A quarterly web-paper to talk about death and dying in a world that doesn’t.

In early 2014 I was on a plane from Paris to China. I started traveling after the death of my mom,  after I told my therapist I just wanted to just pick up and disappear for awhile. His response “well, what do you have to lose?” changed everything.

I picked up and left, starting in Iceland. I had read a book years prior about how Icelandic people are very happy, and since I was very sad, it seemed like a good fit. From Iceland I went to the rest of Europe, and then on to Asia. While on that flight to China, I woke up mid-flight, looked out the window and saw a giant mountain illuminated by a low hanging moon. It was one of the most beautiful things I’ve seen. I sat with my forehead to the window in silence and reverence while the rest of the plane slept. That moment on the plane was transformational. From the air, I could see how vast the earth is, and how the twinkling lights from the towns below were so small. How I, above it all, was also so small. As I looked at the lights, I remember wondering about the people in those towns. And I realized they’d probably lost someone they loved too. And that it’s not just them, but people through all of time and history have faced loss, hardship, and deep sadness. 

That was the moment that my pain started to turn outward — it was no longer about how sad I was, but about how people, everywhere, should be talking about their pain and struggles. This was the seed of Death Dialogue.

Death Dialogue started as the creative arm and umbrella of my work. It was the umbrella to my projects in the way that Morgan Michele Brown is today. Death Dialogue, now, is taking on a new look and way of operating in the world but the mission is still very much the same — to talk about death and dying in a world that doesn’t.

If you’ve been with me and Death Dialogue from the beginning, I am so grateful you’ve supported me on this years-long mission. If you’re just joining now, welcome - I’m so glad you’re here.