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Festival Invites People To Talk About Death

Gail Rubin and Lola at Fairview Cemetery

As human beings we really don't like to talk about how our lives will end, which is why fewer than 30 percent of people do any end-of-life planning. But a new festival launching in October in Albuquerque will offer a variety of practical and fun activities designed to encourage people to plan on their terms how they want the end of their lives to look like. The Before I Die Festival takes place Oct. 20-25 and is the first of its kind West of the Mississippi. It will include film screenings, panels of experts, dinners and death cafes, and even yoga (from child's pose to corpse pose).

Megan Kamerick talks with festival organizer Gail Rubin, the Doyenne of Death, who has made it her mission in life to help people think about death in a healthy, engaged and fun way.

Megan has been a journalist for 25 years and worked at business weeklies in San Antonio, New Orleans and Albuquerque. She first came to KUNM as a phone volunteer on the pledge drive in 2005. That led to volunteering on Women’s Focus, Weekend Edition and the Global Music Show. She was then hired as Morning Edition host in 2015, then the All Things Considered host in 2018. Megan was hired as News Director in 2021.
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  • How to make thinking about death less somber? Hold a festival! Indianapolis did. Through art, film and book talks, residents explored everything from bucket lists to advance directives and cremation.