August 12, 2019

Dear friends,

Death never takes a vacation. DC might be a little quieter during August—people leave town for one last summer vacation before the school year begins—but death never rests. That means it's always a good time to be mindful of death, and we are fortunate to have access to a variety of events and activities designed to help us learn and talk about death.   

There are at least five local death cafes happening this month. Please visit the Death Positive DC Facebook page to see a list of upcoming death cafes.  

Over the past few years, death cafes have become increasingly popular. I was recently interviewed by a writer at Axios about death cafes and how they help open conversations about death and dying (and living!). The interview is part of an Axios special report called "The New Art of Dying". Read it here.  

If you scroll further down this newsletter, you'll see a list of events and activities (hosted by me or someone else in the DC-area) aimed at raising awareness about death. These events range from book discussions to living funeral ceremonies to obit writing workshops. There is much to choose from. 

I also highly recommend visiting David Best's Temple at the Renwick in DC. The Temple offers visitors "a quiet place to reflect and pay tribute to lost loved ones." It's open through January 2020, but you might want to give yourself time to make multiple visits. 

Death Positive DC: In-Person

• Aug. 17: I'm hosting a death cafe at the White Oak Library. Register here.
• Sept. 10: I'm hosting a death cafe at Rhizome (and another one on Nov. 18). 
• Sept. 16: Save the date! I'm offering my "Write Your Own Obit" workshop at Rhizome. Registration link coming soon. 

Death Positive DC: Online

• Follow & share Death Positive DC's Facebook & Instagram accounts and website with your friends & family. 

Other Events

• A book discussion on Aug. 20th with Jane Euler, end-of-life doula 
• New HBO documentary on death, premiering Aug. 14th 
• Ellicott City Haunted Main Street Tours
• Congressional Cemetery's summer events
• Caitlin Doughty at Politics and Prose in September
• Living Funeral Workshop in September at Rhizome (by Steady Waves EOL)
• Queens of Egypt display at the National Geographic Museum (through 9/15)

I hope one or more of these events catches your eye and you can carve out some time to explore death and dying. Have a wonderful rest of the summer, and please reach out to me (sarah@deathpositivedc.com) anytime. 

Take care,

Sarah

(she/her/hers)

Founder & Director of Death Positive DC  

Death Positive DC: Promoting conversations about death & connecting

people around this topic through social media & in-person events since 2017.