The Clearing with Katherine May cover art

The Clearing with Katherine May

The Clearing with Katherine May

By: Katherine May
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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.

Copyright © Katherine May Art Hygiene & Healthy Living Literary History & Criticism Personal Development Personal Success Psychology Psychology & Mental Health
Episodes
  • Andy J. Pizza’s magical, moving ADHD landscape

    Andy J. Pizza’s magical, moving ADHD landscape
    Dec 20 2025

    The ADHD and autistic tendency to rest in motion is fully realised in American author and illustrator Andy J. Pizza’s vision of the ideal retreat. Choosing an extraordinary fictional setting which incorporates an ingenious method of travelling the world, this episode showcases the wonder of a brilliantly creative, neurodivergent brain.


    Along the way, and with many fascinating tangents, Andy and Katherine discuss the power of Miyazake films, their shared love of Fraggle Rock and longing for direction from the universe.


    A meticulously thought out and fully realised world that accommodates his own personal experience of ADHD, Andy unveils the most beautifully zany and imaginative dreamscape. An absolute treat.


    Links


    Andy’s website where you can find his books

    Andy’s Instagram

    Andy’s Creative Peptalk podcast


    Mentioned in the show


    Fraggle Rock

    Last of the Summer Wine Wiki

    The Master and his Emissary book about left and right brain

    The Little Prince


    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.
    Show More Show Less
    1 hr and 15 mins
  • Oliver Burkeman’s art of the non-retreat

    Oliver Burkeman’s art of the non-retreat
    Dec 13 2025

    Kicking off the episode with an existential crisis, the inimitable Oliver Burkeman joins Katherine to explore his own, unique take on rest and retreat.


    A familiar name to many in both the US and the UK, Oliver’s book Four Thousand Weeks has put him at the heart of the global conversation around building a meaningful life. As you might expect, Oliver turns the concept of the podcast on its head whilst taking Katherine on a wild ride through topics from whether we should use AI as a creative tool to favourite notebooks to whether TS Eliot was on the path to spiritual enlightenment.


    A wonderful, brain-stretching conversation that reaches way beyond the confines of an imagined cabin in the woods to explore wider ideas around what it really means to get away from it all and if we should even try.


    Oliver’s Links

    Oliver's website to buy his books and sign up to his newsletter


    Things mentioned in the programme

    Kendra Allenby’s New Yorker beach cartoon

    NYC stationery store Goods for the Study

    Shinzen Young on T.S. Eliot


    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 - Rececca Armstrong

    Producer - Alice Lloyd

    Music - The Leaf Library @theleaflibrary

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
    Show More Show Less
    1 hr and 1 min
  • Laura Pashby's lighthouse at the end of the world

    Laura Pashby's lighthouse at the end of the world
    Dec 6 2025

    In this episode Katherine chats to Laura Pashby, author of the incredible book Chasing Fog and master of ethereal photography, about her vision for the perfect retreat when things get tough.


    A magical dreamscape unfurls of a fog-bound lighthouse on an island in the Arctic circle; a liminal space filled with books and a favourite painting which acts as a portal through which Laura can step whenever she needs to escape.


    The perfect, escapist listen for anyone needing to give their mind and body a fleeting moment of rest and retreat.


    Laura’s Links


    Laura's website where you can buy her book Chasing Fog

    Laura's Instagram


    Things mentioned in the episode


    The Light Alone Instagram

    Hammershoi's Interior, Sunlight on the Floor painting


    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


    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.
    Show More Show Less
    58 mins
All stars
Most relevant
I was looking for some answers for living in our present day. Katharine 's interview with Ece Temelkuran provides some.

Very informative and inspiring

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