Death cafes growing in popularity in Dallas
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Get a cuppa and talk death. Illustration: Allie Carl/Axios
More people are gathering with groups of strangers to share tea and cake and talk about dying.
Why it matters: Death — and the grief that follows — is inevitable.
The big picture: The concept of the gathering, known as a death cafe, began in the U.K. and has expanded to more than 11,000 groups across the U.S.
- There are now several death cafes and end-of-life planning parties every month across Dallas-Fort Worth.
How it works: You don't have to be dying to talk about death or to have lost a loved one recently. Participants can share, or they can sit and observe.
- Every conversation is different. There's no agenda, but the topic is always death.
Zoom in: The groups are often led by death doulas like Britna Savarese, who launched Death Cafe Dallas over three years ago. Union Coffee hosts her cafes on the last Tuesday of every month.
- Others have popped up. Dallas Public Library is a host. The Denton Area Partnership for End-of-Life Care hosted its first last summer. Leaves Bakery & Books hosted a death planning party last month.
What to expect: Some people want to prepare for their own deaths, even if it feels distant and nebulous. Some discuss prepping for a parent's death. Others want to overcome the fear of death.
- Yes, but: The events aren't grief support groups or meant for counseling. They're group conversations about the many aspects of dying.
The intrigue: Death cafes attract a diverse group. Participants are sometimes in their 20s — younger than Savarese said she expected.
- One of the attendees explained that they'd been aware of their own mortality since a young age because of school shootings.
What they're saying: Savarese encourages anyone who is intrigued by the concept to simply attend, because it's important to talk about death.
- "I didn't truly start living until I started dealing with death every day," Savarese tells Axios. "I'm looking for every little moment of joy, every little moment of joy, no matter how silly it looks."
What's next: Check deathcafe.com for event listings.
- East Dallas Death Cafe is noon-2pm March 6 at Well Grounded Community Coffee.
- Oak Cliff Death Cafe is 2-3:30pm March 12 at the Hampton-Illinois Branch Library.