The Clearing with Katherine May

Our first guest to choose a city for his dreamscape, the brilliant writer, BBC broadcaster and educator Jeffrey Boakye reveals he’s most at peace when walking for walking’s sake through the ever-changing textures of London’s streets.  The very essence of a ‘flâneur’, as we discover.A gorgeous and meandering conversation, Jeffrey and Katherine explore a wonderful array of topics: from skateboarding as a life lesson in failure to finding joy in packed tube trains, why we need to foster more pointless hobbies to what the movie Groundhog Day teaches us about the mundane and the sublime. Often philosophical, frequently laughter-filled and as always, deeply thought-provoking.Links from Episode:Jeffrey’s website where you can find his books https://www.jeffreyboakye.com/ Jeffrey’s SubstackJeffrey’s InstagramJeffry’s BBC Radio 4 music show Add to PlaylistSandwich by Catherine NewmanTranscription by Ben Lerner The Door by Magda SzaboZen Mind, Beginner's Mind by Shunryu Suzukihttps://oleandsteen.co.uk/ Danish BakeryVisit The Clearing website www.theclearingpod.com for a full transcript and to discover how to enjoy the episodes ad freeBuy Katherine’s books: Enchantment | Wintering | The Electricity of Every Living Thing: UK / USFollow Katherine on InstagramVisit Katherine’s WebsiteProduction CreditsGuest Booker and Admin Support - Meghan HutchinsSubstack Manager - Rebecca ArmstrongProducer - Alice LloydMusic - The Leaf Library @theleaflibrary  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Robert Macfarlane, writer who maps landscapes and language, and Jackie Morris, painter celebrated for nature-focused illustrations, muse on rest and making. They riff on bird-filled Cairngorm refuges, imaginative sea voyages to Earthsea-like realms, wild knitting, field painting and the alchemy of words and images. Laughter, stones, craft and the care of attention thread through their conversation.

We’re back! After a small, restorative break, we are excited to bring you a new season of The Clearing, where Katherine will explore visions of rest and retreat with some more wonderful guests. Visit The Clearing website www.theclearingpod.com to discover how to enjoy all episodes ad free and to listen to bonus content as it’s released. Buy Katherine’s books: Enchantment | Wintering | The Electricity of Every Living Thing: UK / USFollow Katherine on InstagramVisit Katherine’s WebsiteProduction CreditsGuest Booker and Admin Support - Meghan HutchinsSubstack Manager - Rebecca ArmstrongProducer - Alice LloydMusic - The Leaf Library @theleaflibrary Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

California-based illustrator, author and Instagram phenomenon Carissa Potter chats to Katherine about the complexities of taking rest during challenging times.In a masterclass of self-reflection, Carissa questions whether the political left have failed to cultivate tolerance and understanding, if we should brand people as evil and how to ‘show up’ when you are the caregiver of a child with complex medical needs. It is no surprise that someone who thinks so deeply about the world has also developed a fully formed fantasy of where she would go to get away from it all; just her and her ‘platonic love at first sight’ creating art together and dipping in the waters at Indian Springs Calistoga. Bliss.Links from the episode: Carissa’s websiteCarissa’s InstagramCarissa’s SubstackCarissa’s online shop People I’ve Loved Visit The Clearing website www.theclearingpod.com for a full transcript and to discover how to enjoy the episodes ad freeBuy Katherine’s books: Enchantment | Wintering | The Electricity of Every Living Thing: UK / USFollow Katherine on InstagramVisit Katherine’s WebsiteProduction CreditsGuest Booker and Admin Support - Meghan HutchinsSubstack Manager - Rebecca ArmstrongProducer - Alice LloydMusic - The Leaf Library @theleaflibrary Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Elissa Altman, author and speaker known for books on family, trauma, and creative permission. She talks about craving restorative retreats, the rituals of rereading and reading as solace, the sensory importance of a proper workspace, cooking and music as grounding practices, and how the sea’s impermanence helps her face change and grief.

As someone whose life was turned upside down by an unexpected divorce and a subsequent move away from the evangelical church, US author and podcaster Jen Hatmaker has learned, and earned, a wisdom that is tangible.In this episode of The Clearing Jen transports Katherine to her grandparents’ 1970s cabin in the snowy Colorado mountains to share the many ways she has come to terms with life’s challenges. Against a blissful setting of floor to ceiling windows, low lighting and a crackling fire, Jen describes letting others ‘drive their car in the Jen Hatmaker hate lane’, the comfort of feeling small, saying yes to everything and how ‘Me Camp’ changed her life.Links from the episode:Jen’s website where you can buy her books including her memoir Awake Jen’s InstagramThe Middle Place by Kelly CorriganVarious books by David SedarisLearn more about Anne Lamott The Correspondent by Virginia EvansVisit The Clearing website www.theclearingpod.com for a full transcript and to discover how to enjoy the episodes ad freeBuy Katherine’s books: Enchantment | Wintering | The Electricity of Every Living Thing: UK / USFollow Katherine on InstagramVisit Katherine’s WebsiteProduction CreditsGuest Booker and Admin Support - Meghan HutchinsSubstack Manager - Rebecca ArmstrongProducer - Alice LloydMusic - The Leaf Library @theleaflibrary Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Daisy Buchanan, a witty novelist and productive writer, conjures a glamorous Swiss-chalet retreat filled with silk pajamas, roaring fires and library comforts. She chats about cultivating calm amid neurodivergent anxiety, juggling multiple projects, rituals for rest and the novels that comfort and shape her imagination.

Floor to ceiling windows overlooking a temperate blue ocean off the coast of New Zealand is where this week’s guest, journalist and author Poorna Bell, dreams of rest and retreat.Since the death of her husband in 2015, Poorna has become well-versed in making the most of the everyday. As a result this is a conversation filled with the joy of small things. From relishing the prospect of unstructured days, to finding unquantified pleasure in movement. From an appreciation of the smell of toast to being able to say no to picnics. And why she never wants to receive another present again. Ever.Links from the episode: Poorna’s Substack As I Was SayingPoorna’s websitePoorna’s InstagramBanana Yoshimoto’s novel KitchenLucy M. Boston’s The Children of Green Knowe Lottie Hazell’s novel Piglet Visit The Clearing website www.theclearingpod.com for a full transcript and to discover how to enjoy the episodes ad freeBuy Katherine’s books: Enchantment | Wintering | The Electricity of Every Living Thing: UK / USFollow Katherine on InstagramVisit Katherine’s WebsiteProduction CreditsGuest Booker and Admin Support - Meghan HutchinsSubstack Manager - Rebecca ArmstrongProducer - Alice LloydMusic - The Leaf Library @theleaflibrary Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Prolific author of nine books and writer behind the Substack phenomenon The Hyphen, Emma Gannon takes us away for a whole year to her imaginary retreat in Palm Springs, where she plans to indulge almost solely in her number one favourite pastime  - reading.Revealing the extent to which she craves alone time, she tells Katherine about her very real experience of burnout, how she went from someone who lived to work to appreciating downtime and why she relates to The Hermit in Tarot. An inspiring listen that challenges our ideas of ‘the right way’ to live and embraces the concept of letting go. Links in the show: Emma’s Substack The HyphenEmma’s websiteEmma’s Instagram A link to buy her books including A Year of NothingFind Emma’s conversation with Elizabeth Gilbert about memoir here Max Richter’s track On the Nature of Daylight Visit The Clearing website www.theclearingpod.com for a full transcript and to discover how to enjoy the episodes ad freeBuy Katherine’s books: Enchantment | Wintering | The Electricity of Every Living Thing: UK / USFollow Katherine on InstagramVisit Katherine’s WebsiteProduction CreditsGuest Booker and Admin Support - Meghan HutchinsSubstack Manager - Rebecca ArmstrongProducer - Alice LloydMusic - The Leaf Library @theleaflibrary Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Mike Sowden, writer and creator of the Everything is Amazing newsletter, explores enthusiasm and curiosity in everyday life. He describes living between places, rediscovering reading in Corfu, embracing storms and seasonal rhythms. He talks about creativity born from mild discomfort, failed adventures that make better stories, and practices to keep curiosity alive.