A number of authors are speaking at events during the third annual Before I Die New Mexico Festival. Events are taking place in Albuquerque, Santa Fe, Taos, and Espanola, November 3 to 10, 2019. Most of the events are free.
Books by Authors Speaking at the Festival
Here are Amazon links to the authors and their books. Note: As an Amazon Associate I earn a small commission from qualifying purchases.
The After Death Chronicles by Annie Mattingley
Annie Mattingley is speaking in Taos on Monday, November 4, 2019 at 3:45 p.m. at DeVargas Funeral Home, 1520 Paseo del Pueblo Sur, Taos and on Wednesday, November 6 at 2:30 p.m. at Berardinelli McGee Life Event Center, 1320 Luisa Street, Santa Fe.
This is a book about ordinary people―plumbers, artists and accountants, bakers and beauticians, teachers and lawyers―who have been able to receive communication from loved ones who have died. Included here are accounts from over 80 people across the country who have had contact with the dead through the diaphanous veil that separates them from the living.
How to Communicate with the Dead by Judith Fein
Judith is speaking in Santa Fe on Wednesday, November 6 at 2:30 p.m. at Berardinelli McGee Life Event Center, 1320 Luisa Street, Santa Fe.
Very few travel writers have the skill to uncover profound beliefs and practices around the world for communicating with the dead, but Judith Fein is anything but your average travel writer. In her fascinating, informative, and exciting new book, HOW TO COMMUNICATE WITH THE DEAD, she invites the reader to come along and get a glimpse through the thin veil that seems to separate life and death. We follow her from Japan to Brazil, Vanuatu, South Africa, Tunisia, Micronesia, Norway, Israel, Mexico, Tahiti, Nigeria, Ukraine, Italy, New Mexico, and more. And if you are so inclined, Fein gives you step-by-step instructions so you can undertake the communication yourself with those you have lost. It can ease grief, provide answers, help anyone going through a difficult time, or just satisfy your curiosity to look beneath the surface and beyond what is visible.
What Does it Feel Like to Die? by Jennie Dear
Jennie is speaking at the Before I Die Symposium on Saturday, November 9 at 8:00 a.m. at the UNM Continuing Education Center, 1634 University Blvd. NE, Albuquerque. Register for Osher Class #87131 for $29 by calling 505.277.0077.
As a long-time hospice volunteer, Jennie Dear has helped countless patients, families, and caregivers cope with the many challenges of the dying process. Inspired by her own personal journey with her mother’s long-term illness, Dear demystifies the experience of dying for everyone whose lives it touches. She spoke to doctors, nurses, and caregivers, as well as families, friends, and the patients themselves. The result is a brilliantly researched, eye-opening account that combines the latest medical findings with sensitive human insights to offer real emotional support and answers to some of the questions that affect us all.
Prepare to Die!!! by Peter Callan
Peter will be at the events in Santa Fe on November 6 and this book will be offered for drawings at daily Festival events.
A practical self-help handbook dealing with end-of-life issues and challenges we all face in being pro-active and planning ahead so that the people you love are not left with your ultimate responsibility, this book has all the answers. Everything you need to know from Living Wills to Power of Attorney, Avoiding Probate to Burial Options plus lots more when in preparation-for-death mode. This book demystifies ‘the inevitable’ in a straightforward and humorous perspective regarding death, sharing vital information. It also has three basic forms for use or practice (Will, Power of Attorney and Advanced Health Care Directive), lots of interesting good-to-know tips, resources and facts.
Books by Gail Rubin, CT
Festival Coordinator Gail Rubin is an author and speaker. She is presenting several times over the course of the Festival. There’s “Lessons on Grief and Mourning in Cartoons” in Taos at 10:00 a.m., “Laughing in the Face of Death: Funny Films for Funeral Planning” in Espanola at 3:45 p.m. and in Albuquerque at 3:30 p.m. on November 8, and “The Funeral Director on Film” at the Symposium on Saturday, November 9. Here are her books:
A Good Goodbye: Funeral Planning for Those Who Don’t Plan to Die
A GOOD GOODBYE: Funeral Planning for Those Who Don’t Plan to Die provides the information, inspiration and tools to plan and implement creative, meaningful and memorable end-of-life rituals for people and pets. Just as talking about sex won’t make you pregnant, talking about funerals won’t make you dead – and your family will benefit from the conversation. Learn how to save money, reduce family conflict, and avoid stress at a time of grief.
Hail and Farewell: Cremation Ceremonies, Templates and Tips
By 2016, 50% of those who die in the U.S. will be cremated. Thousands of families won’t know what to do with their loved ones’ cremated remains or how to create a meaningful memorial service. HAIL AND FAREWELL: Cremation Ceremonies, Templates and Tips provides all the answers. The book covers everything related to creating a meaningful memorial service with cremated remains:
- Why it’s important to hold some sort of goodbye ceremony.
- A description of the cremation process, so families know what to expect.
- Examples of different ways to scatter ashes – more than you’d think!
- Stories of creative memorial services in different settings to spark ideas.
- Templates to easily create meaningful memorial services.
- Sample scripts from actual memorial services to provide inspiration.
- Suggested readings, music and online resources for a wealth of meaningful materials to weave into a service.
HAIL AND FAREWELL offers invaluable memorial service guidance and ideas. The best time to learn about these issues is NOW, before there’s a death in the family.
Kicking the Bucket List: 100 Downsizing and Organizing Things to Do Before You Die
Do you plan to live forever? Do you ever plan to move? Depending on where you are going, you can not take it with you. In KICKING THE BUCKET LIST, death educator Gail Rubin brings a light touch to cleaning out those dark recesses of your home and organizing for end-of-life issues. In these pages, you will learn how to: tackle downsizing without being overwhelmed by the job; evaluate what to keep, toss, donate and recycle; creatively remove excess goods from your home; manage your finances for today and tomorrow; organize your funeral and create your legacy.
1 Habit: 100 Habits from the Happiest Achievers on the Planet
You know the joy you feel when you are so passionate about your “why” that you can’t wait to wake up and jump right into life? That motivation will get you started, but to be able to follow through, you need the Habits that will help you place one foot in front of the other when things get tough. Author Steve Samblis spent years searching the world for the most successful people on the planet. He got to know them and asked them each “What was the one most crucial habit in your life that has made the most significant impact on your success.” He then took these 100 Habits and put them into a book called 1 Habit. Gail Rubin contributed Habit #63, “Always Embrace Your Uniqueness.”