Sharon Blackie
Dr. Sharon Blackie is an award-winning writer, psychologist and mythologist.
Instagram: @sharonblackiemythmakings
Photo credit: Rachel Winter
Biography
Dr. Sharon Blackie is an award-winning writer, psychologist and mythologist, with particular focus on women in midlife and beyond. Her highly acclaimed books, courses, lectures and workshops are focused on the development of the mythic imagination, and on the relevance of myth, fairy tales and folk traditions to the personal, cultural and environmental problems we face today.
As well as writing six books of fiction and nonfiction, including the bestselling If Women Rose Rooted, her writing has appeared in anthologies, collections and in several international media outlets – among them the Guardian, the Irish Times, and the Scotsman. Her books have been translated into several languages, and she has been interviewed by the BBC, US public radio and other broadcasters on her areas of expertise.
Sharon has taught and lectured at several academic institutions, Jungian organisations, retreat centres and cultural festivals around the world, and in 2024 was made an honorary member of the Association of Jungian Analysts.
‘She knows her archetypes, knows her Jung, knows her fairytales and knows her neuroscience, and is sick of being patronised by men who don’t.’ THE SUNDAY TIMES
‘Sharon ventures further than most of us have the courage for, and then comes back with a map.’ Melissa Harrison
Awards
Creative Scotland Writer’s Award
Roger Deakin Award
Sharon’s Substack, The Art of Enchantment, is in the top ten of Substack’s ‘Best Literature Substacks’. https://substack.com/top/literature
Books
Sharon’s long-awaited book on the relevance of fairy tales to women’s lives: RIPENING - has been announced for publication in 2026.
Previous titles include:
THE LONG DELIRIOUS BURNING BLUE (2016)
IF WOMEN ROSE ROOTED: A Journey to Authenticity and Belonging (2016)
THE ENCHANTED LIFE: Unlocking the Magic of Everyday (2018)
FOXIFRE WOLFSKIN, AND OTHER STORIES OF SHAPESHIFTING WOMEN (2019)
HAGITUDE: Reimagining the Second Half of Life (2022)
ROOTED WOMAN ORACLE DECK (2024)
Her most recent book, WISE WOMEN: MYTHS AND STORIES FOR MIDLIFE AND BEYOND, was published by Virago in October 2024. It was published in paperback in October 2025.
‘The book I’ve been longing for. I immediately want to give it to all my woman friends. It is so important and Sharon Blackie is exactly the right inspirational person to bring this topic and these new stories of old women to the culture’ Jill Dawson
‘A fascinating collection of female myths and legends that read like both dreams and nightmares’ Sara Sheridan
‘Wondrously wise, clever and insightful as well as slyly funny’ Dr Angela Slatter
‘This rich curation re-iterates the truth that women in midlife - and beyond - are a vital source of wisdom. Reading them ignited a fire in my belly!’ Julia Bueno
‘Revisits our old stories, making them thrilling for us now.’ Stella Duffy
‘Read it for yourself and read it to the younger women in your life. We need these stories to tell a new story about who we are and who we can be.’ Eleanor Mills
‘Reading this quenched a thirst I didn’t know I had. Oh for a world where stories of the power and joy of women’s elder years are celebrated everywhere.’ Doreen Cunningham
‘Blackie’s careful analysis of myth and fairy tale awakens a powerful sense of connection with our most difficult and our most nurturing selves.’ Victoria Smith
RIPENING
RIPENING: WHY WOMEN NEED FAIRYTALES NOW will be published by September in May 2026.
In a world in which old certainties seem to be crumbling, many women feel insecure or lost. In RIPENING, Sharon shows how fairy tales are exactly the stories we need for such times.
Fairy tales show us how to take hold of our own personal narratives and transform them into stories that might begin with trauma, but end with empowerment. They offer us images of startling resonance and beauty, while showing us how to recognise and make use of the possibilities that rise to the surface when broken systems are cracked open.
