New York Times bestselling author Kathleen Norris has signed a contract with IVP for the Spring 2025 release of a memoir about her sister Rebecca Sue.

“Kathleen Norris has always been one of the most insightful voices writing in contemplative spirituality, and her elegant memoirs have inspired generations,” said Alexander Field at The Bindery, who brokered the deal. “This new book of writings may be her most personal yet, and we’re excited to partner with IVP to bring it to the world.”

This forthcoming book from IVP is Norris’s first new work of nonfiction in over a decade and chronicles life with her sister Becky. Norris sketches a portrait of her sister’s life and long-suffering due to brain damage caused by perinatal hypoxia. She writes, “Becky taught me a lot about intelligence, and the many forms it can take. As I grew older, I realized that Becky and I shared a number of traits: physical awkwardness, fear of crowds, a dislike of escalators, and more importantly, the desire to write in order to make sense of things.”

Norris is the award-winning poet, writer, and author of the New York Times bestselling books The Cloister Walk, Acedia & Me: A Marriage, Monks, and a Writer’s Life, Dakota: A Spiritual Geography, Amazing Grace: A Vocabulary of Faith, and The Virgin of Bennington.

Acquiring editor Cindy Bunch, IVP Vice President, Editorial, said, “It was reading Cloister Walk that first inspired me to make a silent retreat at a Benedictine monastery nearly twenty-five years ago. I have followed Kathleen Norris’s work ever since and am delighted to have the opportunity to work with her. IVP Formatio books are the kinds of books that shape spirituality and inspire readers to explore new ways of experiencing God and the world. Kathleen’s new memoir will be an ideal fit in the line in its exploration of how we engage themes of faith and disability.”