Events around the world and online regarding death and dying. To submit your event for inclusion, please email the date, time, name of event, description and link to dodeathbetter@gmail.com.
Monday, July 21, 4:00 pm PDT
Online
M.A. Lecture: “Why You Should Celebrate Your Deathday More Than Your Birthday”
“I believe we celebrate the wrong end of life. We throw parties for birthdays… Meanwhile we ignore the day that gives our life its deepest meaning. Our deathday.” So writes bestselling author Karen Salmansohn in her new book To Die For Life: How To Maximize Joy and Minimize Regret Before Your Time Runs Out, her new book that aims to help reframe thinking about death as motivating rather than morbid. In this talk, she’ll introduce her new book, and offer suggestions for reverse engineering your life—from your deathbed backwards—in order to transform your current life into the ideal of your aspirational eulogy. “Because,” in her words, “nothing will motivate you to seize the day… more than realizing your days are numbered.”
Wednesday, July 23, 5:30 pm MST
Online / Arizona
Pathways to a Chosen Death with Focus on Final Exit Network’s Exit Guide Program
Many of you are aware that FInal Exit Network is a trusted partner and resource for Choice & Dignity. We are honored to bring you a presentation and Q.&A. session with Lowrey Brown who is FEN’s Exit Guide Program Director. Lowrey will be covering FEN’s mission and activities with a special emphasis on how one applies for, and qualifies for, their Exit Guide services. This is especially pertinent for Arizonans since we have no access to Medical Aid in Dying here in the state. This will be a Zoom meeting so everyone can participate easily from home.
Thursday, July 24, 6:00 pm PDT
Online
Psychedelic Death Cafe
We are proud to invite you to the San Francisco Psychedelic Society’s offering, the Psychedelic Death Cafe. The Death Cafe is a safe place to openly discuss our thoughts and feelings about death, dying, and mortality in a supportive environment. Death affects us all, but discomfort with the subject and social norms make it difficult to explore this important topic in a comfortable and respectful community context. We also welcome discussion about the use of psychedelics as a way to explore the nature of life and death (and beyond) or use of psychedelics at the end-of-life.
Saturday, July 26, 10:00 am GMT
Edinburgh, UK
Death Cafe
A Death Cafe is a safe space to talk about all aspects of death, dying and bereavement and to help to reclaim death as part of life. There is no agenda. We talk about what you want to bring. The event is free but donations welcome towards coffee; and there will be cake.
Saturday, July 26 7:30 – 9pm EDT.
Raleigh, NC 27601
A Death Meditation for the Living: On Reflection & Reorientation
What if thinking about death helped you live with more clarity and intention? This guided death meditation is an immersive, contemplative experience that invites you to consider what matters most. Through breath, stillness, and thoughtful prompts, you’ll explore how awareness of your mortality can bring focus to how you move through life. Rooted in mindfulness and end-of-life care practices, this session offers space to pause and ask the deeper questions. What are you holding onto that no longer fits? What needs to be said? What deserves more of your time and care? Led by Christy Knutson, an end-of-life doula and co-founder of Near, this experience is open to anyone curious about how death awareness can shape how we show up for ourselves and each other. You do not need to be grieving, meditating regularly, or navigating illness to attend. Just come willing to sit with what is often avoided and walk away seeing things a little more clearly. This is not about fear. It is about perspective, honesty, and choosing how to live while we are still here.
Saturday, July 26, 11:00 am CDT
Chicago, IL
Eulogies
In 1932, Jane Addams published “The Excellent Becomes the Permanent” a collection of ten eulogies. These include her reflections on artist Alice Kellogg Tyler, whose work is currently on display in the museum, and educator Jennie Dow Harvey, who opened the settlement’s first kindergarten. In her meditations on death, Addams found a distinctive form, one that played into her life-long confrontation with illness, death, and mourning. To explore these and other Hull-House histories of death, memory and legacy, we’re partnering with the Chicago Death Doula Collective. The day will feature a conversation between Education Manager Nadia Maragha and Death Doula Patrice Horton. They will explore the histories of death at Hull-House with modern options for home funerals and afterlife care. Visitors can also participate in a shroud-wrapping demonstration with textile artist Anders Zanichkowsky, have conversations sparked by Coffin Cards and contribute to a community altar. The goal of this program is to explore the intimate ways that people from the past interacted with death and to consider practices that we can revive and carry into the future.
Sunday, July 27, 10:00 am EDT
Brooklyn, NY
Rest in Pace: Fort Hamilton
Join Green-Wood’s leisurely (and lively!) walking group, designed for older adults and those with limited mobility. Together, we’ll take a scenic stroll through the Cemetery, enjoying gentle exercise, breathtaking views, and engaging conversation along the way. More than just a walk, it’s a chance to connect, share stories, and celebrate life and legacy in a one-of-a-kind setting. Expect good company, meaningful moments, and maybe even a few unexpected tales from the past. This July 27th walk begins and ends at the Fort Hamilton Entrance (located at Micieli Place and Fort Hamilton Parkway).
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To submit your event for inclusion, please email the date, time, name of event, description and link to dodeathbetter@gmail.com.