How We Live Now with Katherine May

Welcome to the Wintering Sessions with Katherine May.This week Katherine chats to Tanya Shadrick, author of 'The Cure For Sleep'.A few days after giving birth, Tanya found herself in an ambulance, barely clinging to life. But surviving that terrifying experience changed everything. In this conversation, Tanya talks about how facing death made her bolder, more certain of her ambitions, and more determined to become a writer. And it also left her able to help other people who were nearing the end of their life.Tanya lets us all in on a number of very personal moments in her life, and details how she found a route through it all at times when obstacles seemed unsurmountable. From sudden clarity, to life-changing impulses, to being of service and of course her own writing studies (including the mile-long journal), it's an intimate and ultimately uplifting and inspiring journey.TANYA LINKSThe Cure For SleepOnlineWild Woman SwimmingNewsletterTwitterTuesdays With Morrie by Mitch AlbomKATHERINE LINKSHomepageTwitterInstagramThe Wintering SessionsKatherine's writing class Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome to the Wintering Sessions with Katherine May.This week Katherine chats to Zeba Talkhani, author of 'My Past Is A Foreign Country'.Growing up as an Indian Muslim in socially-repressive Saudi Arabia, Zeba Talkhani learned her feminism young, unable to stop questioning the restrictions on her thoughts and personal freedoms. But after writing a memoir of her experiences, she encountered a backlash that she could never have expected. Here, she talks about how she came to terms with the abuse she received after publication, and how it brought her closer to her mother.Zeba and Katherine also touch upon and go in on topics including the patriarchy and how the West can use other countries as a metric for its power, the pressure in securing a husband and how it affected her very early life, how one encounter in a school hall has stayed with her, the acknowledgment of privilege, personall fallout after receiving preview copies of her book, and the beauty and joy of finding writing again.ZEBA LINKSMy Past Is A Foreign CountryInstagramNewsletterTwitterKATHERINE LINKSHomepageTwitterInstagramThe Wintering SessionsKatherine's writing class Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome to the Wintering Sessions with Katherine May.This week Katherine chats to Sara Ryan, author of 'Justice For Laughing Boy'.After Sara Ryan's autistic son, Connor, was sectioned and admitted to a residental mental health unit, there seemed to be no way to get him out again. And then, one morning, he died after having an epileptic seizure in the bath. Convinced that negligence was to blame, Sara began a campaign that not only brought the local authority to justice, but also put Connor's humanity at the front and centre. Sara talks about righteous anger, the urgent need for change in our care system, and how friends and family can help you to endure.A moving and intimate conversation which balances unflinching honesty and grief with levity and grace, and one where you'll come away with a real feeling of closeness to Sara and Connor. There are tough moments, but Sara has come through an experience with hard-earned wisdom and as such, it's an inspiring journey with positives along the way.SARA LINKSJustice For Laughing Boy107 Days Of ActionMy Daft Life blogTwitterKATHERINE LINKSHomepageTwitterInstagramThe Wintering SessionsKatherine's writing class Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome to the Wintering Sessions with Katherine May.This week Katherine chats to Marlee Grace, author of 'Getting To Center'.In this frank and wide-ranging conversation, Marlee Grace talks about the process of finding a life that makes you happy.Drawing on her book 'Getting to Center', she talks about finding love, living with addiction and the ongoing quest to find balance in life that's led to her decision to leave Instagram (at least for a while).It's fascinating to hear Marlee's take on social media at a time when so much of life is being maintained online, and when mental wellbeing is very much at the forefront of our conversations. Marlee also opens up about creating real life connections, her many other works, the strength found and nurtured in her own relationship through tough times, how those in relationships have managed through the pandemic, 'the dance of intimacy' and 'sacred union', social media projections not being aligned with real life, coping through frozen dinners and "How Intimately Powerful The App Is" (her Post-It mantra).MARLEE LINKSGetting To CenterHome pageQuiltingQult app (US region)PatreonKATHERINE LINKSHomepageTwitterInstagramThe Wintering SessionsKatherine's writing class Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome to the Wintering Sessions with Katherine May.This week Katherine chats to Nicola Slawson, journalist and founder of 'The Single Supplement'.Through her newsletter The Single Supplement, Nicola Slawson has become the poster girl for a happy life lived alone. But much of her success lies in her ability to write honestly and with balance about the single life - and here she talks about a period of extreme loneliness after taking a dream job in Berlin. This is a story of finding your own path through difficult times.An upfront and honest take on her experiences in journalism and travel, in which Nicola talks about loneliness versus being single, her journalism training, waves of depression which were magnified through situation and location, the toll that reality can take on journalists, confronting echo chambers, spirals, imposter syndrome and being 'Queen Of The Hustle'.NICOLA LINKSTwitterThe GuardianThe Single SupplementPositive NewsGilmore GirlsKATHERINE LINKSHomepageTwitterInstagramThe Wintering SessionsKatherine's writing class Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome to the Wintering Sessions with Katherine May.This week Katherine chats to Michele Harper, author of 'The Beauty In Breaking'.Michele Harper's career as a physician is a true vocation - the result, she says, of a childhood spent with an abusive father. In this conversation, she and Katherine talk about the nature of her calling to help, and her experience of racism in the workplace, where she has found herself both on the receiving end, and taking the role as a defender of her Black patients. Underlying it all is a mission to bring about change.Hear Michele also expand on how nothing feels strange anymore through her incredible experience dynamic, her personal toolkit for managing her day a piece at a time, her own upbringing and how it energised her own intuitions and instincts in the ER environment, spiritual and mental health, societys felief valves, and her own seemingly unending optimism.MICHELE LINKSOnlineBuy 'The Beauty In Breaking'Other titles by MicheleEssaysEkhart TolleKATHERINE LINKSHomepageTwitterInstagramThe Wintering SessionsKatherine's writing class Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome to the Wintering Sessions with Katherine May.This week Katherine chats to Kerri Ni Dochartaigh, author of 'Thin Places'.Kerri talks in detail about the aftermath of growing up in Derry at the height of the Troubles, as the daughter of a Protestant father and a Catholic mother. Forced to come to terms with trauma and survivorship guilt, Kerri found healing in the dark magic of the Irish landscape and Celtic mythology.In a wide ranging conversation, she and Katherine cover ground including relationships, names, unidentified and hidden grief, authoring a redemptive book, the role places play in trauma, nature, the honest and the healed self, and a friendly sonic interruption from a chimney being swept (which remains, as Kerri weaves it in masterfully).KERRI LINKSTwitterBuy 'Thin Places''Thin Places' homepageVik (Iceland)Robert MacfarlaneMore information on The TroublesDerryKATHERINE LINKSHomepageTwitterInstagramThe Wintering SessionsKatherine's writing class Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, I speak to poet, novelist and broadcaster Sophia Blackwell about the time when a relationship brutally ended, leaving her flailing around to find a sense of home. Sophia discusses the experience of relationships when you've known you were gay since childhood, and shares the romantic story of meeting her wife. You can find Sophia on Twitter: @sophiablackwellHer website - including links to her books and radio show - is here: https://www.sophiablackwell.co.uk/ To keep up to date with The Wintering Sessions, follow Katherine on Twitter, Instagram and Substack: http://katherine-may.co.ukFor information on Katherine's online writing courses, go to: https://katherine-may.teachable.com/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this final episode of Season One, I speak to journalist and broadcaster Remona Aly about her life-changing decision to call off an engagement, and how it echoed through the years to teach her about forgiveness, faith and empathy. This is such a special one for me - I went to school with Remona, and I think you can hear our joy at reconnecting after a couple of decades, and feeling so at home in the process. We cover all of human life here: buckle in. I'll be back in the autumn with more brilliant writers sharing their wintering experiences. Make sure you subscribe so you can be the first to hear them. Thank you for listening so far! :)You can find Remona on:Twitter: @remonaalyInstagram: @remonaalyYou can read her journalism at: https://remonaaly.com/articles/ For information on Katherine's online courses, go to: https://katherine-may.teachable.com/To keep up to date with The Wintering Sessions, follow Katherine on Twitter, Instagram and Substack: http://katherine-may.co.uk/links/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Author Raynor Winn talks to Katherine May about the losing her home when her husband was diagnosed with a terminal illess, and finding new life from having nothingRaynor Winn has captured a multitude of hearts with her book, The Salt Path, which recounts the time she lost her home just as her husband received a terminal diagnosis. With nothing to lose, they set off to walk the South West Coast Path carrying nothing but a tent. Here Raynor reflects on that transformative time that redefined the meaning of home - and gives a welcome update on Moth's health. We also hear about her forthcoming book, The Wild Silence. I adored talking to Raynor about our shared love of the South West Coast Path, as I always do :) You can find Raynor on:Twitter: @raynor_winnInstagram: @raynor.winnHer forthcoming book, The Wild Silence, is out in September. For information on Katherine's online courses, go to: https://katherine-may.teachable.com/To keep up to date with The Wintering Sessions, follow Katherine on: TwitterInstagramNewsletter: https://katherinemay.substack.com/Aspring non-fiction writers may also enjoy Katherine's weekly newsletter Writing True Stories.Wintering, the book on which this podcast is based, is out now in hardback. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.