
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.Mark Nepo is a poet and spiritual teacher who has taught in the fields of poetry and spirituality for over 50 years. With over a million copies sold, Mark has moved and inspired readers and seekers all over the world with his #1 New York Times bestseller The Book of Awakening. A beloved poet, teacher, and storyteller, Mark has been called "one of the finest spiritual guides of our time," "a consummate storyteller," and "an eloquent spiritual teacher." His work is widely accessible and his books have been translated into more than twenty languages.
A bestselling-author, Mark has published twenty-six books and recorded fifteen audio projects. His newest book, The Fifth Season: Creativity in the Second Half of Life (St. Martin's Essentials, July 2025) celebrates living from the inside of the one life we're given. Other recent books include You Don't Have to Do It Alone: The Power of Friendship (St. Martin's Essentials, July 2024), which explores the value of community, offering a joyous affirmation of one of the most important aspects of being human: friendship; Falling Down and Getting Up (St. Martin's Essentials, September 2023); The Half-Life of Angels: Three Books of Poems (Freefall Books, April 2023), which earned a Gold Nautilus Award for Poetry; Surviving Storms: Finding the Strength to Meet Adversity (St. Martin's. Essentials, 2022); The Book of Soul (St. Martin's Essentials, 2020), which was honored by Spirituality & Practice as one of the Best Spiritual Books of 2020, and received a Gold Nautilus Award; Drinking from the River of Light (Sounds True, 2019), earned an Independent Publisher Book Silver Award for Self Help 2020, and a 2019 Nautilus Silver Award for Personal Growth & Self Help; and More Together Than Alone (Atria, 2018) cited by Spirituality & Practice as one of the Best Spiritual Books of 2018. In 2015 Mark was given a Life-Achievement Award by AgeNation; in 2016 he was named by Watkins: Mind Body Spirit as one of the 100 Most Spiritually Influential Living People, and was also chosen as one of OWN's SuperSoul 100, a group of inspired leaders using their gifts and voices to elevate humanity. Mark appeared several times with Oprah on her Super Soul Sunday program on OWN TV, and was part of Oprah's The Life You Want tour in 2014. He has also been interviewed by Robin Roberts on Good Morning America. In his thirties Mark was diagnosed with a rare form of lymphoma, a struggle which helped to form his philosophy of experiencing life fully while staying in relationship to an unknowable future. Mark devotes his writing and teaching to the journey of inner transformation and the life of relationship. He continues to offer readings, lectures, and retreats. For info on his webinars, visit: Live.MarkNepo.com, and for info on retreats and books, check out MarkNepo.com, where you can sign up for his Weekly Reflections newsletter. He is represented by William Morris Endeavor Entertainment."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