Naomi is a glorious human! So grateful to have her as a friend, and inspiration in this work. Are you following her on IG as The Glorious Hum? If you are looking for a new perspective on grief, and how to give yourself permission to just be with it, I would absolutely encourage you to go follow her now. She is a queer and FABULOUS host of a space c…

Hey Queers, Happy Pride YALL!!!!! Happy Summer too! And for the Cancers out there, it's your time to shine babies! My guest for this episode, Charity Cimarron is magical! And not just because they are SO GENEROUSLY allowing me to share their BEAUTIFUL music for this season?! But also because they are Queer, and therefore Magical! Charity lives in t…

Ghosts, Witch House and Sylvia Plath OH MY.... This Pastel Goth Angel and I got together to talk about DEATHHHHHH Meet Mangda (find her IG Bacii and say HIII) BACII is a Laotian word for Spirit Gathering, ritual, and celebration. I love everything she said in this conversation and will me taking it with me everywhere. We need more gentleness, more …

Hello hello YALL I was so lucky to interview one of my Queer Icons author and badass outsider Michelle Tea for a second time!!! Who didn't we name drop on this auspicious day? Birthday Queen Dolly Parton was absolutely in our hearts, along with Phoebe Cates, Joh Wayne Gacy, Janis Joplin, Stevie Nicks, punk mama icon Ariel Gore, two Edgars (one Poe)…

Dr Amanda Stronza is an ICON y'all. If you've never seen her IG or her website you're in for a treat!!! Her passion for creating memorials and rituals for animals who have been hit by cars and abandoned make her an honorary Death Midwife in my book, and a bit of a witch too! (And you know how I love my fellow witches) By day, she is a well respecte…

Hello Beautiful friends and family!!! Welcome back to Queer Death Stories Podcast ...!!!!!! I've been so busy with interviews it's been almost two months since I've last been in this process, been in the producer seat, been in the DIY lounge LOL It's no secret that this pa, the intentions are I'm keeping in my mind's eye are to really try to get to…

Hello beautiful friends & fam!!! In honor of LOVE WEEK I re-worked this little baby and here she is back in the MIX! Y'all Nicole was my first guest, and she is AMAZING. Kind, Funny as Hell, and so crushable. (my wife agrees!) She is someone who inspires me to tell my stories and to keep making art everyday. I even wear a SMOCK now because of her. …

Star Poet OLIVIA PEPPER is a Cosmic forecaster and Queer Icon. It makes perfect sense that I would conclude QDS season one with their prescient reflections on Queer Grief and explaining how we need to heal from within as a community. Many "archaic thoughts" around sexual preferences and gender identities are still alive and well today! We still hav…

Hello beautiful friends and family~ Welcome to the second to last episode of QDS season 1!!! And it makes so much sense that this would season would end with two of my favorite poetic souls, storytellers, and visionaries, that to me are kindness embodied. First, the luminous poet & author Salena Godden sat down with me last fall to discuss modern g…

Meet Golden, a fabulous Scorpionic, shapeshifting Queer astrologer, who has a lot of experience with grief and loss. They shared a bit of their poetic musings on Queering Death, in light of Covid, on giving our community access to resources, and the very serious need for queer joy. And it just so happened to be their birthday as well?! And I LOVE b…

Welcome back QDS friends and fam! Meet Petra & Krystina! Two of Portland, Oregon's coolest queers, changing the way people are treated after they die. You might not realize how potentially harmful the after death environment can be, and really why should you if you haven't worked for funeral services for years like these two have? As queer and biop…

Meet Nadja also known as Madame Bleu. She is proud to be a fierce Mexican Satanist and advocates for animals as well as Death Positivity. We had a lot of fun in our first conversation getting to know each other, and learning how we are not so different, even with a fucking border wall between us! Nadja, like me, is passionate about social justice, …

Meet Sarah, for obvious reasons I wanted to talk with her because of the current Abortion rights shit show we're in in our country at the moment, it's a nightmare, especially for women and non binary and trans folks who need access to an abortion, but live in a state (like TEXAS) that is literally targeting them. This year I've had the opportunity …

Meet Megan Ashley : Queer Next Door A writer, and co host of a fabulous podcast called Queers Next Door, ( I was honored to be on their show recently!) Megan is on a mission to spread Queer Joy! (You can follow her new IG account that is dedicated to highlighting exactly that) And perhaps one of the reasons she is focusing so intently on spreading …

Hello Friends and Fam, Nothing gets me into the HOLIGAY MOOD like talking about End of Life Planning!!! This conversation was really enjoyable for me because here we are a couple of Queer Death Workers who are just excited to help others overcome their anxiety about death & dying. That is not everyone's cup of tea, but it was really great to just t…

Meet my friend D, she has taught me so much about grief, just by having this open conversation about her personal pain. D, like me, is resistant to the idea that "mindfulness" is the cure all. Instead we have let our grief guide us towards surrendering and being powerless to it, and riding the waves that are all a part of integration. Spoiler Alert…

Meet Hannah Haddadi a Persian Death Witch, Spirit Guide and the deep mysterious soul known as Mourning Light Divination on Instagram. This was our very first conversation and we discussed how we found ourselves on this path, and how it's a calling first, and how taking refines our instinctual gifts. I'm always curious about how others find themselv…

HEY FRIENDS & FAM Meet Naila Francis! Also known as This Hallowed Wilderness on Instagram! Not only do I treasure her as a part of my Death Family, I adore her as a deeply compassionate friend and beautifully talented poet. Naila is using her writing and her love of poetry as a form of spiritual alchemy, without judgement, without platitudes, witho…

Meet Oli Spleen! A Queer Punk Poet Rockstar and Sweetheart First of all, we were introduced by one of his dearest best friends and one of my most favorite people, author and poet Salena Godden (MRS DEATH MISSES DEATH) And so naturally it was a fast friendship. Oli has many fabulous stories and early childhood inspirations that overlap many of mine,…

Meet Nicole, of Emerald Awakenings, she's the person I would have probably been best friends with in High School, kind of nerdy (Jeopardy fan!) very smart and fucking cool about it. The kind of person who grew up working in a cemetery with her grandparents, and was nicknamed "Claire" not just because she's gingery and a little spicy, but because of…

Meet Kook Teflon, a New Olreans Queen of hearts, that feeds those in need and decorates her porch for every season, my kind of person! She has done it all, from zines, to tv, to music, dancing for the dead, to parades and parties...she is living the life most people only dream about, and it all started a young age when her mother recognized her gif…

Hey Beautiful Friends & Fam! Meet Cy Press a fabulous queer & trans performance artist living in NOLA. I loved talking about everything with them; from the very queerness of theater, (why is it historically so straight y'all ?!), to the desperate need for counseling for marginalized folks. Our communities are often struggling with the very difficul…

The first time I met Cat Webb they casually dropped the word Psychopomp into the conversation, and I was like WOA I want to know MORE! I always enjoy our conversations, and in fact they were so kind to also tell me ghost stories for my other podcast STRANGE MOON. That episode will be coming out soon. If you would like to know more about High Priest…

Meet Jo & Victoria, Theses two gorgeous people are absolutely amazing, and they have magically pulled together to co-organize the world's first ever international virtual DEATH FESTIVAL!!!! We had so much fun talking and laughing about the weirdness of our work, and the importance of connecting with each other, I feel like I've already known them f…

Meet Flo! She is a queer witchy poppet maker (and more) who is using her craft to heal other people's grief! We talked about everything from zombie immersion therapy, to a dream funeral overflowing with rescue kittens, to stanning Death Stars like Caitlyn Doughty from The Order of the Good Death and Alua Arthur from Going with Grace! I loved talkin…

Hello Queer Death Fam!!! I really loved hanging out with Britt Keehn (The Art of the End) please go find her on IG because , she is as witty as she insightful and she is so passionate about caring for the dying. I enjoyed discussing everything with her from fan-girling over the rockstar of the death world Alua Arthur (Going With Grace) at a Death S…

Meet Jo. They are kind and they are BRAVE. "I told myself the Truth" My new BFF in France. They're Trans & a Life Coach and are committed to healing themselves and others. They have two fathers, that have been together for ages, but not entirely out, and they are both terminally ill and dying. Jo has asked them to acknowledge their trans identity, …

An introduction to Ash and Lyra who will be chatting about all things death related - the stigma, the emotions, the practicalities. A discussion of death cafes, and the people we would like to have at our dream death cafe. For more info on death cafes see www.deathcafe.com If you have any questions or requests for things you would like us to discus…