Author Archives: Betsy Arant (Blog Writer, SevenPonds)

Overshadowed by the Pandemic, Non-COVID Deaths Also Increased in 2020

With the coronavirus in the global spotlight, heart disease, cancer, and other leading causes of death continued
Posted on January 22, 2021 by Betsy Arant (Blog Writer, SevenPonds)

There’s little doubt as to how 2020 will be remembered in history. The year that began with COVID-19 as a distant threat across the globe ended with nearly every country worldwide reeling from the trauma and shock of a pandemic. … Continue reading →

Posted in Something Special | Leave a comment

“Where you used to be, there is a hole in the world, which I find myself constantly walking around in the daytime, and falling in at night. I miss you like hell.”

- Edna St. Vincent Millay
Posted on January 21, 2021 by Betsy Arant (Blog Writer, SevenPonds)
Posted in A Rite of Passage | Leave a comment

The Matsigenka and the “Were-Jaguars” of Peru

For this Amazonian people, death can bring supernatural transformation
Posted on January 10, 2021 by Betsy Arant (Blog Writer, SevenPonds)

People of all cultures and in all regions of the world have fears about death. Some fears stem from concepts of heaven and hell or karmic retribution, while many center on the mystery of the afterlife. For the Matsigenka people … Continue reading →

Posted in Cultural Perspectives | Leave a comment

“I Remember Everything” by John Prine

The late music icon reflects on a long, full life in his final recording
Posted on January 5, 2021 by Betsy Arant (Blog Writer, SevenPonds)

Folk legend John Prine died of COVID-19 complications in April 2020, leaving behind a musical legacy that spanned generations and influenced such iconic figures as Bonnie Raitt and John Cougar Mellencamp. A former mail carrier who grew up listening to … Continue reading →

Posted in Expressive Music | Leave a comment

“Erythra Thalassa” by Annette Libeskind Berkovits

A mother recounts her emotional response to her adult son's debilitating stroke
Posted on December 21, 2020 by Betsy Arant (Blog Writer, SevenPonds)

“Erythra Thalassa” is the title poem from Annette Libeskind Berkovits‘ recent book, which chronicles her adult son’s debilitating stroke through poetry. Berkovits, who spent three decades working for the Wildlife Conservation Society in New York as senior vice president, has … Continue reading →

Posted in The Next Chapter | Leave a comment

“Dick Johnson is Dead” Directed by Kirsten Johnson

A documentary filmmaker explores her relationship with her father's mortality
Posted on December 18, 2020 by Betsy Arant (Blog Writer, SevenPonds)

In the Netflix film “Dick Johnson is Dead,” documentary filmmaker Kirsten Johnson explores the process of coming to terms with her father’s looming death. When Dick Johnson begins double-booking clients at his psychiatry practice and forgetting everyday details, Kirsten and … Continue reading →

Posted in Lending Insight | 2 Comments