Gatherings + Events
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🖤 the dc death collective special event
💡 dcdc supporting member event
✨ local event we thought you might be interested in
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💡Memento Mori Book Club
Interested in creating community around our shared mortality? Join us every other month for casual chats, guided by our readings, about death, dying, grief, and ultimately, life.
Gatherings are hosted by death doula Ali Brill.
💡Legacy Letter - virtual workshop
Legacy Letter virtual workshop: Join DCDC member and death doula Kristen P. Patterson of Sacred Journey Death Doula for an online workshop. Do you want to write your own Legacy Letter? Join this virtual workshop to craft one! Through reflective questions, you will distill your memories, values, favorite rituals, and lessons learned into a letter that you can pass on to your loved ones. It's a gift for you and the people you care about, which you can do at any age. Discounts available for couples or pairs of friends who enroll together (and for participants who later enroll in my full 1:1 end-of-life planning services).
Find out more and register at: https://sacredjourneydeathdoulaevents.as.me/schedule/06898e42
💡Conversations Over Cake: Death Cafe
Join us for a Death Cafe—an open, informal gathering where people come together to talk about death, dying, and the many thoughts and feelings that surround them. There is no set agenda or objective beyond creating a welcoming space for honest conversation. It’s not a grief support group or counseling session, but rather a chance to explore a topic we all share in common.
Tea and cake will be served as we reflect, share, and listen in a spirit of curiosity and respect.
💡Demystify Death Nature Walk
Join DCDC member and death doula Kristen P. Patterson of Sacred Journey Death Doula for a summer Demystify Death Nature Walk in Glencarlyn Park in Arlington, VA.
Do you find yourself struggling in your current season of life? Perhaps you are caring for elders, raising children, and managing a job, without time to find meaning in your day-to-day life. Perhaps you feel alone, missing a spouse, key friend, or family member who died recently, or many years ago. You may be holding ambiguous grief due to unexpected job loss or the end of a marriage, or anticipatory grief for a loved one with dementia.
Join a small group for an intimate walk in nature where we will connect the seasons of our lives with the seasons of nature. We will contemplate our mortality through mindful observation of the natural world and gentle reflections, opening our hearts to wonder and joy.
Learn more, read reviews, and register:
https://sacredjourneydeathdoulaevents.as.me/schedule/06898e42
💡Death Cafe at All Souls Unitarian Church
Join DCDC steering committee member Leslie Tolf for the newly launched cafe gathering ~ email to register (leslieatolf@gmail.com) or use the link below:
🖤 DC Death Collective Virtual Check-In
|Meeting room link, no RSVP necessary
A gentle, monthly drop-in. Come say hi. Bring your thoughts, questions, or just your face. Whether you’re knee-deep in this work or quietly circling it, this is a space to connect, reflect, and be in community
💡End of Life Planning 101 - virtual workshop
Join DCDC member and death doula Kristen P. Patterson of Sacred Journey Death Doula for an online workshop. Are you curious about what end-of-life planning entails? Perhaps it's been on your to-do list for years, but you've never put your wishes on paper. Join a virtual intro workshop on the practical and emotional work of EOLP. We'll discuss the documents, conversations, and decisions to be prepared now and avoid chaotic decisions later. Discounts available for couples or pairs of friends who enroll together (and for participants who later enroll in my full 1:1 end-of-life planning services).
Find out more and register at: https://sacredjourneydeathdoulaevents.as.me/schedule/06898e42
✨ Death Cafe at Congressional Cemetery
A monthly (or more) death cafe in our historic cemetery. Indoor event. Free to attend. You're welcome to bring something to share—tea, sweets, or a small donation (suggested $5) to support event costs.
Due to space limits, please reserve your seat in advance. Seat reservations: HERE
📍The Historic Congressional Cemetery Chapel, 1801 E St SE, Washington, DC
✨ Death Café East Rockville, MD
The East Rockville Death Cafe is a community of people interested in being thoughtful about death and dying. We feel honored to offer a place to discuss death and its physical, emotional and financial aspects and effects on those dying and their family and friends. We talk about practical things and often have participants with specific knowledge: death doula, advanced planning, funeral practices, etc. We have been meeting for more than 6 years. If you can attend please email pdubroof@assistinghands.com for the meeting ID and Password.
💡Conversations Over Cake: Death Cafe
Join us for a Death Cafe—an open, informal gathering where people come together to talk about death, dying, and the many thoughts and feelings that surround them. There is no set agenda or objective beyond creating a welcoming space for honest conversation. It’s not a grief support group or counseling session, but rather a chance to explore a topic we all share in common.
Tea and cake will be served as we reflect, share, and listen in a spirit of curiosity and respect.
💡Legacy Letter - virtual workshop
Legacy Letter virtual workshop: Join DCDC member and death doula Kristen P. Patterson of Sacred Journey Death Doula for an online workshop. Do you want to write your own Legacy Letter? Join this virtual workshop to craft one! Through reflective questions, you will distill your memories, values, favorite rituals, and lessons learned into a letter that you can pass on to your loved ones. It's a gift for you and the people you care about, which you can do at any age. Discounts available for couples or pairs of friends who enroll together (and for participants who later enroll in my full 1:1 end-of-life planning services).
Find out more and register at: https://sacredjourneydeathdoulaevents.as.me/schedule/06898e42
Death Cafe at UUCA in Arlington (4th Wednesday)
Join us in person for a monthly free Death Cafe at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Arlington where folks come together to chat about death and things related to death such as end of life planning. It's a safe space to share stories, ask questions, or just listen. No pressure, just honest conversations about something we all think about but don't always talk about. Come as you are and be a part of this unique experience!
A Death Cafe is a space for open, honest conversation. Every death cafe is unique. We will share our stories, talk about how grief has shaped our lives, and contemplate how we might want to explore our approach to death. A Death Cafe is a group-led discussion of death; it is not a grief support group or counseling session.
Over many years, free Death Cafes have helped people all over the world confront their mortality with acceptance, compassion, and curiosity.
If you're able, bring a sweet or savory treat to share.
Led by Kristen P. Patterson, long-time UUCA member and a trained death doula. For more info, please reach out at 703-829-9615 or deathcafe@sacredjourneydeathdoula.com.
UUCA's free Death Cafe meets the 4th Wednesday of every month from 6:30-8:00 pm.
Location: Unitarian Universalist Church of Arlington (UUCA), 4444 Arlington Boulevard, Arlington, VA 22204
✨ Death Cafe at Congressional Cemetery
A monthly (or more) death cafe in our historic cemetery. Indoor event. Free to attend. You're welcome to bring something to share—tea, sweets, or a small donation (suggested $5) to support event costs.
Due to space limits, please reserve your seat in advance. Seat reservations: HERE
📍The Historic Congressional Cemetery Chapel, 1801 E St SE, Washington, DC
💡Death Cafe at All Souls Unitarian Church
Join DCDC steering committee member Leslie Tolf for the newly launched cafe gathering ~ email to register (leslieatolf@gmail.com) or use the link below:
🖤 DC Death Collective Virtual Check-In
|Meeting room link, no RSVP necessary
A gentle, monthly drop-in. Come say hi. Bring your thoughts, questions, or just your face. Whether you’re knee-deep in this work or quietly circling it, this is a space to connect, reflect, and be in community
✨ Death Café East Rockville, MD
The East Rockville Death Cafe is a community of people interested in being thoughtful about death and dying. We feel honored to offer a place to discuss death and its physical, emotional and financial aspects and effects on those dying and their family and friends. We talk about practical things and often have participants with specific knowledge: death doula, advanced planning, funeral practices, etc. We have been meeting for more than 6 years. If you can attend please email pdubroof@assistinghands.com for the meeting ID and Password.
Death Cafe at UUCA in Arlington (4th Wednesday)
Join us in person for a monthly free Death Cafe at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Arlington where folks come together to chat about death and things related to death such as end of life planning. It's a safe space to share stories, ask questions, or just listen. No pressure, just honest conversations about something we all think about but don't always talk about. Come as you are and be a part of this unique experience!
A Death Cafe is a space for open, honest conversation. Every death cafe is unique. We will share our stories, talk about how grief has shaped our lives, and contemplate how we might want to explore our approach to death. A Death Cafe is a group-led discussion of death; it is not a grief support group or counseling session.
Over many years, free Death Cafes have helped people all over the world confront their mortality with acceptance, compassion, and curiosity.
If you're able, bring a sweet or savory treat to share.
Led by Kristen P. Patterson, long-time UUCA member and a trained death doula. For more info, please reach out at 703-829-9615 or deathcafe@sacredjourneydeathdoula.com.
UUCA's free Death Cafe meets the 4th Wednesday of every month from 6:30-8:00 pm.
Location: Unitarian Universalist Church of Arlington (UUCA), 4444 Arlington Boulevard, Arlington, VA 22204
💡Memento Mori Book Club
Interested in creating community around our shared mortality? Join us every other month for casual chats, guided by our readings, about death, dying, grief, and ultimately, life.
Gatherings are hosted by death doula Ali Brill.
✨ Death Cafe at Congressional Cemetery
A monthly (or more) death cafe in our historic cemetery. Indoor event. Free to attend. You're welcome to bring something to share—tea, sweets, or a small donation (suggested $5) to support event costs.
Due to space limits, please reserve your seat in advance. Seat reservations: HERE
📍The Historic Congressional Cemetery Chapel, 1801 E St SE, Washington, DC
💡Death Cafe at All Souls Unitarian Church
Join DCDC steering committee member Leslie Tolf for the newly launched cafe gathering ~ email her to register.
🖤 DC Death Collective Virtual Check-In
|Meeting room link, no RSVP necessary
A gentle, monthly drop-in. Come say hi. Bring your thoughts, questions, or just your face. Whether you’re knee-deep in this work or quietly circling it, this is a space to connect, reflect, and be in community
✨ Death Café East Rockville, MD
The East Rockville Death Cafe is a community of people interested in being thoughtful about death and dying. We feel honored to offer a place to discuss death and its physical, emotional and financial aspects and effects on those dying and their family and friends. We talk about practical things and often have participants with specific knowledge: death doula, advanced planning, funeral practices, etc. We have been meeting for more than 6 years. If you can attend please email pdubroof@assistinghands.com for the meeting ID and Password.
💡Conversations Over Cake: Death Cafe
Join us for a Death Cafe—an open, informal gathering where people come together to talk about death, dying, and the many thoughts and feelings that surround them. There is no set agenda or objective beyond creating a welcoming space for honest conversation. It’s not a grief support group or counseling session, but rather a chance to explore a topic we all share in common.
Tea and cake will be served as we reflect, share, and listen in a spirit of curiosity and respect.
Death Cafe at UUCA in Arlington (4th Wednesday)
Join us in person for a monthly free Death Cafe at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Arlington where folks come together to chat about death and things related to death such as end of life planning. It's a safe space to share stories, ask questions, or just listen. No pressure, just honest conversations about something we all think about but don't always talk about. Come as you are and be a part of this unique experience!
A Death Cafe is a space for open, honest conversation. Every death cafe is unique. We will share our stories, talk about how grief has shaped our lives, and contemplate how we might want to explore our approach to death. A Death Cafe is a group-led discussion of death; it is not a grief support group or counseling session.
Over many years, free Death Cafes have helped people all over the world confront their mortality with acceptance, compassion, and curiosity.
If you're able, bring a sweet or savory treat to share.
Led by Kristen P. Patterson, long-time UUCA member and a trained death doula. For more info, please reach out at 703-829-9615 or deathcafe@sacredjourneydeathdoula.com.
UUCA's free Death Cafe meets the 4th Wednesday of every month from 6:30-8:00 pm.
Location: Unitarian Universalist Church of Arlington (UUCA), 4444 Arlington Boulevard, Arlington, VA 22204
💡Death Cafe at All Souls Unitarian Church
Join DCDC steering committee member Leslie Tolf for the newly launched cafe gathering ~ email to register (leslieatolf@gmail.com) or use the link below:
🖤 DC Death Collective Virtual Check-In
|Meeting room link, no RSVP necessary
A gentle, monthly drop-in. Come say hi. Bring your thoughts, questions, or just your face. Whether you’re knee-deep in this work or quietly circling it, this is a space to connect, reflect, and be in community
✨ Death Cafe at Congressional Cemetery
A monthly (or more) death cafe in our historic cemetery. Indoor event. Free to attend. You're welcome to bring something to share—tea, sweets, or a small donation (suggested $5) to support event costs.
Due to space limits, please reserve your seat in advance. Seat reservations: HERE
📍The Historic Congressional Cemetery Chapel, 1801 E St SE, Washington, DC
✨ Death Café East Rockville, MD
The East Rockville Death Cafe is a community of people interested in being thoughtful about death and dying. We feel honored to offer a place to discuss death and its physical, emotional and financial aspects and effects on those dying and their family and friends. We talk about practical things and often have participants with specific knowledge: death doula, advanced planning, funeral practices, etc. We have been meeting for more than 6 years. If you can attend please email pdubroof@assistinghands.com for the meeting ID and Password.
💡Memento Mori Book Club
Interested in creating community around our shared mortality? Join us every other month for casual chats, guided by our readings, about death, dying, grief, and ultimately, life.
Gatherings are hosted by death doula Ali Brill.
✨ Death Cafe at Congressional Cemetery
A monthly (or more) death cafe in our historic cemetery. Indoor event. Free to attend. You're welcome to bring something to share—tea, sweets, or a small donation (suggested $5) to support event costs.
Due to space limits, please reserve your seat in advance. Seat reservations: HERE
📍The Historic Congressional Cemetery Chapel, 1801 E St SE, Washington, DC
💡Death Cafe at All Souls Unitarian Church
Join DCDC steering committee member Leslie Tolf for the newly launched cafe gathering ~ email to register (leslieatolf@gmail.com) or use the link below:
🖤 DC Death Collective Virtual Check-In
|Meeting room link, no RSVP necessary
A gentle, monthly drop-in. Come say hi. Bring your thoughts, questions, or just your face. Whether you’re knee-deep in this work or quietly circling it, this is a space to connect, reflect, and be in community
✨ Death Café East Rockville, MD
The East Rockville Death Cafe is a community of people interested in being thoughtful about death and dying. We feel honored to offer a place to discuss death and its physical, emotional and financial aspects and effects on those dying and their family and friends. We talk about practical things and often have participants with specific knowledge: death doula, advanced planning, funeral practices, etc. We have been meeting for more than 6 years. If you can attend please email pdubroof@assistinghands.com for the meeting ID and Password.
💡Forest Bathing for Caregivers
In Reflection Park’s next program of our Caring for Caregiver series, we're delighted to partner with Ana Leilani Ka’ahanui, a Certified Forest Therapy Guide and Virginia Master Naturalist. Guided by Ana, we will move gently through Reflection Park's woodland trails, pausing to notice what the forest offers, like the light filtering through the canopy, the textures underfoot, and the sounds that fill the silence between our thoughts.
For those who spend so much of their time holding space for others, this walk is an invitation to be held — by the forest and the community of people who understand the weight of this work.
This program is designed for a small group, and space is limited to the first 16 individuals who register. A waitlist will be available if spaces fill up.
For more information and to register: https://www.tickettailor.com/events/reflectionpark/2271481
Prison Terminal: The Last Days of Private Jack Hall
Prison Terminal, the Oscar-nominated documentary explores the end of life of an incarcerated man cared for by other incarcerated men.
What is it like to die in prison? With an aging population within and outside prisons, more attention is being paid to how to care for people at the end of life. While most hospices and families focus on comfort care, dignity, and legacy, for incarcerated people agency and choice are extremely limited at the end of life.
This free screening of Prison Terminal, the Oscar-nominated documentary short directed by Edgar Barens explores the end of life faced by individuals whose decisions and activities are determined by prison authorities. The filmmaker of Prison Terminal spent six months with incarcerated men who were aging and dying, prison staff, and incarcerated peer caregivers. The documentary focuses on one incarcerated man, Jack Hall, a U,S. war veteran convicted of murder, and the incarcerated men who cared for him as he declined and died.
The film’s director, Edgar Barens, and representatives of the Humane Prison Hospice Project, will join us for a panel discussion following the screening, facilitated by DC Death Collective members.
The setting for this gathering is particularly meaningful because Congressional Cemetery and the DC Jail share a wall, reminding us that issues of mortality and humanity exist side by side.
Come view the film and join us to discuss the growth of programs in U.S. prisons that expand dignified, compassionate care for incarcerated people as they age and die. The aging incarcerated population reflects demographic shifts outside prisons: resources are few and the topics of dying and incarceration both face public avoidance. We hope to encourage community awareness and action around these topics.
"The commitment of the inmate hospice volunteers – and the competence and reverence with which they provide care – shows that dying people’s comfort and dignity can be preserved even in the least desirable situations. Our society could learn a lot from the example they set. A triumph of documentary filmmaking!"Ira Byock, MD, palliative care physician ; author of Dying Well and The Best Care Possible
We are grateful to Historic Congressional Cemetery for opening the space for this collaborative event and to Humane Prison Hospice Project for offering the film to our shared community for this screening and conversation.
Seats are limited in our chapel building: free pre-registration is required. Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/prison-terminal-the-last-days-of-private-jack-hall-tickets-1991797881080?aff=oddtdtcreator&keep_tld=true
Partners
End of Life Planning 101 - virtual workshop
Join DCDC member and death doula Kristen P. Patterson of Sacred Journey Death Doula for an online workshop. Are you curious about what end-of-life planning entails? Perhaps it's been on your to-do list for years, but you've never put your wishes on paper. Join a virtual intro workshop on the practical and emotional work of EOLP. We'll discuss the documents, conversations, and decisions to be prepared now and avoid chaotic decisions later. Discounts available for couples or pairs of friends who enroll together (and for participants who later enroll in my full 1:1 end-of-life planning services).
Find out more and register at: https://sacredjourneydeathdoulaevents.as.me/schedule/06898e42
✨ Death Cafe at Fairfax Memorial Funeral Home
Please join end-of-life doula Lori Scheffler in this judgment-free conversation designed to encourage open dialogue about death, dying, life & what truly matters most. Please RSVP by July 3rd.
✨ Death Café East Rockville, MD
The East Rockville Death Cafe is a community of people interested in being thoughtful about death and dying. We feel honored to offer a place to discuss death and its physical, emotional and financial aspects and effects on those dying and their family and friends. We talk about practical things and often have participants with specific knowledge: death doula, advanced planning, funeral practices, etc. We have been meeting for more than 6 years. If you can attend please email pdubroof@assistinghands.com for the meeting ID and Password.
🖤 DC Death Collective Virtual Check-In
|Meeting room link, no RSVP necessary
A gentle, monthly drop-in. Come say hi. Bring your thoughts, questions, or just your face. Whether you’re knee-deep in this work or quietly circling it, this is a space to connect, reflect, and be in community
💡Death Cafe at All Souls Unitarian Church
Join DCDC steering committee member Leslie Tolf for the newly launched cafe gathering ~ email to register (leslieatolf@gmail.com) or use the link below:
✨ Death Cafe at Congressional Cemetery
A monthly (or more) death cafe in our historic cemetery. Indoor event. Free to attend. You're welcome to bring something to share—tea, sweets, or a small donation (suggested $5) to support event costs.
Due to space limits, please reserve your seat in advance. Seat reservations: HERE
📍The Historic Congressional Cemetery Chapel, 1801 E St SE, Washington, DC
💡Conversations Over Cake: Death Cafe
Join us for a Death Cafe—an open, informal gathering where people come together to talk about death, dying, and the many thoughts and feelings that surround them. There is no set agenda or objective beyond creating a welcoming space for honest conversation. It’s not a grief support group or counseling session, but rather a chance to explore a topic we all share in common.
Tea and cake will be served as we reflect, share, and listen in a spirit of curiosity and respect.
💡Demystify Death Nature Walk
Join DCDC member and death doula Kristen P. Patterson of Sacred Journey Death Doula for a summer Demystify Death Nature Walk in Glencarlyn Park in Arlington, VA.
Do you find yourself struggling in your current season of life? Perhaps you are caring for elders, raising children, and managing a job, without time to find meaning in your day-to-day life. Perhaps you feel alone, missing a spouse, key friend, or family member who died recently, or many years ago. You may be holding ambiguous grief due to unexpected job loss or the end of a marriage, or anticipatory grief for a loved one with dementia.
Join a small group for an intimate walk in nature where we will connect the seasons of our lives with the seasons of nature. We will contemplate our mortality through mindful observation of the natural world and gentle reflections, opening our hearts to wonder and joy.
Learn more, read reviews, and register:
https://sacredjourneydeathdoulaevents.as.me/schedule/06898e42
💡Demystify Death Nature Walk
Join DCDC member and death doula Kristen P. Patterson of Sacred Journey Death Doula for a summer Demystify Death Nature Walk in Glencarlyn Park in Arlington, VA.
Do you find yourself struggling in your current season of life? Perhaps you are caring for elders, raising children, and managing a job, without time to find meaning in your day-to-day life. Perhaps you feel alone, missing a spouse, key friend, or family member who died recently, or many years ago. You may be holding ambiguous grief due to unexpected job loss or the end of a marriage, or anticipatory grief for a loved one with dementia.
Join a small group for an intimate walk in nature where we will connect the seasons of our lives with the seasons of nature. We will contemplate our mortality through mindful observation of the natural world and gentle reflections, opening our hearts to wonder and joy.
Learn more, read reviews, and register:
https://sacredjourneydeathdoulaevents.as.me/schedule/06898e42
💡Conversations In the Park: Death Cafe
Join us for a Death Cafe—an open, informal gathering where people come together to talk about death, dying, and the many thoughts and feelings that surround them. There is no set agenda or objective beyond creating a welcoming space for honest conversation. It’s not a grief support group or counseling session, but rather a chance to explore a topic we all share in common.
Tea and cake will be served as we reflect, share, and listen in a spirit of curiosity and respect.
✨ Death Cafe at Congressional Cemetery
Our Death Doula in Residence, Laura Lyster-Mensh, represents the Cemetery at these events. Free to attend. You're welcome to bring something to share—tea, sweets, or a small donation (suggested $5) to support event costs.
Due to space limits, please reserve your seat in advance. Seat reservations: HERE
📍The Historic Congressional Cemetery Chapel, 1801 E St SE, Washington, DC
✨ Death Café East Rockville, MD
The East Rockville Death Cafe is a community of people interested in being thoughtful about death and dying. We feel honored to offer a place to discuss death and its physical, emotional and financial aspects and effects on those dying and their family and friends. We talk about practical things and often have participants with specific knowledge: death doula, advanced planning, funeral practices, etc. We have been meeting for more than 6 years. If you can attend please email pdubroof@assistinghands.com for the meeting ID and Password.
🖤 DC Death Collective Virtual Check-In
Meeting room link, no RSVP necessary
A gentle, monthly drop-in. Come say hi. Bring your thoughts, questions, or just your face. Whether you’re knee-deep in this work or quietly circling it, this is a space to connect, reflect, and be in community
💡Death Cafe at All Souls Unitarian Church
Join DCDC steering committee member Leslie Tolf for the newly launched cafe gathering ~ email to register (leslieatolf@gmail.com) or use the link below:
🖤Talk and Book Signing with Darnell Lamont Walker
Help us and the DC Death Collective welcome author Darnell Lamont Walker!
We'll be discussing his new book, Never Can Say Goodbye.
Darnell is a Death Doula, Emmy-nominated writer, director and producer
💡Memento Mori Book Club
Interested in creating community around our shared mortality? Join us every other month for casual chats, guided by our readings, about death, dying, grief, and ultimately, life.
Gatherings are hosted by death doula Ali Brill.
💡Conversations Over Cake: Death Cafe
Join us for a Death Cafe—an open, informal gathering where people come together to talk about death, dying, and the many thoughts and feelings that surround them. There is no set agenda or objective beyond creating a welcoming space for honest conversation. It’s not a grief support group or counseling session, but rather a chance to explore a topic we all share in common.
Tea and cake will be served as we reflect, share, and listen in a spirit of curiosity and respect.
✨Pet Loss Cafe at Congressional Cemetery
Join us in person at the beautiful Historic Congressional Cemetery for our first Pet Loss Cafe. Whether you are grieving or simply wish to connect with others who understand, this gathering offers support, compassion, and community in a welcoming environment.
✨Common Ground Series: Tackling Invasives
Reflection Park’s mission reflects a value for harmony with the natural world. Our one-mile natural-surface trail through the forest offers a peaceful respite from the noise of everyday life. However, the native species living there face a quieter kind of disruption as they endure competition from invasive plants that threaten their natural abundance. Invasive Bittersweet is one of those species that was introduced to this country from Eastern Asia as an ornamental plant. It grows rapidly, jeopardizing the health and survival of other plants as it winds around them.
We’ll start with a short primer on recognizing Bittersweet and other common invasives in our area before we get to the physical work of vine-clearing – and, in the process, head-clearing! Removal is surprisingly satisfying, and every invasive plant we eliminate helps protect another tree or understory plant.
✨ Death Café East Rockville, MD
The East Rockville Death Cafe is a community of people interested in being thoughtful about death and dying. We feel honored to offer a place to discuss death and its physical, emotional and financial aspects and effects on those dying and their family and friends. We talk about practical things and often have participants with specific knowledge: death doula, advanced planning, funeral practices, etc. We have been meeting for more than 6 years. If you can attend please email pdubroof@assistinghands.com for the meeting ID and Password.
🖤Silent Book Club of Death
Looking for an anti-social social club, where you can meet people then politely ignore them?
✨ Death Cafe at Congressional Cemetery
Death Cafe is gently held in a spirit of presence and privacy. Our Death Doula in Residence, Laura Lyster-Mensh, represents the Cemetery at these events.Free to attend. You're welcome to bring something to share—tea, sweets, or a small donation (suggested $5) to support event costs.
Due to space limits, please reserve your seat in advance. Seat reservations: HERE
📍The Historic Congressional Cemetery Chapel, 1801 E St SE, Washington, DC
🖤 DC Death Collective Virtual Check-In
5:00–5:30 PM | Meeting room link, no RSVP necessary
A gentle, monthly drop-in. Come say hi. Bring your thoughts, questions, or just your face. Whether you’re knee-deep in this work or quietly circling it, this is a space to connect, reflect, and be in community
💡Death Cafe at All Souls Unitarian Church
Join DCDC steering committee member Leslie Tolf for the newly launched cafe gathering ~ email to register (leslieatolf@gmail.com) or use the link below:
✨Common Ground Series: Planting Natives
During this event, we’ll work on two projects: preparing an area toward the rear of the property and seeding it with meadow grass, and then planting native flower plugs close to the entrance to seed Reflection Park’s flower-cutting garden. As these native species grow, they’ll both enrich the natural landscape at Reflection Park and provide nectar and pollen sources, allowing native wildlife to thrive.
Anyone interested in spending time in nature is welcome; no experience is necessary.
💡Conversations Over Cake: Death Cafe
Join us for a Death Cafe—an open, informal gathering where people come together to talk about death, dying, and the many thoughts and feelings that surround them. There is no set agenda or objective beyond creating a welcoming space for honest conversation. It’s not a grief support group or counseling session, but rather a chance to explore a topic we all share in common.
Tea and cake will be served as we reflect, share, and listen in a spirit of curiosity and respect.
Generally hosted by DCDC member Stephanie Dillemuth, but this month Sam Stebbins will be facilitating.
💡Deathy DC _ A Death & Grief Cafe
Host: Lolonyo
Join us for Deathy DC: A Death & Grief Cafe, a gentle gathering space for honest conversation, reflection, and community.
Join us for Deathy DC: A Death & Grief Cafe, a gentle gathering space for honest conversation, reflection, and community. This is a monthly Community & Education Series. Whether you’re navigating grief, curious about death work, or simply seeking connection, you’re warmly invited to join us. Come as you are. All are welcome. Free to the public.
✨Caring for Caregivers
Reflection Park's "Caring for Caregivers" series is dedicated to honoring and supporting the incredible individuals who provide compassionate care to those who are nearing the end of life. If you are a death doula, hospice care worker, chaplain, family caregiver, or anyone else committed to accompanying and caring for others during their last days, this program is for you.
We’ll join together in a communal walk through the woods on Reflection Park's natural surface hiking trail. At the memorial picnic bench where two streams converge, musician Jabari Exum will offer rhythms from the djembe, often called the "peace drum."