortification edited by Robin Robertson The Diary of a Provincial Lady by E.M. Delafield The Cazalet Chronicles by Elizabeth Jane Howard Invitation to the Waltz by Rosamond Lehmann The Weather in the Streets by Rosamond Lehmann The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald The Pursuit of Love by Nancy Mitford Ballet Shoes by Noel Streatfeild  Little Women by Louisa May Alcott Rachel's Holiday by Marian Keyes The Story of Tracy Beaker by Jacqueline Wilson  Laurie Colwin’s books - Home Cooking, More Home Cooking, Happy All the Time, Family Happiness Visit The Clearing website www.theclearingpod.com for a full transcript and to discover how to enjoy the episodes ad free Buy Katherine’s books: Enchantment | Wintering | The Electricity of Every Living Thing: UK / US Follow Katherine on Instagram Visit Katherine’s Website Production Credits Guest Booker and Admin Support - Meghan Hutchins Substack Manager - Rebecca Armstrong Producer - Alice Lloyd Music - The Leaf Library @theleaflibrary Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    1h 2m

Trailers

4.8
out of 5
160 Ratings

About

Where would you go to rest and retreat, in good times and bad? Katherine May, author of Wintering and Enchantment, asks her guests to share their idea of a perfect sanctuary. Drawing on memory, inspiration and imagination, she explores the things we seek out when we need to restore our joy, hope and energy.  It begins with a forest clearing. What will we find there? A log cabin or a grand hotel? What cherished object or talisman would you bring? And what single work of art, be it a book, record, film or something else, would provide you with enough sustenance to see you through the darkness and remind you of the good times?   In a series of frank, thoughtful and deeply personal conversations, The Clearing will explore the cultural, social and spiritual mindset needed to survive difficult times.  Katherine's Links: Visit The Clearing website https://katherine-may.co.uk/the-clearing-podcast to discover how to enjoy the episodes ad free Buy Katherine’s books: Enchantment | Wintering | The Electricity of Every Living Thing: UK / US Follow Katherine on Instagram Visit Katherine’s Website Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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