Katherine May

Author

Katherine May is a British author whose thoughtful, beautifully written books about navigating difficult periods of life have resonated deeply with readers around the world. Her work explores the quiet, overlooked aspects of human experience — rest, retreat, the seasons, neurodivergence — with warmth, honesty, and literary grace. Born... in 1977, May grew up in Kent and studied at the University of Kent and Canterbury Christ Church University. She has worked in higher education and has been open about her experiences with burnout, autism, and the need to find new ways of living that honour her own rhythms and needs. The Electricity of Every Living Thing (2018) was her first book — a memoir about walking the South West Coast Path while coming to terms with a late autism diagnosis. The book explores what it means to discover, in adulthood, that your brain works differently from most people's, and how that knowledge can be both unsettling and liberating. Wintering: The Power of Rest and Retreat in Difficult Times (2020) was her breakthrough — a beautifully crafted exploration of the fallow periods in our lives, the times when we need to withdraw, rest, and allow ourselves to be dormant before we can grow again. The book became an international bestseller, resonating powerfully with readers navigating the pandemic and their own personal winters. Enchantment: Awakening Wonder in an Anxious Age (2023) explored how to reconnect with a sense of wonder and magic in everyday life. May writes with a poet's attention to language and a memoirist's willingness to be vulnerable. Her books are gentle but not soft — they deal with real difficulty while offering genuine wisdom about how to navigate it. The audiobook editions of May's books are meditative and moving. Her books and audiobooks are essential for anyone seeking wisdom about how to live through difficult times with grace, patience, and an openness to transformation. Read more Show less