Author Archives: Julie Gesin (Blog Writer, SevenPonds)

Turn Me into Dirt and Flowers

Seattle-based architect, Katrina Spade, hopes that her Urban Death Project will provide communities with a meaningful and ecological option for their bodies after death

Growing up in a family whose idea of a vacation was constructing a chicken coop or putting shingles on a house, it’s no surprise that Katrina Spade chose architecture as a career. Her collaboration with Jamie Corn has produced playful … Continue reading

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A Friend in Life and Death

Ann Clark incorporates her Stanford science background, a Masters in Transpersonal Psychology and a clinical massage certification to meet the needs of seniors approaching the end of life

Ann Clark has a playful light in her blue-green eyes. Now in her seventies, her exuberant presence is inviting, and you just want to be her friend. Ann’s zest for life shines even through the countless hours spent by the … Continue reading

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Love Wrought in Living Stones

Taj Mahal: A monument to eternal love and loss

Emperor Shah Jahan loved the Persian princess, Mumtaz Mahal, with such a passion that after her death, he expressed his grief by constructing a memorial so magnificent — it became one of the Seven Wonders of the World. The Taj … Continue reading

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Death and the Birth of the Little Black Dress

An exhibit of mourning attire from 1815 to 1915 at the Met reveals the changing role of a bereaved woman in Victorian culture

“Death Becomes Her: A Century of Mourning Attire,” a current exhibit at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, is more than just a tour through the epoch of Victorian funeral fashion: It is a look at the changing stature of a … Continue reading

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“The idea is to die young as late as possible.”

- Ashley Montagu

Find more from “Laughter is Medicine” here.

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 “Africa Stop Ebola” — A Song of Hope and Caring

“Africa Stop Ebola” brings together African music superstars and resonates with encouragement and information about the deadly infectious disease

The word Ebola evokes fear, suspicion and mistrust. Ebola is highly contagious, painful and often ends in death. It begins with symptoms most of us have experienced before: fever, sore throat, muscle pain, headaches, vomiting, diarrhea. But with Ebola, it does not … Continue reading

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