A Question of Death

Too Poor to Die

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New podcast episode: Amy O’Shea joins me to discuss Too Poor to Die, her powerful book on death, dignity & inequality. Out 30 Sept 🇬🇧
🎧 Listen now on your favourite platform via - linktr.ee/aquestionofd...
#TooPoorToDie #Podcast #DeathEquity #SocialJustice

New Episode Alert! Enjoy this fascinating conversation with Dr Icy Sedgwick about the Death Goddesses, Persephone & Hel via a short Hecate detour.
We explore the connections between female deities & traditional views of femininity & how death Goddesses disrupt these ideas. linktr.ee/aquestionofd...

A small round fluffy thing with pointed ears, a haggis pudding in its wild state 😋

We enjoy and celebrate Burns Night here at a Question of Death. Important first step, catch your haggis:

There needs to be some sort of signal to explain to cats that you are not really upset with real feelings it’s just seasonal television that has made you cry so they can stand down.

Cream text on grey background:There is absolutely no reason to commit to lots of resolutions and changes in the dark of the year. It is just as valid to remain wintering and ask yourself: What nourishes my soul? What dreams do I want keep close? How do I want to feel as I step out into this new year?

All my thoughts about the new year crammed into a few sentences. Wishing everybody a Happy New Year!

Picture of some of the farm animals up for adoption

You can now adopt an animal from the farm where my brother lives. All money goes to their care and to the disability charity that runs the farm
www.rarebreeds.org.uk/news/detail/...

A death cafe

"There’s a need for tea, cake, and conversations about death."

Susan Bewley talks about hosting a death cafe and how musing on death has added more pleasure to her life
#ChristmasBMJ
www.bmj.com/content/387/...

Hello! I hope you enjoy it. It’s so lovely to be back in touch xx

Not at all! He’s at his best then. My favourite though is the ghost of Christmas Present. I still want to be her when I grow up.

Best Christmas film!

@christinamartin.bsky.social

New Episode! A lovely talk with Evie King about her book Ashes to Admin about how she became a Council Funeral Officer. An opportunity to discover the importance of rituals, the realities of funeral poverty & how we can prepare for the inevitable whilst living intensely in the present bit.ly/4bisHQA

In this fascinating episode, we delve into the world of funerary history with @drdan.bsky.social, a historian whose research focuses on the undertaking trade & their products in 18th Century England.

Dr Dan shares his knowledge of historic funerary journeys. Listen on all platforms: bit.ly/4bisHQA

Background image: A snippet of a French manuscript from 1512/1514, showing a drawing of Pythagoras turning his face away from fava beans in revulsion. The foreground text reads The Beans of Death From Equations to A Silent Supper via Tiny Almond Biscuits.

Latest letter is out - perfect reading for a dark October evening. It’s everything you want to know about beans and their connection to death. From Pythagoras to All Soul’s Day with some tiny almond biscuits thrown in, you won’t see beans in the same way again. open.substack.com/pub/aquestio...

Funeral Cookbooks & Recipe Gravestones Part 2 - Food and Death Series AQUESTIONOFDEATH.SUBSTACK.COM in white text across a background of white cloth with 5 unpeeled parsnips lying on it

Newest letter is out! 2nd in the series on the connections between food and death. This time examining the history of funeral cookbooks and the slightly more modern phenomenon of recipe gravestones. open.substack.com/pub/aquestio...

Gold square with 3 conical beehives in different colours, each with a stream of bees entering - taken from a mediaeval manuscript. The text in white on top says Bees, death & honey, Part 1 - Food & Death Series

My latest letter is out! Bees are so important to the planet but did you know that they were once believed to have other jobs such as carrying messages to the Otherworld? Learn more fascinating facts including how honey was used to summon the dead for free here: open.substack.com/pub/aquestio...

A painting in the background of a woman dressed as the personification of death in black with wings in a snowy graveyard. With white text in the foreground reading Between Bones and the Harvest

As we move into October connections between death & the harvest seem inescapable to me. Then I progressed to thinking about the personification of death & couldn’t help but think about why, as is often the case the default is male. I even shared a favourite story.
open.substack.com/pub/aquestio...

Square picture with dark painting of Prosperpine as background. In the foreground in white text it says Prosperpine and the Fruit of Desth - a little post equinox reading

My latest letter is out & you should read it if only to see how I get from pomegranate earrings to giving credit to Jane, Jenny & May Morris for their contribution to Morris & Co. There’s a bit about the relevance of the painting at this time of year too open.substack.com/pub/aquestio...

A screen grab from Apple Podcasts showing the episode title and the podcast artwork

Join me as I discuss the practical side of grief & healing with Pastor Ashley Ann Masters. Learn about offering tangible support, from meal trains & legal help to turning up regularly & listening. This episode is about practical help & the space it provides for grieving. linktr.ee/aquestionofd...

Text against a background of a painting featuring a skeleton in a black cloak tending a garden. The text says The Garden of Death or another side of death via the art of Hugo Simberg

So I started a Substack to accompany the podcast! You can read and subscribe here: open.substack.com/pub/aquestio... This first letter is all about one of my favourite Death paintings. I hope you enjoy.

A picture of the podcast cover photo with soft pink roses against a dark background with a button reading latest episode

New Episode Alert! An interesting and enlightening conversation about the possibilities, expectations and choices in a modern funeral with Carrie Weeks from A Natural Undertaking. A must-listen for anyone interested in understanding more about end-of-life planning. linktr.ee/aquestionofd...

Tune in to hear her insights on community resilience, rebuilding, the importance of personal effects and honesty to grieving families. 🎧 bit.ly/4bisHQA the human side of disaster response

"Life really is so precious and so fragile. There's no greater lesson from my work than that."
🌟 New Episode Alert! 🌟 I sit down with Lucy Easthope, author of "When the Dust Settles." to explore the complexities of emergency planning & recovering from disaster.

bit.ly/4bisHQA

Screen grab of latest podcast episode

Brand new episode: A fascinating conversation about Corpse Roads with the amazing Icy Sedgwick, folklore blogger and host of the Fabulous Folklore podcast.

linktr.ee/aquestionofd...

A screen grab of the latest podcast episode

I can’t believe I haven’t shared the newest episode with you! A wonderful warm conversation with Celebrant Ruth Graham

Ruth shares memories & the valuable role a good celebrant can play in creating a wonderfully recognisably rounded picture of the person being memorialised
linktr.ee/aquestionofd...

An anatomical model of the eye from Gresham’s Household Physician

"What you leave behind is not what is engraved in stone monuments but what is woven into the lives of others." Thucydides - cream text on slate grey background

Thanks for that, I hadn’t realised!

Am very excited for this new work from the awesome @christopherbrown.bsky.social 🙂