The When You Die Project:
Hosting the conversation you've been avoiding.
Latest
The Dumb Supper: Dining with the Dead
In 1692, in Salem, Massachusetts, nineteen people were executed for practicing the “devil’s work,” or, in other words, being witches. Fourteen were women, five were men. In 2019, at the end of October, also in Salem, Massachusetts, modern day witches celebrate the Festival of the Dead.
Dying to Watch: Binge-worthy Series
Over the years many TV shows have dealt with death. From a family of funeral directors to a man in deep anger in his grief, these series have actually created a conversation about death and dying, sometimes comedic, sometimes touching and sometimes painfully realistic. When You Die team member, Kelley Edwards, picks and shares her favourite binge-worthy series. (Caution, there may be some spoilers ahead.)
A Dying Mother’s Letter to Her Daughters
If you were dying, what would you want your children to know? The story of Julie Yip-Williams is one of
Death of a Loved One: The Year of Firsts
This winter, my very close friend lost her mom. She and her siblings were very close to their mother and so the loss of her mother was significant. I knew the feeling of losing a parent. Going through the death of a parent is a difficult process, but I also knew that it wasn’t over.
Life in Death
Janie Brown is the Executive Director of the Callanish Society, a nonprofit organization she co-founded for people who are “irrevocably
Features
Daughter. Wife. Mother. These are labels many women consciously and unconsciously wear. But when these roles dissolve, who is left? In this short documentary animated by Sarita McNeil, filmmaker Johanna Lunn reaches out to her father for help. The catch? He’s been dead for years. Just enter your email here for access to the full video.
What Happens As Death Approaches: The Nuts & Bolts
By understanding the physical and emotional stages of dying we begin to reclaim death and dying as a normal part of life.
Where Once There Was Life
Deborah Luscomb is one of the facilitators of the Halifax Death Café and leads Death Matters workshops in the area. She acts as an end of life concierge, assisting during the transition and post-mortem experience. Deborah has a passion for bringing people together around difficult conversations, like death and dying.
Introducing In the Realm of Death and Dreaming, our 2019 Documentary
Since its origin, humanity has posed the question, ‘what really happens when you die?’ The presumed answers have defined culture, religion and community as we know them. Through a combination of near-death experiences, personal stories and scientific research, the documentary explores whether consciousness survives death, and why it matters when choosing end of life care.
Stories
Día de los Muertos
The Day of the Dead, or Día de los Muertos, is sometimes confused with Halloween. Although both are around the
Good Ground Great Beyond
Angela Lutzenberger, founder of the Maine non-profit, Good Ground Great Beyond, speaks about her vision for creating alternative, after death care options, including open air cremation, for the people of Maine.
Can Children Handle Death?
We want to protect our children, but if we don’t talk to them about death, are we hurting instead of helping?
Death, Virtual Grief and Your Digital Footprint
There is no discrimination int he digital world. When a person dies, their virtual selves can remain, existing in the same online space used daily by millions of people.
Saying Goodbye to Our Pets
“Until one has loved an animal, a part of one’s soul remains unawakened.” — Anatole France
The When You Die Project: Hosting the conversation you’ve been avoiding.
From existential afterlife questions to palliative care and the nuts-and-bolts of green burial, if it has to do with death, we’re talking about it. We believe death awareness brings a happier end to a fuller life.
WhenYouDie.org is where you’ll find clips from our upcoming documentary about death along with stories around death that inspire us, intrigue us, and help further a healthy discussion about death in our culture.
We don’t endorse every point of view in these stories but respect them and offer them up in the spirit of reclaiming death as a rich, challenging, rewarding, exhausting, heartbreaking, heart-filling, integral part of our human journey.
