Discussing And Learning About Death At Highland Park Library

HIGHLAND PARK, NJ — Starting in September, for the first time ever, there will be an upcoming year-long class on mortality at the Highland Park Public Library.

Beginning September 8, the Highland Park Public Library has teamed up with "Date with Death Club" founder, Rev. Karen Johnston, to provide members of the wider community the opportunity to explore topics related to mortality and to do so in a thoughtful and thought-provoking way.

The first session is scheduled for September 8 at 6:30 p.m. and is titled, “Getting Comfortable with Death Talk,” addressing that there are few places we can talk openly and with curiosity about death.

The year-long offering is based on a secular curriculum developed by Johnston and tested out last year in seven locations around the country. It is structured so that someone can drop-in (space is first-come, first-served) to a single session or can attend all the sessions or attend at a frequency somewhere in-between.

Sessions will take place once a month on Thursday evenings, beginning at 6:30 and ending at 8:45 p.m.

Writes the group:

"While the topic of mortality is a serious one, our approach to it does not have to be. In fact, participants report coming out of Date with Death Club feeling more connected to their sense of being alive. Every session ends with a Joke-of-the-Day. Session topics span from philosophical to logistical, ranging from body disposition after death to planning memorial services; exploring what makes a good life and a good death; how to hold a deathbed vigil and more. Last year, one session explored Death with Dignity, also sometimes called Medical Aid in Dying, which was legalized in New Jersey three years ago. For that session, there was a special guest speaker."

Rev. Johnston, who is trained as an end-of-life doula, is the minister at the Unitarian Society in East Brunswick.

“Given that we ALL, eventually, have a date with death, isn’t it a good thing to explore and learn, so that we can be less afraid, more informed, and actually, more alive?” said Johnston.

The public is enthusiastically invited to participate. Participants are requested to arrive on time and stay for the whole session. No pre-registration is required; because space is limited, participation is on a first-come, first-served basis.

Date with Death Club can be found on Facebook. Questions can be directed to the Date with Death Club website: datewithdeathclub.com