Katy Butler

Award-winning journalist, public speaker, and bestselling author Katy Butler has written two groundbreaking books about the end of life and is a thought leader in the national movement for medical reform. Her first book, Knocking on Heaven’s Door: The Path to a Better Way of Death, a national bestseller, was named one of the 100 Most Notable Books of 2013 by the New York Times. Her new book, The Art of Dying Well: A Practical Guide to a Good End of Life, was released in February.

Born in South Africa and raised in Oxford, England, Katy came to America as a girl, earned a BA from Wesleyan University, and was a staff reporter for The San Francisco Chronicle. A Buddhist, she was lay-ordained by the Vietnamese monk and peace activist Thich Nhat Hanh. She lives in northern California.