We explore the profound world of rituals and grief with author and Earth artist Day Schildkret, known for his transformative books Morning Altars and Hello, Goodbye.

Dr. Mannix, a palliative care specialist, reflects on "ordinary dying" in her writing, aiming to help others understand the process and approach it with compassion, while balancing joy and grief.

Francis Weller emphasizes grief's need to be witnessed. As a therapist for 40 years, he believes grief connects all stories. He advocates for embracing all emotions and living fully, with reverence.

In The Grieving Brain, neuroscientist Mary-Frances O’Connor explains grief’s impact on the brain, offering insights into its process. Her research bridges science and personal experience to better understand loss.

Dr. Ira Byock's Four Things That Matter Most explores well-being through the end of life, emphasizing the importance of emotional health even in the face of death. His work highlights that human development continues through life’s final stages.

Frank Ostaseski, author of The Five Invitations, aims to help people live fully by embracing life’s fragility. He encourages living in the present and highlights wisdom from those nearing death. His ideal death is one where he can fully embrace the moment.

Diane Rehm’s When My Time Comes advocates for compassionate choice in end-of-life care, sharing personal experiences with suffering, loss, and the importance of conversations about death and wishes for dying.

Erica Buist, after a traumatic encounter with death, became fascinated with death anxiety. She advocates for normalizing conversations about death to alleviate fear, drawing on personal experiences and research.

William Peters, founder of the Shared Crossings Project, wrote At Heaven’s Door to normalize extraordinary end-of-life experiences. He advocates for a conscious, connected, and loving approach to death.

Lydia Dugdale’s The Lost Art of Dying emphasizes that to die well, one must live well, urging readers to prepare for death by reconciling relationships, considering medical choices, and engaging with life's ultimate questions.

Sensei Koshin Paley Ellison’s Wholehearted highlights the transformative power of compassion and shared suffering in end-of-life care. Raised amidst the AIDS pandemic, he emphasizes commitment and connection, encouraging readers to embrace moments of happiness.

Barbara Coombs Lee, author of Finish Strong, emphasizes the importance of embracing our mortality to enrich life. Her exit plan involves having time to communicate with loved ones before her passing, though she is content with how her life has unfolded.

Sigrid Nunez’s What Are You Going Through explores a character’s choice to end her life using euthanasia drugs, examining themes of mortality, personal choice, and the inevitability of death. Nunez reflects on her characters’ complex journeys, blending fiction with raw emotional exploration of dying.

Stephanie Lucianovic wrote The End of Something Wonderful to help children process pet loss, aiming to make conversations about death less scary and more accessible. She values kindness and self-awareness.

Nancy Slonim Aronie's "Memoir as Medicine" encourages others to uncover their stories, with a focus on healing through writing. In a candid interview, she reflects on love, death, and the importance of relationships. She shares her grief over the loss of her son and expresses a peaceful view on death, highlighting love as the essential lesson. Her ideal last day would be balanced, and she imagines returning as a country music star. Aronie's wisdom and humor make her insights both liberating and inspirational.

Mark Dowie reflects on death, mortality, and legacy in this heartfelt interview.

Barbara Becker's Heartwood explores the intersection of life and death, inspired by her journey through a friend's terminal illness and the lessons on living fully in the face of mortality. It encourages embracing death as a teacher to live with heightened awareness.

Alix Strauss' The Joy of Funerals, newly reissued after 20 years, explores the culture's readiness to discuss loss and loneliness. Strauss reflects on funerals as a means of connection and belonging.

In Happiness Is a Choice You Make, John Leland reflects on the lives of the 'oldest old,' exploring the emotional richness and wisdom they offer. His work emphasizes how the framing of experiences shapes happiness.

Alexandra Vassilaros uses writing workshops, born from her personal experience with grief, to help others navigate loss. Her Make Meaning Workshop emphasizes that grief can lead to grace, love, and transformation.