The Last Good Conversation – Death, Ritual and What Comes Next. E A Gleeson and Hannah Gould with Amy Pagett
Description
What if talking about death was comforting, not frightening? Join us for a brave and beautiful conversation about the one thing we all have in common.
E A Gleeson, a Kyneton-based writer, poet and funeral celebrant, is a born storyteller who brings grace and warmth to life's final chapter.
Dr Hannah Gould is a cultural anthropologist and senior lecturer at the University of Melbourne and author of the new book How to Die in the 21st Century, described as "the most comforting book about death you'll ever read."
Facilitating this gentle, courageous conversation is Amy Pagett, a local death doula who runs the Daylesford Death Cafe, creating space for difficult conversations in community.
Come curious, leave a little lighter.
This Town Hall Talks session is Auslan interpreted.
Lineup
Meet E A
E A Gleeson, poet, speaker, essayist, funeral director, palliative and pastoral care worker, is the author of four poetry collections. Many of her deeply personal poems highlight attitudes towards funeral practices and bereavement. Other poems present perspectives from those whose voices are not generally heard and some celebrate Anne's deep love of the natural world.
Meet Hannah
Dr Hannah Gould is a cultural anthropologist studying death, Buddhism, and material culture in Australia and North-East Asia. Her research spans new traditions and technologies of Buddhist death rites, the lifecycle of religious materials, and modern lifestyle movements. In sum: the stuff of death and death of stuff. She is Senior Lecturer in Buddhist Studies in the School of Historical and Philosophical Studies, at the University of Melbourne. Alongside academic research and publishing, Dr Gould creates public programs to advocate for more equitable systems of deathcare for all.
Meet Amy
Amy Pagett lives in Fryerstown on unceded Dja Dja Wurrung Country with her partner, young daughter, and their ever-evolving acre of gardens, fruit trees, and shared living. Her work sits at the intersection of food, land, mortality, and community care. Over the past decade, Amy has worked across food-tech startups and small-scale animal production, raising pigs and cattle for direct-to-consumer meat businesses with a strong interest in ethical, localised food systems. She currently manages a local farmers market, where she continues to support regional growers, makers, and conversations around seasonal eating and community resilience. Alongside her work in food and agriculture, Amy has trained as a death doula and hosts the monthly Daylesford Death Café at the Daylesford Neighbourhood Centre. Her interests include grief and death literacy, ritual, storytelling, and creating spaces where people can experience meaning without needing perfection or certainty.
Books
Tickets for good, not greed Humanitix dedicates 100% of profits from booking fees to charity
