A monthly meetup at the Waldo Crows Coffee is a judgment-free place to talk about our shared inevitability: We are going to die.

The big picture: Death Cafes have grown worldwide as more people look for informal spaces to talk about dying and loss outside of hospitals, funerals and crisis moments.

Context: Host Kalista Schwartz tells Axios that KC's Death Cafe brings people of all ages together and follows one simple rule: Speak freely.

• She began hosting after caring for her grandmother near the end of her life and navigating the loss of her dog.
• "Those experiences changed my relationship with death from something scary to something very real and human," Schwartz says.

She emphasizes that these meetings are not professional therapy nor a grief support group.

• Topics range from medical choices to funerals to what scares people most.

Inside the room: At the most recent meeting, about a dozen people crowded around a table, with books about dying scattered between coffee cups and open hands.

• People from different backgrounds who might not otherwise cross paths introduced themselves. While telling their stories, laughter is mostly what filled the room.

What they're saying: "I'm not scared of dying. Been there, done that," KC resident Penny Thompson tells Axios.

• Thompson beat the odds at 45-years-old when doctors told her she had a slim chance of surviving after her stroke.
• She attended the Death Cafe to share her story and push back against the discomfort that she says often follows conversations about passing suddenly.
• Thompson says, "These are the conversations we shouldn't avoid. Expect the unexpected, but don't waste your life fearing it!"

Blair Baucom, who worked for years as a mortician, said she missed having a place to talk openly about death after leaving the industry.

• "I think we have outlets for everything else," Baucom tells Axios. "Why not death? I missed talking about it without ruining the mood."

💭 Abbey's thought bubble: I live with epilepsy and joke that it will probably be how I go, which usually makes people pause. However, at the meeting, people nodded, and the conversation continued. No awkward silence. No mood crash.

• Did we sit around the table and sing "Kumbaya"? Kind of, but that's not a bad thing. We don't need to be hardened all the time.

What's next: KC's Death Cafe is free and open to adults with an open mind. The next meeting is Feb. 23 at 7pm.

Cremations are now twice as common as burials in the U.S., reversing a norm from two decades ago, according to the National Funeral Directors Association.

Why it matters: Shifting attitudes around religion, cost and the environment are reshaping how Americans handle death.

By the numbers: Cremation surpassed burial nationwide in 2015 — and the gap has only widened since, with the NFDA projecting cremation will continue gaining share.

Zoom in: In Missouri, cremation rates rose to 61.2% in 2025, up nearly 8% from 2015 (53.3%). Meanwhile, burials fell from 43.2% to 34.2%.

• Kansas in 2025 saw even lower burial rates (30.6%) and higher cremation rates (65.3%).

Zoom out: Americans' environmental mindset "is carrying all the way over into death now," NFDA spokesperson Jack Mitchell, a sixth-generation funeral director, tells Axios.

• Burials also cost more: In 2023, the median price of a casketed burial with viewing and ceremony was $8,300, compared with $2,750 for a direct cremation, according to NFDA data.

State of play: Interest is growing for end-of-life options beyond burial and cremation, Mitchell tells Axios.

• Alkaline hydrolysis, which is like flame cremation but done with water, is legal in Kansas and Missouri.
• Organic reduction, aka human composting, which uses straw, wood chips and other natural materials to convert human remains into soil, is not legal in Kansas or Missouri, though bills have been introduced.
• Green burial "is really the greenest option of all," but only limited cemeteries offer it, Mitchell says. The deceased is in a natural, often biodegradable casket.

The fine print: NFDA's "burial" and "cremation" numbers rely on how information is recorded on death certificates by state, which depends on state law.

With cremation on the rise, I got to wondering — where are people scattering their loved ones?

Why it matters: Kansas Citians don't have an ocean or mountains, but we do have plenty of local options that can provide meaning and closure beyond an urn on the mantel.

🌷 Scattering gardens offer designated places outside where ashes can mingle with soil, plants and flowers.

• Some cemeteries have scattering gardens, along with St. Mary's Episcopal Church and Powell Gardens.

🌳 For local and state parks, you should first contact the managing organization or department.

• National parks require a permit.
• Your own private land is fine.

💧 Public waterways, like the Kansas and Missouri rivers, are free to use — just don't put anything non-biodegradable in them.

• And if you're scattering from within a municipality or park, check with them first.

The bottom line: You don't have to book a cruise to scatter ashes.

💸 KCPD's police chief, Stacey Graves, called for "drastic" budget cuts, including a hiring freeze and no overtime, as financial pressures mount. (Kansas City Star)

🖼️ The Nelson-Atkins Museum was gifted 181 works from the Ralph T. Coe Center, including Native American art alongside global works from Asia, Africa and Oceania. (KC Studio)

🏠 Habitat for Humanity of KC is building a 14-home neighborhood in Olathe and planning a larger one in Lenexa using community land trusts to keep homes affordable. (KCUR)