Beyond Grief and Mourning in ‘Grave Matters’

Reporter

Get ready to explore some of the biggest taboos and questions we all face around death, grief and mourning, with hosts Nadine J. Cohen and Anthony Levin.

 Grave Matters hosts Nadine J. Cohen (left) and Anthony Levin (right)

Long-time friends, Cohen is a writer and refugee advocate, and Levin, a human rights lawyer and writer.

The pair share a willingness to confront difficult topics with heart and humour in the 10-episode series which features a range of guests discussing everything from forensics to trauma therapy, tech innovation, climate research, to the work of a Muslim death doula and a First Nations grief counsellor.

But there is some light and shade to the conversations and Cohen says Grave Matters looks at death and dying from all angles.

“We meet incredible people doing work they’re very passionate about, and some have real character. It's not a morbid or depressing podcast. It’s a fascinating look into a world we could all know more about,” she says.

Levin says he has always been surrounded by death. “Both my maternal grandparents are Holocaust survivors, they lost their entire families,” he says.

The first episode is an exploration of the way modern funerals often condense a person’s life into a highlight reel.

“Rituals commonly prescribed by funeral homes don’t serve everyone’s bereavements,” says Levin. 

Other episodes look at innovations making the funeral industry more environmentally sustainable, such as human composting; a new model for processing and healing grief and loss; and a Norwegian scientist studying human decomposition to solve crimes.

“Every episode explores and celebrates practices that widen the narrow paradigm of Western grief and mourning,” says Levin. 

Listen to first episode of Grave Matters above, or subscribe to the series.