Coffee—and Coffin?

Coffee—and Coffin?

Modeled after the “café mortels” that began in France and Switzerland, philosophically inclined Americans are starting to see that a little discussion about death can be surprisingly calming. Currently, there are 40 cities—including our own Twin Cities Death Café—where these salon-style groups meet regularly to talk death, dying, and fears about the great beyond. Group members are finding that their conversations about mortality teach them a great deal about life, just as von Stuck’s Portrait of Beethoven, informed by the composer’s death mask, reveals more about Beethoven’s life than his death.

—Courtney Algeo, writer

July 24

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Photo: Jerry Holt, Star Tribune

Source: Bill Ward, “The Death Cafe discussion group steers its members on how to live,” Star Tribune, July 24, 2013