Dead Parents Society

Talking about writing about the death of our parent(s). Based at @Penn's @KellyWritersHse, hosted by @jljosselyn.

[Dead Parents Society @DeadParentsSoc]

You can find our podcast here: https://t.co/LapeYPvbiH. Let us know what you think!

[jamie-lee josselyn @jljosselyn]

Last month, Francesco and I had a great, deep conversation in my office. Today, I see that conversation reflected in this great, deep column! https://t.co/TesiB8QvIY

[jamie-lee josselyn @jljosselyn]

Mariam Muhammad, a smart, intuitive, and generous student at Swarthmore, invited me to be on her podcast, Goldfinch, and I was blown away at her preparation - she knows more about me than I do! https://t.co/YpDpSccB2u

[jamie-lee josselyn @jljosselyn]

Tonight at 6:30 Philly time, I'm talking with @RebeccaSoffer of @ModernLoss at @kellywritershse. We'll discuss telling stories around the topic of death, but we'll be charming and maybe even funny about it. Join us in person or watch live (or later) here: https://t.co/vPs2J31VvQ

[jamie-lee josselyn @jljosselyn]

Last night @JonathanTjarks died of a long illness at a young age. He was a great #SportsNarratives writer & also a member of the Dead Parents Society. He wrote this piece from that perspective. It will stay with me. https://t.co/dB6s975Ipx

[jamie-lee josselyn @jljosselyn]

In #AWP22’s “Airing Secrets in Memoir” panel, @mayaslang makes the great point that the material we may feel an urge to cut from a piece may in fact be the material we need to double down on. 🔥

[jamie-lee josselyn @jljosselyn]

Didion would say she wrote in order to figure out what she thought about a certain topic. So many of us read her for essentially the same reason: to see what *she* thought, which was always a conduit to better understand the world, and ourselves.

[jamie-lee josselyn @jljosselyn]

It’s true, we at @DeadParentsSoc are the grieving friends you always wanted. I am so, so grateful to @34ST Magazine and to Meg Gladieux for this piece on these crucial connections, especially in college, especially now. https://t.co/YnwYWj7JB1

[Dead Parents Society @DeadParentsSoc]

A moving piece from our dear @thesimonetti for @thelilynews, featuring wisdom from the great @hope_edelman!

[Isabella Simonetti @thesimonetti]

For @thelilynews, I wrote about what it’s like to be in my 20s without my mom. https://t.co/M8YM9GX08x

[The Lily @thelilynews]

"Reading the book she left me, I realized that my mom, even when she was dying, still didn’t know all the answers," writes @thesimonetti.

https://t.co/ftzX4NkWjv

[Stephen Fried @stephen_fried]

It's been 25 years since I last saw my dad for #FathersDay, so this is always a challenging weekend. I recently did a podcast about how we process the loss of parents with @Penn colleague @jljosselyn--a really emotional & engaging conversation. Listen here https://t.co/z9HvOGrnDq

[jamie-lee josselyn @jljosselyn]

I was really grateful to have this @DeadParentsSoc conversation with @stephen_fried a few months ago. I’m sure his thoughts will resonate for many, especially today.

[jamie-lee josselyn @jljosselyn]

Honestly can’t believe that you guys are all still doing this Mother’s Day thing.

[Dead Parents Society @DeadParentsSoc]

At 9 PM Eastern tonight (soon!) over on Instagram, @jljosselyn will join DPS contributor & musician Cat Ricketts on Cat’s IG Live Lullaby series for a brief reading & exercise on remembering. Follow Cat on Instagram at @bycatherinericketts to tune in!

[Dead Parents Society @DeadParentsSoc]

In @believermag, @kwistent essentially tells one of our creation stories!

[jamie-lee josselyn @jljosselyn]

In the new issue of @believermag, dearest @kwistent said nice things about me in their “Conversations with Contributors” column about mentorship, so now I am in The Believer and I didn’t even have to write anything!

[Stephen Fried @stephen_fried]

I was so pleased to be invited on to the @DeadParentsSoc podcast @Penn which I have always admired. @jljosselyn & I had a really intriguing & moving (for me, anyway) discussion about dead parents, bereavement & writing about that--as well as writing about #mentalhealth. Listen!

[Dead Parents Society @DeadParentsSoc]

Episode 24 is here! This time, @stephen_fried reads & discusses his essay "Dead Fathers Society" with @jljosselyn. They also talk about Stephen's @PennCW course Writing About Mental Health & Addiction and working w/ students facing difficult material. https://t.co/Pg89FXPLFJ

[Dead Parents Society @DeadParentsSoc]

Episode 23 is now live, friends! This time, @jljosselyn and brilliant pal @izzydlopez talk with @machikaonda about her essay, "Song for My Father." We hope you'll listen (& subscribe & rate & review!): https://t.co/13uHaEliRb

[Dead Parents Society @DeadParentsSoc]

Here is our pal @kwistent in @nytimes on the role of her aunts after her parents' deaths: "They will always see us as the children we were, not the adults we have become, & remind us that the distance between those selves is not as vast as we might hope." https://t.co/DrgkInTTOU

[Dead Parents Society @DeadParentsSoc]

Our brilliant, compassionate friend @hope_edelman, author of The AfterGrief and Motherless Daughters, is hosting four *free* live events on Sundays throughout January 2021. Join her for any or all of them by signing up here: https://t.co/WJFxGPQsfm