BRATTLEBORO — Next weekend, a big white tent is going up inside the River Garden on Main Street.
Under this big top, visitors can listen to professionally produced audio stories collected from people in Vermont. It's part of the Wake Up to Dying Project (WUDP), a free four-day series of events about death and dying.
Nina Thompson, founder and executive director of the WUDP, believes that if we pay just a little more attention to the fact that we die, we will pay more attention to how we choose to live.
“If people consider the difficult subject of death and dying more purposefully, they will be more prepared - practically and emotionally - to face this shared human experience,” she says.
Thompson writes at the project's website (www.wakeuptodyingproject.org), “We might find ourselves more willing to participate in the dying process of a loved one or a neighbor. We might even be less afraid to think about our own deaths.”
From Thursday, June 25 through Sunday, June 28, WUDP will not only let people listen to stories about death and dying, but also will invite participants to engage with interactive art installations, learn about and take away end-of-life resources, attend a workshop or community discussion with local leaders in end-of-life care, and bring what they learn and experience back to their homes and communities.
WUTD aims to shift cultural perspectives on death. With help from local community partners - headed by Brattleboro Area Hospice, Bayada Hospice, Brattleboro Memorial Hospital, Holton Home, and Visiting Nurse Association and Hospice for Vermont and New Hampshire - this multimedia project invites people to acknowledge death, be prepared for it, and live more fully for having done so.
WUDP was formed 2 and 1/2 years ago by Thompson, a former hospice volunteer from Montpelier.
“I wanted something to help people think and talk on the subject of death,” says Thompson. “I believe in the theory that stories, art, and hands-on experience are a great way to explore this topic.”
So Thompson decided to set up a tent for one day in Hardwick, in the Northeast Kingdom, where people could come in to hear and share stories on death and dying.
“About 25 people came,” she says. “I thought, well that's a beginning. Later that year, I set up the tent up for two days in Montpelier and 550 people came. Now I knew I was on to something.”
This year WUDP will be traveling to Burlington and Boston, as well as Brattleboro, in a project that is becoming more ambitious as it grows.
Starting a conversation
WUDP was invited to Brattleboro by Susan Parris, executive director of Brattleboro Area Hospice, who had seen it in Burlington and thought it would be great for southern Vermont.
Thompson places WUDP as part of a larger movement under way in our culture to promote conversation about death and dying.
She explains, “In the last year alone, we've heard NPR's Scott Simon chronicling his mother's death via Twitter. Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg posted her grandmother's obituary on Facebook and received thousands of stories and grateful responses.”
Thompson also points to a rising number gatherings for tea and talk about death, called Death Cafés.
In fact, just before the start of this event, Brattleboro Area Hospice will be hosting a Death Café on Wednesday, June 24, from 7 to 8:30 p.m., at The Works on 118 Main St., Brattleboro.
Thompson is convinced that telling stories is a powerful and inviting way to share experiences.
“We are invited to learn from each other,” she writes of WUDP. “Tim talks about what it was like to lose his brother. Claire describes the French Canadian wakes of her childhood. Ellen describes how life changed after cancer. Carolyn talks about how working with dying people has helped her see life differently.”
WUDP awareness campaign gathers stories just like these and shares them in a variety of creative ways, including this traveling exhibit and through the news and events page at WUDP's website, Facebook and Twitter.
“We've produced 139 incredible stories based on 25 interviews,” says Thompson, “and we're hitting the road to do more.”
“The audio exhibit of WUDP is like Story Corps from the Library of Congress,” says Parris. “In that project, people go into a booth and tell about their grandfather or other historic events in their lives. Here they share what they have learned about end-of-life and grieving.”
WUDP is setting up for several days on Main Street in Brattleboro, because Thompson hopes to encourage participation from a large cross-section of the community.
“I think it's important that we are in town for a substantial amount of time,” says Thompson. “People are hesitant to talk about death and dying. Those who are grieving will find great comfort in the tent, but the general public who is ignoring the issue is our main target.
“When people in that group see us set up in the River Garden, they may first think, 'A show on death; that's crazy.' But when they pass us the next day and notice we are still here, they may become more curious. At work, they might ask if anyone has gone. Someone could say, 'Yeah, Susie did and she liked it.' Then they might ask if anyone wanted to go with them tomorrow to check the show out.”
Without a doubt, the central feature of WUDP is the audio exhibit of collected stories inside the big white tent in the River Garden. But there is much more to the project than just the audio exhibit.
WUTD includes a visual art show with some area artists, workshops, and community conversation. Open, facilitated dialogues will be happening every day, Thursday through Sunday, from 12:30 p.m. until 1:30 p.m., at the River Garden.
“Bring a brown bag lunch for your opportunity to converse about death, dying, and life.” says Thompson.
Brattleboro Area Hospice and WUTD's other local partners are hosting these community dialogues. They are also presenting seven workshops in the River Garden.
On Thursday, June 25, from 5:30 to 7 p.m., “Living Well – Dying Well” gives an opportunity for community members and end-of-life care professionals to share what they have learned, offering an opportunity for participants to consider what living well and dying well mean to them.
On Friday, June 26, from 5:30 to 7 p.m., “Walking Each Other Home: Stories of Caring for the Dying” presents letters by professional caregivers and neighbors from your community followed by an open dialogue with the presenters.
On Saturday, June 27, from 10 a.m. until 12:30 p.m., “Creative Exploration of Death and Dying for Kids and Families,” gives young people some space to create an item and memorial for pets, grandparents, parents, siblings, and other loved ones who have died.
Also on Saturday, from 1:30 to 3 p.m., “It's Your Funeral – Do it Your Way!” explores the wide variety of choices for funeral and memorial rituals, body disposition, and burial.
On Saturday from 7 to 8:30 p.m., “Spiritual Perspectives on Death, Dying, and Life” offers a facilitated dialogue about death, dying, and life with spiritual leaders from the community.
On Sunday, June 28, from 1:30 to 3 p.m., “Death and Documents: The Business of Dying” presents an introduction to the practical “business” elements of aging and end-of-life planning, including wills, trusts, power of attorney, guardianship, health care proxy, advanced directives, assisted living facilities, and relevant insurances.
Finally, on Sunday, from 3 to 5 p.m., “End-of-Life Planning: One-on-One” is a question-and-answer session on advance directives and learning how to appoint a health care proxy, ask questions about physician-assisted death, and/or review an estate planning checklist.
The audio portion of WUDP will remain on during community dialogues and during the kid and family workshop, but this exhibit will be turned off during the workshops. However, doors will remain open during workshops for visitors to explore other exhibit offerings.
Thompson has been delighted by the “fantastic” community in Brattleboro who have been so supportive and have a deep response to creativity. So far, more than 30 volunteers have joined her to help put on this complex event. But Thompson could use more help. Those interested in volunteering can email Nina at info@wakeuptodyingproject.org.