How to talk to someone who is grieving the loss of a loved one

“The greatest blessing for me, from having all these losses, has been the otherworldly, supreme clarity about what’s important to me—about how much I love and how much I am loved.” – Heather Dobbins

In this episode of Deviate, Rolf, Heather Dobbins, and Jamie-Lee Josselyn discuss personal loss, grief and mourning, including the importance of gestures over words (2:30); the rituals that surround loss and mourning (18:00); the task of facing holidays and difficult moments in the years following a personal loss (30:00); and funerals and bearing witness to the life and death of loved ones (44:00).

Heather Dobbins, is a teacher, poet, and writer of In the Low Houses and River Mouth. Jamie-Lee Josselyn (@jljosselyn), is a creative writing instructor, essayist, and host of the Dead Parents Society podcast.

Notable Links:

• Rainer Maria Rilke (poet)
• “A Coffin—is A Small Domain,” by Emily Dickinson
• The Book of Psalms: A Translation (book)
• Guests of My Life, by Elizabeth Watson (book)
• Elegy: Poems, by Mary Jo Bang (book)
• “You Were You Are Elegy,” by Mary Jo Bang
• David Letterman (television host)
• Annie Dillard (author)
• Six Feet Under (television series)
• Freaks and Geeks (television series)
• The Legend of Zelda (video game series)
• Sudden unexplained death in childhood
• The Kelly Writers House

Note: We don’t host a “comments” section, but we’re happy to hear your questions and insights via email, at deviate@rolfpotts.com.