LET’S TALK ABOUT DEATH

Birmingham’s annual A Matter Of Life And Death Festival returns this month with a host of events across the city. Aiming to encourage open and honest conversation about death and dying, the festival includes author talks, a remembrance get-together, a walking tour, an interactive tour of a cemetery and the chance to visit an undertakers’ premises.

Organised by Birmingham-based communityinterest company BrumYODO, the award-winning festival is now in its seventh year. The programme for the 2023 edition includes To Absent Friends: a small, informal gathering at The Junction in Harborne on 3 May. The event brings people together over dinner to share stories and memories of family and friends they have loved who have died.

BrumYODO board member Alison Cox says: “We have joined with lots of partners to bring a variety of events to Birmingham during A Matter Of Life And Death. Some are fun, some are informative, some are about conversations, some are about sharing memories. But what they all have in common is providing a comfortable space for people to talk about death, dying, bereavement and grief.”

Another festival event is Campo Santo (13 May). Taking place in the Jewellery Quarter, it features an interactive audio tour in Warstone Lane Cemetery, a picnic, an informal conversation about death over cake and hot drinks, and a tour of the historic Stamp Shop at The Coffin Works Museum. Organised by BrumYODO alongside ITZATNA Arts Collective, The Coffin Works Museum and Birmingham City Council Bereavement Services, the event compares and contrasts the Victorian and 20th-century histories of death, burials and memorials between Mexico and the UK. Other festival attractions include a Birmingham Heritage Walking Tours walk on 7 May. Commenting on the event, its organiser, Kevin Thomas, explained: “The walking tour is an enlightening experience that helps us to recognise the preciousness of life. It takes us back through time to explore some of the historical relationships with Birmingham and how they have shaped our lives today.”

Meanwhile, the Heath Bookshop in Kings Heath is hosting a series of author events. These include a discussion with Anna Lyons and Louise Winter, authors of We All Know How This Ends, on 12 May. Two days later, the shop hosts a reading and discussion with Hollie Starling, author of The Bleeding Tree. This is followed by an event with Helen Calcutt, whose poetry collection, Somehow, explores her grief at the death of her brother.

Kings Heath undertakers A Natural Undertaking will be holding an open evening at their premises on 10 May. Company coowner Carrie Weekes said: “It’s a business that we don’t really think about until we have to. However, knowing what the role of an undertaker is can make planning a funeral a more positive and empowering experience, which can lead to a more healthy grief.”

The festival also includes Death Over Drinks discussions and Death Cafes.

All events need to be booked, due to limited capacity, and some are chargeable.

A Matter Of Life And Death Festival runs at various Birmingham venues from 2 to 16 May. For further information, and booking links, visit: brumyodo.org.uk/events