Lizzy
Death Café in Columbus, Ohio
with Lizzy Miles
Ooops you just missed us!
Our next Death Cafe will be September 18th 7-9pm
Event Location: Westerville, OH Panera Community Room 782 N. State Street
at the corner of Maxtown Road and Rt. 3
Please contact lizzymiles @ gmail.com with questions or to be added to Columbus email list.
Columbus, OH Death Café #11: May 15, 2013 |
| Lizzy |
Death Café in Columbus, Ohio
Ooops you just missed us!
Our next Death Cafe will be September 18th 7-9pm
Event Location: Westerville, OH Panera Community Room 782 N. State Street
at the corner of Maxtown Road and Rt. 3
Event Location: Westerville, OH Panera Community Room 782 N. State Street
at the corner of Maxtown Road and Rt. 3
Please contact lizzymiles @ gmail.com with questions or to be added to Columbus email list.
Grave Matters: Dealing with Death
By Lizzy Miles
On May 8, I was part of a radio show on WOSU, All Sides with Ann Fisher: Grave Matters: Dealing with Death which
talked about a few aspects of death. Joshua Slocum, with Funeral
Consumers Alliance talked
about challenges with selecting a funeral home and planning a funeral. Then I shared the story about the Death Café
history, evolution and philosophy. After
me, Susan Soper, author of Obit
Kit, explored the
benefits of writing your own obituary. I
was so glad that we had an hour to talk about death and dying. I discovered how popular the radio show was
during the night of our eleventh Death Café, when many of the attendees came
because they had heard the program and wanted to participate in the Death Café
conversation. The event was hosted at a
Westerville Panera in their community room.
It’s a cozy place and the managers are now used to us “death” people
coming in.
We had seventeen attendees, including a hospice chaplain, a massage
therapist, a local member of the Funeral
Consumers Alliance, a Reiki practitioner, and a surgical resident who is
confronted with end of life decisions with his patients on a daily basis. Then of course, there were also people who
had experienced loss. I always am very
careful to be sure that attendees understand that the Death Café is not a grief
support group. I don’t want there to be
unmet expectations. Fortunately, because
many were there because they had heard my 15 minute Death Café radio interview,
participants were well aware of the philosophy and the purpose of the Death
Café gathering.
One attendee came because she is a friend of mine and it was my
birthday. I was nervous when I filled
the open seat across from her with someone who had lost a twin. My friend is a twin and I thought it would be
hard for her to hear about the loss experience of another twin. The woman across from her was very involved
in a support group called Twinless Twins. The
universe works in mysterious ways I guess.
In the beginning my friend held back a bit, but then about an hour into
the experience, I saw her sharing and engaged in conversation. The Death Café experience is magic.
I cannot say enough how much I love the diversity of conversation that
comes up at the events. It is fascinating. Two separate people at two different tables
raved about Eben Alexander’s book Proof
of Heaven. If you haven’t read it, it is about a
neuroscientist’s near death experience.
I have not read the book myself yet, but given the positive
endorsements, I’m encouraged to buy a copy.
One of the conversations that interested me was the discussion about
the timing of when people die and how some family members chose to die when no
one is present. In my hospice work, we
have a goal for no one to die alone, but some people seem to prefer that and
pass when the family member stepped out of the room. As one participant suggested, perhaps dying
is a private thing like going to the bathroom…”Don’t look, I’m going to die.”
Another conversation suggested that
our loved ones are here as long as they feel they are needed. “Life is sustained by a sense of purpose.” That is a powerful statement.
One woman indicated her desire to have
a DNR even though she does not have a terminal illness. She still feels that if her heart stops, then
it’s her time to go. She found out that
the doctors would not allow for her to have one. She had a sense of humor about the absurdity
of the rule. “You can’t get a DNR unless
you’re terminal. Well guess what, LIFE
is terminal.”
Given that many of the attendees had heard the Ann Fisher broadcast, the subject of funeral costs and the power of writing your own obituaries was also discussed.
Given that many of the attendees had heard the Ann Fisher broadcast, the subject of funeral costs and the power of writing your own obituaries was also discussed.
Let’s Put the Fun Back in Funeral
By Lizzy Miles
Who knew one could laugh so much at an event where people are sitting around talking about death? Our 2nd LGBT Death Café was a totally different vibe from the first one. The Death Café was hosted in partnership with Stonewall Columbus, the local LGBT community center. My co-host was Lori Gum, the program Director. We had twelve attendees which was the perfect size for conversation. We started out in three small groups and then rolled up to a larger group at the end. I didn’t know WHAT they were talking about, but the other two tables would have frequent bursts of laughter. Finally, when we rolled up to one large group I got to hear some of the humor. Perhaps you had to be there.
Conversations were varied, as they
always are. It is why I love the Death Café
concept. I’m a bit strict on maintaining
the principles of “no ideology, no agenda.”
In my mind, that approach really pays off because the conversations go
anywhere and everywhere.
One attendee talked about the tragic
death of a child in a school she worked at.
She fought to have the children have the opportunity to participate in
memorial services. One innocent child,
with only the experience of weddings and birthday parties had asked her, “When
do we get to send the invitations?” The
group all agreed that death education at a young age would be beneficial. We should be taught about death and
finances. Well, Ben Franklin did say, “nothing can be said to be certain, except
death and taxes.” In relation to
educating children about death, one attendee said, “You can’t keep children in
a greenhouse and then put them out in winter and say that’s life.”
What would you have on your
epitaph? One attendee commented that she
discovered that the cemetery would not allow, “Takes no bullshit” in the mausoleum
but that phrase could be inscribed on a tombstone. I may have to adopt that phrase as my motto.
Sort of funny, sort of not… one
attendee said, “My fear is that I die and no one finds me and then my animals
eat me.” Ewww. Friends at the table assured the attendee
that they wouldn’t let that happen.
We did also talk about animal
companions that provide support to cancer patients. One attendee told a story about a place that
recognized that the dogs that were providing support exhibited signs of grief
themselves. They ended up rotating the
dogs so that they could spend some time away and recharge their energy. Once the rotations started, the dogs did
better with not being too sad themselves.
My favorite mysterious quote from one attendee, “I don’t have to worry about an open casket because my body won’t be found.” I would like to explore that a bit further!
My favorite mysterious quote from one attendee, “I don’t have to worry about an open casket because my body won’t be found.” I would like to explore that a bit further!
Tuesday, April 30th 6:30-8:30 p.m.
1160 North High Street (Corner of 4th Ave. and High Street)
Register online at stonewallcolumbus.org/
or call 614-930-2265
The death cafe will be facilitated by Lizzy Miles, who is the first to bring the concept here to the USA. The Stonewall Columbus death café will be co-facilitated by Stonewall Program Coordinator, Lori Gum.
We believe that a specific LGBT death café is necessary for our LGBT community so that the dialogue can be carried forth honestly without fear of “having to explain” our relationships, judgment of those relationships and/or attendees who may have a general disfavor towards our community.
But who wants to talk about death? We believe that many of us do but often cannot find the means of addressing it with family and/or friends. We invite you to join us and take the first step towards that dialogue in a safe, secure and confidential atmosphere where like-minded individuals share your desire and curiosity about the end-of-life and its many peripheral issues.
Although the Stonewall Columbus death café is free, we ask that you register as there are a limited amount of seats. If you register and then find that you cannot attend, please let us know so that someone else can take your place. We often have waiting lists and do not wish to turn away any who could be accommodated by a cancellation.
Update 11th February 2013
I Need to Know
Update 18th January 2013
Update 11th December 2012
Please note that the LGBT Death Cafe scheduled for this Thursday 13th December has been cancelled. This will be rescheduled for a later date. Apologies for any inconvenience caused.
Update 3rd December 2012
I Need to Know
By Lizzy Miles
This Death Café was an exciting event because we had just recently been featured in the Huffington Post in an article, “Death Cafes grow as a Place to Discuss, Learn about End of Life.” The article garnered hundreds of comments and I started to get emails from people who were interested in attending. I worried that we might have TOO big of a crowd.
But let’s be real here. People aren’t beating down the doors to have a conversation about death. It take a brave soul to face their own mortality. I used to worry about attendance, but now I just let it flow. The Death Café has taught me that everything happens as it should. We had a good size group of fifteen people and discussions in groups of five. When the discussion started to wane slightly at one table due to a disproportionate number of introverts, we mixed the groups up. What I really love is that we now have repeat attendees and we have brand new attendees.
Also present at this event was a radio reporter. When we were discussing his potential attendance, I set the ground rules. No recording during the Death Café. He had to participate as a regular guy. Then afterwards, we would ask for volunteers as to who would be willing to talk for radio. Several people volunteered and we had a mini Death Café discussion. The reporter had been assigned the story and was not sure how he felt about listening to people talk about death for two hours. After the event though, he acknowledged that it was actually an interesting conversation. I felt he did a good job of capturing the essence of the Death Café in his WOSU broadcast, “Columbus Death Café concept Spreads Across the U.S.”
The reporter mentioned that the first Death Café in New York City is coming up. As a side note, if any New Yorkers are reading this, the date for the NYC event is actually February 20th. I have been sharing some best practice ideas with Audrey Pellicano, who will be facilitating that event. I am so happy to see the Death Café concept spreading to the bigger cities.
So what did we talk about at this event? As always, new stuff. I wonder if I will ever stop being amazed. The most amusing thing that I heard was a living will specification which was expressed in all seriousness, but with knowledge that it was quirky.
I asked for and was granted permission to share this. One attendee has a note in her living will that says if she is in a coma: When all else fails, play Marc Anthony’s I Need to Know. She even has the CD attached to her living will.
If you take out the part that he is singing to a girl, the lyrics are actually quite appropriate.
They say around the way you've asked for me
There's even talk about you wanting me
I must admit that's what I want to hear
But that's just talk until you take me there, oh
If it's true don't leave me all alone out here
Wondering if you're ever gonna take me there
Wow. I wonder if Marc Anthony ever thought of the dual meaning of his song lyrics?
We talked about so much more than what could be summarized here, but you’ll just have to come to a Death Café for yourself to see what it is like. The next Columbus Death Café is March 13th. No RSVP required. The event will be from 7-9 p.m. at the Westerville Panera 782 N. State Street. Please contact Lizzymiles@gmail.com with questions.
We now have a Facebook page to advertise our events. Please “like” us at:
As always, to follow Death Café events worldwide, please visit www.deathcafe.com
Update 18th January 2013
Write-up of Columbus, OH Death Café #6: January 9, 2013
By Lizzy Miles
The Death Café events never cease to amaze me in the variety of attendees, which leads to unique conversations each time. This Death Café had some repeat attendees and some new ones. Mix in an attendee with a Master’s in Transpersonal Psychology and an attendee who is a funeral home director and you’re going to have an interesting dialogue.
Words that were used to describe this event include: open, participating, enlightening, refreshing and therapeutic.
Just recently, TLC aired the first episode of the Best Funeral Ever. This show has caused quite a stir in the media where journalists have used the phrases, “that’s disgusting” and “trivializes death.” Death is supposed to be private, they say. Attendees at the Death Café do not necessarily agree with that sentiment. Those of us in attendance realize that we are a minority. We acknowledge our mortality and the mortality of those around us. As a facilitator, I usually try not to direct the conversation, but I could not help but ask about the professional mourners that I had seen on the show. Professional mourners were individuals who were hired to attend the services and display outward signs of emotion.
“Are those people for real?”
“Yes,” the funeral home director told me.
“Could I be one?”
“You might not fit in,” he said. He went on to explain that the professional mourners actually do serve a purpose to allow others to grieve openly. He told me with the African American culture, there is a strong desire to keep emotions in check. This rings true to me because in my hospice work I have heard repeatedly, “I have to be strong for the others.”
At this Death Café we talked about how we are a pain avoiding society. People avoid funerals because they are afraid to experience pain. They don’t realize that the funerals are healing experiences. Even planning the funeral can be a healing process because it allows families to really think about how they want to honor their loved one.
We talked about how the television show calls the funerals “Celebration of life.” Then someone brought up that not every death is a celebration of life. Especially not if it was a tragic accident. Or murder. Or a mass shooting of school children.
The room got quiet when someone brought up Sandyhook. We sat still with the pain.
Someone pondered if these mass shooting events made people think more about death. We concluded that one cannot help but think about it in the moment but people try to forget about death as soon as they can. The mass shootings seem to make us more avoidant. It is so painful that we want to run away, change the channel. Avoid, avoid, avoid.
This led us to discuss how we talk about death with our children and how we, as children, were first exposed to death.
The conversation was not entirely serious though. We talked about the cathartic experience of going through a loved one’s possessions. That it is good to get your affairs in order to a point, but the process of sorting through belongings sometimes forces families to come together and grieve together. Surprisingly, that even sorting through “stuff” can help heal.
We talked about so much more than what could be summarized here, but you’ll just have to come to a Death Café for yourself to see what it is like. The next Columbus Death Café is February 6th. No RSVP required. The event will be from 7-9 p.m. at the Westerville Panera 782 N. State Street. Please contact Lizzymiles@gmail.com with questions.
We now have a Facebook page to advertise our events. Please “like” us at:
As always, to follow Death Café events worldwide, please visit www.deathcafe.com
Update 11th December 2012
Please note that the LGBT Death Cafe scheduled for this Thursday 13th December has been cancelled. This will be rescheduled for a later date. Apologies for any inconvenience caused.
Update 3rd December 2012
Upcoming Columbus, OH Death Café events
LGBT Death Café in partnership with Stonewall Columbus
Date: Thursday, December 13, 2012 7-9 p.m.
Location: Stonewall Columbus 1160 North High Street
(Corner of 4th Ave. and High Street)
Coffee, tea and cake will be served
For more information or to RSVP, please visit: http://www.stonewallcolumbus.org/deathcafe or call 614-930-2265
Upcoming 2013 Death Cafes:
Wednesday, January 9
Wednesday, February 6
Wednesday, March 13
Space is limited, RSVP required.
To RSVP: e-mail reply to lizzymiles@gmail.com
with name, date of interest and response to "What interests you in the
Death Cafe?"
Event Location: Westerville, OH Panera
Community Room
782 N. State
Street at the corner of Maxtown Road and Rt. 3
Coffee, tea and cake will be served
Update 22nd October 2012
Upcoming Columbus, OH Death Cafe #5
Date: Monday, November 12, 2012 7-9 p.m.
Location: Westerville, OH Panera Community Room (address to be sent with RSVP confirmation)
To RSVP: e-mail reply to lizzymiles@gmail.com with name and response to "What interests you in the Death Cafe?"
Tea and cake will be served.
Additionally, please note, this event is not officially funded. The facilitators are donating their time, however, to help cover costs for the room, we are suggesting a $5 donation for those who are able to donate. If you purchase dinner at Panera, that would work in lieu of a donation as well.
Update 12th October 2012
Columbus, OH Death Café #4: September 27, 2012
The First LGBT Death Café in the United States
By Lizzy Miles
It was raining buckets on the evening that we had our first LGBT Death Café. The event was hosted in partnership with Stonewall Columbus, an organization that has been serving the central Ohio LGBT community with programs and services for over thirty years. I was so grateful that they agreed to co-organize this pilot program.
A funny side note about our cake for the event. Lori Gum, my co-facilitator and the Stonewall Program Director, ordered it. She requested that it had tombstones, but a blue sky. The cake decorator automatically asked if it was for Halloween. Lori said no, and she told them it was for a Death Café event. She explained that it was not to be dark, but sunny. Well, when it was done, we still got the gray skies. Some people just can’t grasp the concept that a Death Café is not morbid.
People have asked me why I set up a separate LGBT-specific Death Café. Why is it needed? The answer is that sadly, there are still enough people out there who ‘judge’ others who are different from themselves. The benefit of having an LGBT-specific Death Café is that it creates a safe place for the LGBT community so that they can feel more comfortable sharing in an environment where they won’t have to explain or justify themselves or how they live their lives.
Since this was to be the fourth Death Café that I hosted, I had some expectations for how the evening might go. The prior Death Cafés had been consistently unique. That is to say that the nature of the conversations at each event varied depending on the topics brought up by the attendees.
I was not sure what to expect at a Death Café program that was geared exclusively towards the LGBT population. I wanted to do it, as I consider myself to be a strong ally for LGBT issues. I have many friends and a couple of family members that identify as LGBT, and I felt I was well versed on national issues concerning equal rights for the LGBT population. Despite how much I thought I knew, I am now forever changed as a result of participating in this event.
What took me by surprise was the intimacy of the stories that were told. Within minutes, complete strangers were opening up and baring their souls. I have said before, and I will reiterate now, that there is something magical about the Death Café experience. It creates an environment of caring and warmth. I’ve been told by a few attendees that they credit me with creating the warm environment, but I don’t know that I want to take credit.
The stories I heard at this LGBT Death Café were… intense. There were so many stories, either direct or indirect about families fiercely rejecting their teenage children once the child revealed their sexuality. This ultimately translated to a desire to die. Several attendees had themselves felt suicidal at times, knew someone else who was suicidal, or knew someone who had committed suicide. All of these suicidal ideations seemed to come from familial rejection. I heard the pain in the attendees’ voices as they told their stories.
Over the years, I have been along for the ride as friends came out of the closet. None of my friends, thankfully, had the severe rejection that was described by some of the attendees. At least not to my knowledge. This Death Café made me realize that I don’t know as much as I thought I did. I was in awe of the challenges that these attendees had endured and overcome.
Although the conversation was serious at first, as the evening progressed, I heard hope. We shared stories about how things are getting better for the LGBT population. Slowly.
When we combined our small groups into one large group, the mood lightened even more. We had debates over cremation versus burial. Roses versus daisies. What we would want to be wearing in our casket.
I was happy to be able to inform the group about the Body Disposition form that I had just learned about from a local funeral director. No one had heard of it. Most people assume that if you have a designated Power of Attorney that the designee will be able to make decisions regarding your funeral arrangements. Actually, the decision on what happens to your body after you die goes back to next-of-kin. This is relevant for the LGBT population who may be estranged from their family. (Note, the laws related to body disposition vary by state.)
Survey results from this LGBT Death Café were the highest of all of the events held in Columbus thus far. There was a bonding experience that went beyond the general Death Café events. The most commonly stated reason for liking the event was that it was an open, honest conversation. All of the attendees said they would recommend the event and would attend a future LGBT Death Café event.
There will be future LGBT Death Cafés and general Death Cafés in Columbus. Please check back here for updates.
Update 1st October 2012
Columbus Ohio Death Cafe #3: Life and Death Questions
Columbus, OH Death Café #3: September 24, 2012
By Lizzy Miles
I am continually amazed at the diversity of conversations that arise from the Death Café events. Each event is unique and the variety stems from the topics brought up by the participants. While Maria and I call ourselves facilitators, we are more like hosts that start the conversation. Where the conversation goes is entirely up to the attendees.
Among the 17 attendees, we had multiple groups of people who came to the event together. We had three siblings, a mother and daughter, and multiple sets of friends. People are sometimes surprised when I ask them to sit apart from their friend or family. The reason I do this is because the greatest enjoyment of the event comes from hearing multiple perspectives and sharing one’s own story.
We started out the evening in small groups. The intimacy of the small group structure allows for everyone to have a chance to speak, and it is less intimidating. As I moved from group to group, I was touched by the openness and empathy expressed in such a short period of time.
As with every Death Café, last night we talked about a wide range of topics. There were a lot of questions pondered. Is it normal to think about dying every day? Which is worse to experience – the sudden death of a loved one, or watching them suffer for a prolonged period of time? Is a viewing necessary? What if I don’t agree with my family on how a funeral should be put together? How do you define quality of life? Why can’t I chose when I will die? What happens after we die?
There is something special about the Death Café. It creates that space to have the conversations that we can’t seem to have anywhere else. My interest in the Death Café was sparked from my experience as a hospice worker. I found that wherever I went, once I mentioned hospice, strangers would immediately share their stories with me. I realized that these people needed to share their stories and there really was nowhere safe for them to do so. There is now.
The beauty of the Death Café is that it brings people together who want to talk about the “taboo” topic of death (and all that it entails). Many of the attendees reported in their surveys that in addition to telling their own story, they found comfort in hearing the stories of others. The participants who have come to the Death Café events have a wide variety of backgrounds. The diversity of experiences, beliefs and opinions contributes to the in-depth discussions that we have.
Many of the participants intend to return for more Death Café discussions.
There will be future Death Cafés in Columbus. Please check back here for updates.
Update 14th September 2012
Upcoming Columbus, OH Death Cafe #3
Date: Monday, September 24, 2012 7-9 p.m.
Location: Westerville, OH Panera Community Room (address to be sent with RSVP confirmation)
To RSVP: e-mail reply to lizzymiles@gmail.com with name and response to "What interests you in the Death Cafe?"
Tea and cake will be served.
Additionally, please note, this event is not officially funded. The facilitators are donating their time, however, to help cover costs for the room, we are suggesting a $5 donation for those who are able to donate. If you purchase dinner at Panera, that would work in lieu of a donation as well.
Update 1st September 2012
Lizzy Miles and Stonewall Columbus have organised first Death Cafe in the US specifically for the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender communities. This event will take place on the 27th September 2012. Full details here: http://www.stonewallcolumbus.org/deathcafe
Update 25th August 2012
Columbus Ohio Death Café #2: August 23, 2012
By Lizzy Miles
 |
| Facilitators Maria and Lizzy |
When asked what interested them about the Death Café, the attendees responses were varied. Several attendees shared that death was a taboo topic in their home and they wanted to have an open discussion and maybe learn from others. Some attendees were already working in the field of death and dying as academics, social workers, nurses, counselors, and chaplains. These attendees were quite comfortable with the discussion of topics related to dying. They hoped to gain insight of others perspectives and perhaps provide comfort. Some attendees had experienced the death of family members and were still processing what their losses meant for their own life.
 |
| Death Cafe attendees 1 |
Some of the words used on the survey by attendees to describe this event included: fascinating, lively, funny, relaxing, sharing, moving, caring, and awesome.
 |
| Death Cafe attendees 2 |
So what do people talk about at a Death Café? I get that question a lot. Maria, my co- facilitator and I were completely intrigued at how different this conversation was from the first Columbus Death Café. We do not lead the conversation, we let it flow. The topics really depend on the people in the room and their interests. At this event we talked about photographing the dead, cemeteries and genealogy, first memories of death as children, whether funerals have made us less sensitized to death, burial customs, bedside visions, the differences in the ways people grieve, shared death experiences, cremation versus burial, bucket lists and The Big Lebowski.
Refreshments for this event were funded from the Kickstarter campaign. A big hearty thanks to all the Kickstarter donors who made event this possible.
Update 25th July 2012
Death Art by Kristi Slevin
This amazing artwork was displayed during the first Death Cafe in Columbus, Ohio. It was produced by Kristi Slevin.
Report back from first US Death Cafe
 |
Maria and Lizzy
|
Thursday night’s Death Café event in Columbus, Ohio was a pleasant way to spend the evening. Although it was hot and muggy outside, 13 brave participants came to gather with strangers to talk about death.
More than half of the attendees who RSVP’d ended up not attending. Those in attendance could relate, and described their own nervousness about what the evening would entail. However, as we sat down and began to talk with one another, the tensions eased and the conversation flowed.
We talked about a wide variety of topics under the sun including but not at all limited to: caregiving responsibilities , funeral customs, obituaries, legacies, hospice, regrets, advanced directives, ironic ways to die, and cultural differences in philosophies of death.
Here are some words used to describe the event by the attendees: A great beginning, Accepting, Casual, comfortable, connecting, educational, engaging, enlightening, eye opening, fascinating, illuminating, insightful, interesting, meaningful, open, perspectives, relaxed, satisfying, thought provoking, understand, warm.
One attendee said the event was morbid, depressing and weird and then put a smiley face with a “just kidding.”
Another attendee described his response to the event, “This was a great experience. I was engrossed with the richness, quality and sincerity of the other participants. Conversation is fluid & freeflowing & yet respectful and productive.”
None of the attendees could possibly have anticipated that three hours after the event, there would be another mass killing tragedy in the national news in Aurora, Colorado. Our hearts go out to the survivors and the victim’s families.
A hearty thank you goes to the Kickstarter donors who made this event possible:
Brian Akers
Dianna Barrett
Stephen Bierline
Darren Brew
Amy Brown
Vanessa Callison-Burch
Irina Ceaparu
Kasia Chalko
Jim Cleary
Meredith Cole
Jennifer Cotton
Christopher Dowden
Jean Egan
Vicki Fitts
Del Gaddie
Allison Gibson
John Gury
Chris Harper
Deborah Harvey
Alex Hogan
Jerri Lynn Hogg
Shelly Immel
Lori Jander
Mike Johnson
Alex Jones
Michelle Kozak
Liz Kroger
Simone Linke
Bridget McCrate Protus
Mike Moore
Catherine Murray
Lyn O'Brien
Kimberly Ogle
Nina Pelletier
Jen Poklar
Earl Quijada
Janice Rapp
Daniel Raymer
Beth Santore
Howard Shaw III
Christian Sinclair
Don Snyder
Laurie Stevenson
Amy Stevenson
Kate Storm
Jim Sullivan
Zac Thomas
Arianna Warfel
Vanessa Wargo
Janice Williams
Update 12th July 2012
Thank you for your interest in attending the first Death Cafés in the US. Unfortunately, due to overwhelming response, both scheduled Death Café events are full.
We sincerely hope to have more Death Café events in the future. If you would like to be on the email list to be notified of future Death Café offerings, please email lizzymiles [at] gmail.com with "Add me to Death Cafe mailing list” in the subject field.
Warmest regards,
Lizzy Miles
Death Cafe in Columbus Ohio
Lizzy Miles has arranged the first Death Cafe in the US on the 19th July 2012. This event has been attracting significant media interest, such as here and here.
The Death Cafe on the 19th July is now fully booked but there is another Death Cafe on the 23rd August 2012. Lizzy is providing these events for free, and they are open to anyone in the community.
The objective of a Death Café is to have a safe place where people get together to talk about death and have tea and delicious food. The purpose of having this event is to raise our death awareness with the view to make the most of the finite time we have left.
The objective of a Death Café is to have a safe place where people get together to talk about death and have tea and delicious food. The purpose of having this event is to raise our death awareness with the view to make the most of the finite time we have left.
Please do come along to the Death Cafe on the 23rd August in Columbus Ohio. If you want to attend email lizzymiles [at] gmail.com with “Death Café RSVP” in the subject line. Please give your full name. We'd also like you to say why you're interested in attending the Death Cafe.
Once your RSVP is confirmed, you’ll be given location details and all the other info.
