Death Cafe write-ups
Death Cafe Hong Kong Write up
Posted by Carmen Yau on June 19, 2014, 10:54 p.m.
The first Death Café Hong Kong we held on 14 June, 2014 at the Bijas vegetarian restaurant at the University of Hong Kong was historical and international event. With the support from Faculty of Social Sciences, The University of Hong Kong as the activating organization of this event, there were 40 participants from New Zealand, Netherlands, Singapore, US, Taiwan as well as nurse student, social workers and helping professionals in Hong Kong. Also, it was so great to have Lizzy Miles, Megan Mooney to join us. Although some locals were unable to speak English, some participants volunteered to translate in order to ensure the conversation and discussion ...
June is a tough month to schedule in San Diego. It seems as if every Saturday is already filled to brimming with graduations in our College town!
But, as others here have noted, it is definitely possible to have a Death cafe with the facilitator and one participant. Initially, Tom asked me if we were gong to proceed. I responded by asking him why he had come, and he said he had 4 stories and a question. Those experiences and wisdom gained from them carried us through the time allotted. Like so many other attendees, he commented that the Death Cafe allows for an open exchange of ideas ...
Death Cafe - Sydney Write up
Posted by April Lewis on June 15, 2014, 2:42 a.m.
" After participating in the Death Cafe this afternoon I was left with plenty of food for thought. Death is not a mundane subject of conversation by any means, but to participate in a group conversation about it is certainly thought provoking. I walked away today with some very interesting impressions of different perceptions death in the people around me. Confronting and mind opening. Thanks for a unique experience." (Nathan)
Death Cafe Auburn CA Write up
Posted by Cindie Wilding on June 14, 2014, 3:11 p.m.
There was plenty of food for thought - along with cake, cookies and iced-tea – at Death Café Auburn on Tuesday evening. (Special thanks to Sally for the luscious, home-made sheet cakes!) Among our group of about 14, we had several familiar voices and a few new ones added to the mix. We appreciate the consistent number of repeat attendees and hope that this indicates an increasing comfort level with the stimulating topics of conversation. When you come back again, it says that you find these gatherings beneficial, which is GREAT! We can all consider ourselves to be part of the movement to normalize death. If you experience an uplifting ...
Marin Death Cafe Write up
Posted by Nancy Rhine on June 13, 2014, 1:03 p.m.
Last evening we had our second Marin Death Cafe with 28 people RSVPing and 17 people attending. Needless to say, we had way too much cake! :)
Once again, feedback was how struck people were with how immediately everyone moved into talking about very real experiences they had had around death and dying. They shared stories about near death experiences, deaths of longtime spouses, deaths of children, fear of dying, not fear of dying, and existential questions about life's meaning or what I call "What's it all about Alfie?" questions.
A particularly moving conversation was about the meaing and close experiences people had had with wild birds ...
Death Cafe - Frederick, MD Write up
Posted by BunnyODell on June 12, 2014, 10:59 p.m. 1 comment
40 people ranging in ages from their 20s to their 80s gathered at the Canal Bar & Grill at 8:30 AM on Saturday, June 7, to discuss death. Bunny O'Dell and Kriste Kidd co-hosted the event and facilitated along with Chad Harris and Cheryl Parrott. We broke into 4 tables of approximately 10 each. At times, the conversation was so lively we had to listen really closely to hear the comments at our tables . . . there was no shortage of opinions, hopes, and thoughts about death and dying. We served refreshments, including coffin and skull/crossbone- shaped cookies. I don't think Kriste and I realized in advance ...
Invito a partecipare al Death Cafe, conversazione aperta sulla morte e sul morire Write up
Posted by Elisabetta Lucchi on June 11, 2014, 4:11 p.m.
The Death Café’ we held on the 12th May at Elisabetta’s house was a “mini” event as there were only three participants. But it was a lively evening with a light, friendly atmosphere.
Also present were Chiara, Giorgio and Bruno from Vice.com who were there to film the meeting.
Lots of interesting issues and key words cropped up during the evening. The word “death” was associated with light, understood as the light we see in pre-death experiences. It is difficult to think about one’s own death even though we know there is an end and we know that our bodies will not live forever ...
Death Cafe Bucks County Write up
Posted by buryingyourown on June 11, 2014, 12:44 p.m.
Sacramento Death Cafe Write up
Posted by deatheducadvocate on June 10, 2014, 11:10 p.m.
Thanks for the opportunity to host the Sacramento Death Café last night in my home. To everyone's delight we had 3 intergenerational family groups along with several others for a total of ten participants ranging in age from 14 to 80! What open, thoughtful and courageous humans!
Crete, Illinois Death Cafe Write up
Posted by Sherry Gilles on June 9, 2014, 8:59 p.m.
We expected about a dozen people to come to this Death Cafe but had a number of cancellations due to illness.
Six people came to discuss death topics such as loss of a loved one and what types of funeral or cremation ceremony might suit each person the best. End of Life conversations, having taken place or not, were discussed and how it affected each participant.
One guest arrived later and discussed the effects of radiation on the body and how certain types of radiation caused death..
We served snacks, chicken and noodles, cake and various libations. I received evaluations from all attendees. All said they would be ...
On a sunny Sunday autumnal afternoon; 12 of us experienced our first Death Café. The aptly named “Conversations Café” in Gawler, South Australia, provided the nurturing space for our group-directed conversation about Death. With warming drinks and a yummy home-made treat from Mignon within reach, we were ready to begin. As the participant-facilitator I opened the discussion with the question: “What brought you here?” The common thread amongst us all was curiosity. We had all been intrigued by the startling name, Death Café.
We were in good company. Since 2010 there have been about 9,000 other dead curious people who have attended one of the 900 Death ...
"Do you have a death wish?" is not a question normally bandied about in seriousness. But have you ever actually asked whether a parent, partner or friend has a wish, or wishes, concerning their death? Burial or cremation? Where would they like to die? It's not easy to do......but having a safe, comfortable place to start this conversation might help...
This was my fourth death cafe in Nashville TN and it just keeps getting better. I have noticed the attandence has gotten smaller but the conversation is more AMAZING...The numbers do not matter for me. I have a few people who come regularly but most ...
mid-coast Maine Death Cafe in Hope! Write up
Posted by plindquist on June 5, 2014, 6:48 a.m. 1 comment
An evening in Hope, Maine... I helped organize the first Death Cafe near the town of Camden, where I live. The following write-up came to me a few days later from a particpant and lovely lady in the audience. I think she got the idea behind the group event!
Tolerant treatment of touchy topic
Death Café has an ominous ring to it. Still, I went, and met up with over twenty others who attended the event in one of our neighboring towns.
The group included a wide range of ages, both men and women. Everyone at one point or another smiled, got teary, laughed out loud, reflected, shared ...
On the 4th June we had an interesting meeting attended by a paranormal investigator, a medium and a couple of people who have died several times, during operations or hospital treatment. We heard several ghost stories and discussed what this meant to each of us. The meeting was also attended by a couple of Christians and so inevitably the discussion was very lively!
Highcliffe Death Cafe Write up
Posted by Lis Horwich on June 4, 2014, 9:29 a.m. 1 comment
New for June in Dorset:
New Death Cafe this time in East Dorset. Come along - eat cake and talk about death.
Which better month than June when the days are longest and the sun is shining to start talking about your thoughts about death and dying?