Hi everyone!✨

I write to you from a sunny patio, no sleeves on and dreaming of the DC public pools opening in a few short weeks. I’m excited to have some exciting upcoming programming to offer — some of which will leave you sunkissed, and some that will come with the gift of central AC. Something for everyone, you could say. 

Looking forward to seeing you out there!

Robin Miniter, Co-Founder of The DC Death Collective

✨SPECIAL EVENT: DCDC member Jaya Saxena's Fireside Chat and Book Signing with Darnell Lamont Walker✨

by Jaya Saxena and Leslie Tolf

The DC Death Collective is honored to welcome death doula, storyteller, and author Darnell Lamont Walker for a special evening conversation and book signing on Monday, June 1st, 7:00 pm, at Solid State Books on H Street Northeast in Washington, DC. We're just as thrilled to have our member Jaya Saxena, an aspiring doula herself, in conversation with Darnell!

Walker will discuss his acclaimed debut book, Never Can Say Goodbye, a compassionate and deeply personal exploration of grief, caregiving, mortality, and the sacred work of accompanying people at the end of life. Praised by author and death doula Alua Arthur as “deliciously woven from threads of guidance, memory, and devotion to the sacred labor of holding space at the end of life.” 

Across cultures and communities, death is often surrounded by silence, fear, and uncertainty. In Never Can Say Goodbye, Walker challenges that silence by sharing stories from his work as a death doula and his own life, illuminating the healing that becomes possible when people are given the space to tell their stories, seek closure, and grieve openly.

Walker speaks candidly about the ways grief is carried within Black communities, where loss is often ever-present but conversations about mourning remain difficult. “I hope Black readers feel seen and less alone,” Walker says. “I want this book to offer language where there has been silence, permission where there has been shame, and community where there has been isolation.”

His work emphasizes that death care is not mystical or inaccessible, but deeply human. Inspired by his grandmother, Walker believes that many people already possess the instincts needed to accompany others through grief and dying. “This isn’t mystical work,” he explains. “It’s deeply human work… I hope people understand that becoming a death doula isn’t about having the perfect words. It’s about learning to tolerate discomfort, to slow down, to listen without trying to fix or rush the moment.”

In addition to death doula work, Walker is an Emmy-nominated children’s television writer, and he sees storytelling and end-of-life work as deeply intertwined. Both ask us to pay attention to memory, meaning, fear, love, and what it means to be alive for a little while.

The DC Death Collective contributing members are invited to a special members-only meet and greet with Walker beginning at 6:00 pm. Books will be available for purchase and signing. Please RSVP to Leslie if you plan to attend!

The public program begins at 7:00 pm. Hope to see you there! You can RSVP here.

✨WHAT WE’RE READING✨

by Ali Brill, DCDC Steering Committee Member

✨A Wind Phone Finds Its Way to Reflection Park✨

by Susan Wright, DCDC Steering Committee Member

This March, Reflection Park — the natural burial ground in Silver Spring, MD — installed a wind phone. If you’re not familiar, a wind phone is a simple, disconnected phone where people can speak to loved ones who have died. There’s something about the act of picking up a receiver and saying what hasn’t been said, or continuing a conversation, that can feel surprisingly supportive.

The first wind phone was created in Japan in 2010 by artist Itaru Sasaki as a way to process his own grief. After the 2011 tsunami, the idea spread as others sought a place to speak to those they had lost. Since then, wind phones have appeared in communities all over the world.

Ours came to us through The Little Wind Phone Project, a nonprofit working to bring these spaces into public landscapes across the country. Their work is rooted in the idea that grief needs places to land, and that even quiet, one-sided conversations can be part of how we carry love forward.

The wind phone is now part of the landscape, located along the one-mile looped trail at Reflection Park. If you find yourself curious, or if you’re carrying someone with you these days, you’re always welcome to visit, whether to use the wind phone or simply to take a walk through the park on a beautiful spring day.

Susan Wright is an INELDA-trained death doula and lives at the intersection of where memento mori meets memento party. She is the Family Services and Operations Manager at Reflection Park.

✨WE’LL BE AT GAYS & GRAVES NEXT MONTH!✨

Ah yes, one of our most favorite events of the year — tabling at Gays & Graves: A Big Gay Festival at Historic Congressional Cemetery on June 14th, 11:00A-4:00P! You’ll find all kinds of wondrous things: snowcones, art vendors, educational moments, smiling faces, and even our very own Leslie’s Tolf’s headstone in Gay Corner (don’t worry, she’s still with us). 

✨UPCOMING MEMBER EVENTS✨

The selection of events below is hosted by DCDC members. For our full, more broad-reaching community calendar, head on over to our website.

 MULTIPLE DEATH CAFÉ OFFERINGS

💛 Conversations Over Cake | Tuesday, May 26, 2026; June 30th, 2026 | 6:00PM-7:00PM 📍 Arlington Public Library, 2100 Clarendon Boulevard, Arlington, VA. Hosted by DCDC member Stephanie Dillemuth. Register here.

💛 Death Café at All Souls Unitarian Church | Sunday, June 7, 2026; July 12, 2026| 12:10–1:30 PM 📍 1500 Harvard Street NW. Join DCDC steering committee member Leslie Tolf for a monthly cafe gathering. You can find more information here. 

💛  Memento Mori Book Club| Sunday, May 31, 2026 | 6:00 PM - 7:00 PM| People’s Book, 7014-A Westmoreland Ave, Takoma Park | RSVP here

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. 

💛  Darnell Lamont Walker: Never Can Say Goodbye | Monday, June 1, 2026 | 6:00 PM | Solid State Books, 600F H Street NE, Washington DC | RSVP here

Join us for an evening conversation and book signing with death doula, storyteller, and Emmy-nominated writer Darnell Lamont Walker, in conversation with DCDC member Jaya Saxena. Walker will discuss his debut book Never Can Say Goodbye, a personal exploration of grief, caregiving, and the sacred work of accompanying people at the end of life.

Contributing members are invited to a meet-and-greet at 6:00 pm; the public program begins at 7:00 pm. Any questions? Email us here. 

💛  DC Death Collective Virtual Check-In | Sunday, June 7, 2026 |
5:00 PM - 5:30 PM | Google Meet 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