Death in the Afternoon

The Order of the Good Death
Death in the Afternoon

Welcome to your mortality, humans! Death in the Afternoon dispels myths about death and dead bodies, dives into history and dark tales you've never heard before, and features conversations with people working to change the future of death care, Hosted by Caitlin Doughty, Louise Hung, and Sarah Chavez.

  1. 14/04/2023

    INTERVIEW: Uncovering Pet Death's Greatest Mystery

    The author of history's most influential piece of animal mourning literature had been lost...until now. Learn the incredible true story behind The Rainbow Bridge.  Episode Guest Paul Koudounaris is a  founding member of The Order of the Good Death. He has a PhD in Art History and has written three books about the use of skeletal remains in sacred spaces, Empire of Death, Heavenly Bodies, and Memento Mori. When he’s not hunting skeletons he moonlights as a cat historian, and his book co-authored by his tabby cat Baba, A Cat’s Tale: A Journey Through Feline History, was a 2020 Barnes and Noble Book of the Year. Episode Resources The Rainbow Bridge: The True Story Behind History’s Most Influential Piece of Animal Mourning Literature   Episode Credits Hosted by Caitlin Doughty  Guest Paul Koudounaris  Produced by the Order of the Good Death, Sarah Chavez  Edited by Alex de Freitas Music by Kissed Her Little Sister Podcast artwork by Jessica Peng The Order of the Good Death (https://www.orderofthegooddeath.com) Is supported by listeners like you! Support the Order by becoming a member (https://www.orderofthegooddeath.com/donate?)

    35 min

  2. 10/03/2023

    INTERVIEW: The Doulas Taking on California's Cemetery and Funeral Bureau

    A court case in California could force death doulas to become licensed funeral directors. We talk to the doula and the lawyer taking on California's Funeral and Cemetery Bureau.  Episode Guests Akhila Murphy is one of the original co-founders of Full Circle of Living and Dying, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit located in Grass Valley, CA.  She is a trained End-of-Life Doula and After-Death care educator. Currently she serves on the board of directors for Full Circle of Living and Dying as Founding Director and Co-Chair President.  Ben Field is an attorney at the Institute for Justice, a national nonprofit public interest law firm that fights to secure the constitutional rights of all Americans against abuses of government power. A major part of Ben’s practice is protecting the First Amendment rights of people to speak freely in their occupations and without fear of government retaliation. He is counsel to the plaintiffs in Full Circle of Living and Dying v. Sanchez, a landmark case challenging the California Cemetery and Funeral Bureau’s restrictions on the rights of end-of-life doulas to provide advice and guidance to families about end-of-life care. Episode Resources Defending Your Right to a Good Death Full Circle of Living and Dying Home Funerals  Institute for Justice     Episode Credits Hosted by Caitlin Doughty  Guests Akhila Murphy and Ben Field Produced by the Order of the Good Death, Sarah Chavez and Lauren Ronaghan Edited by Alex de Freitas Music by Kissed Her Little Sister Podcast artwork by Jessica Peng   The Order of the Good Death (https://www.orderofthegooddeath.com) Is supported by listeners like you! Support the Order by becoming a member (https://www.orderofthegooddeath.com/donate?)

    42 min

  3. 24/02/2023

    INTERVIEW: Cadaver Dog in the Cemetery

    Go behind the scenes with Cat Warren, who works with cadaver dogs to find the missing dead and locate Black and Indigenous burial grounds.    Episode Guest Cat Warren is the author of the NYT bestseller What the Dog Knows, which explores how scent-detection dogs help find the missing and dead, sometimes even those missing for hundreds of years. She currently researches how best to use human remains detection dogs in archaeology and to help locate African-American burial grounds.   Episode Resources Cat Warren’s Website What the Dog Knows by Cat Warren  What Are Cadaver Dogs Teaching Us About History?  Become an Order Member to access Cat’s 2022 event with us!   Episode Credits Hosted by Caitlin Doughty  Guest Cat Warren Produced by the Order of the Good Death, Sarah Chavez and Lauren Ronaghan Edited by Alex de Freitas Music by Kissed Her Little Sister Podcast artwork by Jessica Peng The Order of the Good Death (https://www.orderofthegooddeath.com) Is supported by listeners like you! Support the Order by becoming a member (https://www.orderofthegooddeath.com/donate?)

    35 min

  4. 07/02/2023

    Legalization, TikTok, and Angry Elephants: An Immersive Year in Death

    From viral trends to new options for your future corpse, Caitlin and Sarah review the best and worst of the past year in death, revealing how the death positive movement is making an impact on the way we do death.    Episode Resources To access The Year in Death Project, sign up to become an Order member, or make a donation of $50 or more to our nonprofit!    Episode Credits: Hosted by Caitlin Doughty  Co-Host Sarah Chavez Produced by the Order of the Good Death, Sarah Chavez and Lauren Ronaghan Edited by Alex de Freitas Music by Kissed Her Little Sister Podcast artwork by Jessica Peng The Order of the Good Death (https://www.orderofthegooddeath.com) Is supported by listeners like you! Support the Order by becoming a member (https://www.orderofthegooddeath.com/donate?)

    37 min

  5. 27/01/2023

    CLASSIC ARTICLE: Whose Green Burial Is It Anyway?

    In a space of loss that is already difficult to exist in, we need to do more to understand how our language surrounding green burial can better acknowledge difficult histories and experiences.  Episode Resources This episode is an audio version of the article “Whose Green Burial Is It Anyway?” by Corinne Elicona.  Green Burial 101 Locate a Green Burial Ground  So, You Want to Be a Tree When You Die?  How to Green Your Funeral  Episode Credits: Written by Corinne Elicona @CorinneElicona Narrated by Sarah Chavez  Produced by the Order of the Good Death, Sarah Chavez and Lauren Ronaghan Edited by Alex de Freitas Music by Kissed Her Little Sister Podcast artwork by Jessica Peng The Order of the Good Death (https://www.orderofthegooddeath.com) Is supported by listeners like you! Support the Order by becoming a member (https://www.orderofthegooddeath.com/donate?)

    20 min

  6. 20/01/2023

    INTERVIEW: How We're Failing New Morticians

    Mortuary schools began as embalming schools, sponsored by embalming chemical companies. Today, mortuary schools are designed to be more holistic, covering everything a new mortician may face in the industry. But what groups are being left out of this education? The last decade has brought hard discussions around serious gaps in what is taught to students and if they're ready for the reality of working in the death industry.  In this episode Caitlin talks with two funeral directors, Joél Maldonado and Ezra Salter to discuss race and gender in funeral education and practice.    Episode Guests Joél Maldonado is a funeral director, sacred end-of-life and grief care professional, and educator. Learn more on her website, The Grave Woman.  Ezra Salter (they/them) is a Louisiana licensed funeral director and embalmer, a board member of Wake, a New Orleans based deathcare non-profit, and co-creator of the Louisiana LGBTQ+ End of Life Planning Guide.   Episode Resources Sandi Baker article mentioned in the episode, Why Are All the Wax Heads Caucasian?  Petition to Remove Racist and Discriminatory Language From Mortuary College Dress Codes and Handbooks Order of the Good Death, Working in Death: How Do I Become a Mortician? Audio excerpt from Ask a Mortician webseries, Why Are Black and White Cemeteries Still Separate?  Cultural Competency: Black Hair and Skin Care for Non-Ethnic Funeral Professionals  Louisiana LGBTQ EOL Guide  Trans Death Rights Are Human Rights    Episode Credits: Hosted by Caitlin Doughty  Produced by the Order of the Good Death, Sarah Chavez and Lauren Ronaghan Edited by Alex de Freitas Music by Kissed Her Little Sister Podcast artwork by Jessica Peng

    39 min

  7. 27/12/2022

    CLASSIC ARTICLE: Washing Kathryn, Touching Death

    No matter how long you’ve been working with dead bodies, nothing can prepare you for working on someone you knew and loved.    Episode Resources This episode is an audio version of the article “Washing Kathryn, Touching Death” by Nora Menkin for The Order of the Good Death.  Helping to care for someone’s body in death can be a profound experience. Visit The Order website to learn more about your rights and options.  Have questions about becoming a mortician, or wondering if a career in death is right for you? Explore the answers in The Order’s Working in Death resources.  Funerals and the role of funeral directors is changing. Hear from five different directors about their work and how they envision the future of death care in our article Meet the Morticians.    Episode Credits: Written by Nora Menkin Narrated by Caitlin Doughty  Produced by the Order of the Good Death, Sarah Chavez and Lauren Ronaghan Edited by Alex de Freitas Music by Kissed Her Little Sister Podcast artwork by Jessica Peng   The Order of the Good Death (https://www.orderofthegooddeath.com) Is supported by listeners like you! Support the Order by becoming a member (https://www.orderofthegooddeath.com/donate?)

    13 min

  8. 16/12/2022

    INTERVIEW: Opening a New Green Burial Cemetery

    Where would you even start in opening your own green burial ground? After all, every cemetery is a unique snowflake, with its own confusing blend of regulations. We speak with one expert who will cut through the confusion, and one practitioner who made it all happen.    Episode Guests Tanya Marsh, a professor at Wake Forest University School of Law focusing on laws regarding the status, treatment and disposition of human remains. Sarah Wambold is a writer and funeral director in Austin, TX.   Episode Resources Green Burial Resources (https://www.orderofthegooddeath.com/resources/green-burial/) Where Can I Find a Green Burial Ground Near Me? (https://www.orderofthegooddeath.com/resources/green-burial/#finding-green-burial-grounds) Campo de Estrellas (https://campodeestrellas.co/)    Episode Credits: Hosted by Caitlin Doughty  Produced by the Order of the Good Death, Sarah Chavez and Lauren Ronaghan Edited by Alex de Freitas Music by Kissed Her Little Sister Podcast artwork by Jessica Peng The Order of the Good Death (https://www.orderofthegooddeath.com) is supported by listeners like you! Support the Order by becoming a member (https://www.orderofthegooddeath.com/donate?)

    35 min
See All (29)

Trailers

Hosts & Guests

5
out of 5
178 Ratings

About

Welcome to your mortality, humans! Death in the Afternoon dispels myths about death and dead bodies, dives into history and dark tales you've never heard before, and features conversations with people working to change the future of death care, Hosted by Caitlin Doughty, Louise Hung, and Sarah Chavez.

Information

  • Creator
    The Order of the Good Death
  • Years Active
    2018 - 2023
  • Episodes
    29
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Show Website
    Death in the Afternoon

You Might Also Like

To listen to explicit episodes, sign in.

Stay up to date with this show

Sign in or sign up to follow shows, save episodes and get the latest updates.
Select a country or region

Africa, Middle East, and India

Asia Pacific

Europe

Latin America and the Caribbean

The United States and Canada