LAC LA BICHE - At first glance, the Death Café may seem like the title of a horror film or some intriguing murder mystery dinner theatre. In reality, it’s a confidential group discussion about death and dying that is set to take place at libraries in Lac La Biche County beginning in September.
Laney Smith, programming coordinator for Lac La Biche County Libraries, explained that a Death Café is not a grief support or discussion session, but rather a way for people to have open conversations about a topic society is often reluctant to talk about.
“There’s no agenda, objectives, or themes with a Death Café. Neither is it an activity or game of any sort,” Smith told Lakeland This Week. “Attendees can have treats and beverages while discussing anything that encompasses death and dying. If people are not comfortable speaking, they can sit and listen to the conversation.”
Local libraries will be hosting the Death Café for two hours on the last Monday of every month, with the first session starting in September and wrapping up in June, except for December when the group takes a break.
There is no fee for attending. Smith, who will be serving as facilitator, will monitor the group to promote respect among the participants.
“This is meant to be a comfortable environment,” Smith continued. “Guest speakers are unlikely, since this isn’t really a presentation, with most of the discussion coming from attendees.”
The origins of the Death Café date back to 2010 when Jon Underwood developed a series of projects surrounding death, one of which focused on freely talking about this often dark and taboo subject. The first Death Café took place in the United Kingdom the following year, at Underwood’s home in Hackney, East London.
Since that time, Death Cafés have been hosted worldwide. While Lac La Biche County Libraries is hosting its first-ever event of its kind in late September, Death Cafés have been taking place around Alberta for quite some time.
