As an end of life doula, Anna supports people who are dying, their family and friends and sometimes, people experiencing bereavement. Her aim is to help people live as good a life as possible right up until the very end. As a funeral director, Louise has an unconventional approach. She created Poetic Endings, the kind of funeral service she felt needed to exist. Her mission is to get people to really think about the kind of funerals they’re having, and why they have them.

Together, Anna and Louise are the team behind Life. Death. Whatever. Their joint mission is to redesign the dialogue around death and dying, to open it up and to find new approaches to this important subject. They believe that death is a normal part of life and dying is part of living. Acknowledging and accepting that one day we will die is fundamental to living a full life.  It’s as simple and as complicated as that.

Anna and Louise have joined forces to share a collection of the heart-breaking, surprising and uplifting stories of the ordinary and extraordinary lives they encounter every single day. From working with the living, the dying, the dead and the grieving, Anna and Louise reveal the lessons they’ve learned about life, death, love and loss. Together they’ve created a profound but practical guide to rethinking the one thing that’s guaranteed to happen to us all. This is a book about life and living, as much as it’s a book about death and dying. It’s a reflection on the beauties, blessings and tragedies of life, the exquisite agony and ecstasy of being alive, and the fragility of everything we hold dear. It’s as simple and as complicated as that.

Anna and Louise will be reading from their book and joining in a discussion with BrumYODO at The Heath Bookshop in Kings Heath. Tickets are free but booking is essential.

Photo: Melissa Rodrigues