The first day of the Before I Die NM Festival features an Albuquerque Death Cafe, a tour of Fathers Building Futures casket and urn workshop, a Yoga and grief class, Santa Fe speakers and panel discussions, and an obituary-writing and life celebration planning workshop. October 30 is Create a Great Funeral Day. While all these events are free, registration is appreciated so we can plan for turnout. Register here.
9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. Death Cafe conversation. At Death Cafes, people drink tea or coffee, eat cake or cookies and discuss death. Refreshments provided. Location: FRENCH – Westside, 9300 Golf Course Road NW (free)
12:00 p.m. Tour of the Fathers Building Futures (FBF) casket and urn workshop and lunch. FBF is a nonprofit social enterprise that empowers formerly incarcerated parents by providing on-the-job workforce training and supports to enable sustainable futures for themselves and their families. The caskets they make in their woodworking shop are biodegradable and kosher for Jewish burials. Location: Fathers Building Futures, 4301 4th Street NW (free)
2:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. Gloria Drayer, Kirpalu Yoga instructor and author of “Yoga and Grief,” conducts a gentle yoga class accessible to all. Location: Los Altos Christian Church, 11900 Haines Ave. NE (free)
3:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. SANTA FE Death Doula Panel Discussion – A Death Doula is a non-medical person trained to care for someone holistically (physically, emotionally and spiritually) at the end of life. Death Doulas are also known end of life coaches, soul midwives, transition guides, death coaches, death midwives, and end of life guides. Find out more and get your questions answered at this panel discussion. Location: Berardinelli McGee Event Center, 1320 Luisa Street, Santa Fe, NM (free)
4:00 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. An obituary-writing and life celebration planning workshop led by Aubrey Hovey with French Funerals and Cremations and Certified Funeral Celebrant Gail Rubin. The workshop will close with a reading of the brief comedy about obituary writing, ULTIMATE PRECISION, by Robert F. Benjamin. Refreshments provided. Location: FRENCH – University Reception Center, 1111 University Blvd. NE. (free)
5:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. SANTA FE “What will your loved ones do with all your stuff?” Karen Hyatt of Estate Pros, LLC, presents a fascinating talk about ways to handle the material goods we have in our homes. Location: Berardinelli McGee Event Center, 1320 Luisa Street, Santa Fe, NM (free)
6:30 to 8:30 p.m. SANTA FE “What Does After-Death Communication Have to Do with Before I Die?” Join Annie Mattingley, author of The After Death Chronicles: True Stories of Comfort, Guidance, and Wisdom from Beyond the Veil, to create a space for writing letters to deceased beloveds to express love, regret, gratitude, anger, or anything left unsaid. Leave with awareness of how often spontaneous after-death communication occurs, tools for recognizing and encouraging it, and an understanding of how it can relieve our own fears of death. Location: Berardinelli McGee Event Center, 1320 Luisa Street, Santa Fe, NM (free)
See the full schedule of events here.