Creativity in the Second Half of Life
By: Mark Nepo
ISBN:9781250342423
Publisher: St. Martin's Press | St. Martin's Essentials
Publication Date: 07/15/2025
Format: Other
My Rating: TBR (ARC)
non-fiction
Now in his seventies, poet and philosopher Mark Nepo explores the rhythms of aging in the second half of life.
As the years go by, the question for each of us becomes more and more real: What does it mean to age? Despite the limitations that come as the body wears down, Mark Nepo believes that there are many gifts to inhabit by aging. So much is gained and so much is shed along the way.
As Mark began to reflect on the gifts and challenges of this process we’re all immersed in, he realized, more than ever, that we are called to live a creative life as we age. We are led to what the Chinese call “the fifth season”—that moment in late summer when the glare of the sun fades so that we can see clearly the true colors around us.
The Fifth Season offers Mark’s wise and gentle insights on growing older, helping readers identify the second half of life as a turning point, a time of integration and transformation that guides us in making sense of our experiences. All seasons lead to this season; all experiences lead to this understanding of experience.
In truth, Mark writes, we each must face living and dying from the inside of the one life we are given. But we can share the journey, which is the purpose of this book, to be a companion in your effort to enter the fifth season of your life.
Praise
“We are clumsy when it comes to aging into wisdom in the West, which is where Nepo’s book breaks ground. Storytelling, accompaniment, and respect for multiple spiritual paths mark these beautiful chapters. I count on one hand the classics of spirituality for life’s later stages, and The Fifth Season is now one of them.”
―Jon M. Sweeney, author of The Complete Francis of Assisi and Thomas Merton: An Introduction to His Life, Teachings, and Practices
"I am always moved by the grace and simplicity with which Mark Nepo guides his readers to be more awake and to find their way back to themselves. In his new book, Mark Nepo offers a way to walk in the landscape of aging, to weave together the threads of life and death, to increase our receptivity when noise gives way to silence. With the wisdom of one who has real soul awareness, he calls to the creativity that is within all of us, how it allows the song of our soul to be heard in its wonder, beauty and sorrow. Listening to his words invites us to be fully awake to the mystery which age brings to each of us."
―Llewellyn Vaughan-Lee, Ph.D., Sufi teacher and author, Sufism, The Transformation of the Heart
"There is such wisdom and care and attentiveness in these profound pages. Such an honoring of aging, which our culture so desperately needs. What beautiful insights."
―Brooke Warner, co-founder and publisher of She Writes Press
"Mark Nepo is a master teacher, a benevolent soul, and his style of weaving story with poetry, with myth and modern life is transformative."
―Laurie Wagner, creator of 27 Powers
About the Author
Mark Nepo is a poet and philosopher who has taught in the fields of poetry and spirituality for over 40 years. A New York Times #1 bestselling author, he has published over 20 books, including The Book of Awakening, Surviving Storms, and Finding Courage, and has recorded more than a dozen audio projects. Mark has been interviewed several times by Oprah Winfrey as part of her Super Soul Sunday TV show, and was interviewed by Robin Roberts on Good Morning America. As a cancer survivor, Mark devotes his writing and teaching to the journey of inner transformation and the life of relationship. His work has been translated into more than 20 languages. WEBSITE
