Festival in New York Will Look at Death From Many Angles

NEW YORK — A weeklong festival in New York will examine a topic often avoided: death.

The Reimagine End of Life festival, which is to take place in locations throughout the city from Oct. 27 to Nov. 3, will assemble perspectives on dying from participants ranging from medical professionals to musicians. It will explore the topic through performances, discussions, workshops and a film series.

“Our goal is to inspire New Yorkers to reflect on why we’re here, prepare for a time when we won’t be and live fully right until the end,” Brad Wolfe, the festival’s founder and executive director, said in a statement.

Among the festival’s headliners are Tracy K. Smith, the U.S. poet laureate, and Frank Ostaseski, an author and end-of-life care educator, both of whom are set to appear at the festival’s opening night.

Musicians Chadwick Stokes and Brad Corrigan of the band Dispatch are also part of the festival’s lineup, as is cartoonist Roz Chast, whose 2014 graphic memoir “Can’t We Talk About Something More Pleasant?” chronicled the author’s parents’ last years of life.

A pair of workshops will coach attendees on writing: “'Selfie-Obit’: A Workshop to Write Your Own Obituary” will offer guidance on creating a personal obituary, and “How to Write a Condolence Letter,” with funeral director Amy Cunningham, will include readings of historic condolence notes by Emily Dickinson, Charles Dickens and others.

A film series will present movies and discussions that examine death and dying, including the Wang Bing documentary “Mrs. Fang” (2017) and a live conversation between New York Times reporter John Leland and 95-year-old experimental filmmaker Jonas Mekas.

Other events include death-centric comedy shows and performance art, as well as a “Death in Colonial New York” walking tour. In his statement, Wolfe added that “when you enable people to have this conversation as a community,” they can “discover that something sad and dark can also elicit laughter, joy and celebration.”

More information can be found at letsreimagine.org.