Webinars
Stories to Live & Die for
Part III
Sunday, Dec 8th from 11 am to 12:30 pm Pacific.
Free to Attend but Registration Required
(A recording will be available for those who
register but can’t make the live session.)
This third conversation between Sabrina Görlitz and April Bosshard
will explore how to write and live a “good ending.” Building on the first two conversations, this one asks: What do good satisfying endings look like and feel like? And how might we take the necessary steps toward our visions.
(No sales pitch at the end. Just a thoughtful discussion followed by Q&A for those attending live.)
The first conversation occurred on Sept 29th. Watch Part 1.
The second conversation occurred on Nov 3rd.
Past Events
Stories to Live & Die for
Part II
The Five Things Dying People Don’t Regret
Sunday, Nov 3rd from 11 am to 12:30 pm Pacific.
(Part III is coming up Dec 8 2024)
Free to Attend but Registration Required
(Recording will be made available after the live event.)
This second conversation between Sabrina Görlitz and April Bosshard
will explore the five things dying people don’t regret, and how these insights can help you decide which stories to write–and which ones to live.
The first conversation occurred on Sept 29th and is recommended viewing before registering for the Nov 3rd conversation. Watch Part 1. (No sales pitch at the end. Just a thoughtful discussion followed by Q&A for those attending live.)
A recording will be available for those who register but can’t make the live session on Sunday, Nov 3rd from 11 am to 12:30 pm Pacific.
Next conversation Dec 8 2024
A Note From Sabrina for Part II.:
People who work with the dying are frequently asked this question: What do dying people regret? (It’s such a compelling question that an Australian writer named Bronnie Ware wrote a successful book with the title: The Top Five Regrets of the Dying.)
People ask me the same question when I’m interviewed about my biography work with palliative care patients, but my answer surprises them, because in my experience dying people don’t regret as much, or as intensely, as most people think.
This may be because of the type of work I do with people. It takes some courage to speak about your life in the face of death, and maybe even more so, it takes a life well-lived to bring up that courage in the first place.
A well-lived, or fulfilled, life doesn’t mean that only good things have happened in that life—sometimes quite the opposite, actually—but a quality of awareness that one has lived/been living a fulfilled life does seem to connect to not having many regrets.
So I thought: Why not pose a different question? Why not ask: What are the five top things that dying people don’t regret? Perhaps within those answers I might find out if there’s a secret to being able to let go of a life, even if it’s cut rather short, a bit more easily.
I’m looking forward to pondering these questions and the insights I gained over the last few years with April Bosshard, whose deep storytelling knowledge and expertise might back up some of my findings: One being that a satisfying life and a satisfying story might have a few things in common.
Stories to Live & Die for
Part I
Happened on Sunday, Sept 29th from 11 am to 12:30 pm Pacific.
Have you ever wondered if your love of writing could help you live –and even prepare to die– with greater ease, love, and awareness?
Sabrina and April are going to talk about the ways an understanding of storytelling principles can offer a powerful lens through which we can appreciate our lives as more than just a series of random events.
(No sales pitch at the end. Just a thoughtful discussion followed by Q&A for those attending live.)
A Note From Sabrina:
I think in stories. It’s my way of looking at the world, at life and death and trying to make sense of it. Knowing the patterns of traditional storytelling also helps me to help my clients capture the true essence of their lives in the face of death.
To me, we are all little stories belonging to one “big story.” It can be both a very meaningful and peaceful experience at the end of life to see that connection so clearly, and to be assured that your story has made a difference in the world. And that it will continue in doing so, because it is preserved and passed on.
When April and I first met in 2019, that encounter, in hindsight, proved to be not only a wonderful story in itself, but it also kick-started my own book writing process. Moreover, talking and learning from April has continuously inspired and influenced my work with the dying over the past five years.
April is such a faithful advocate for story, she knows so much about storytelling and has helped aspiring writers from all over the world to get their stories down on the page. I call her a story midwife, and if anyone thinking of writing a book, whether it be fiction or memoir, would be wise to talk to April before getting started.
The opportunity for the two of us to share thoughts about living, dying, and writing all in the same breath is new territory for both of us. I hope you can join us as we explore these intersections of meaning and mystery.
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