Tomorrow LV is giving a talk called BE SCARED OR BE PREPARED, which poses 5 fears about death & what DEAD GOOD has learned about alleviating these. A day of art workshops, traditional altars, live music, Mexican food, a daytime parade & a closing celebration to remember those we love.

Would you like to run your own GET MORTAL funeral wishes workshop (with you as the host) for your friends/family/colleagues/clients or even members of the public? I'll be hosting an online training event later this year to guide you through setting up & running your own funeral planning event. >KV

Blimey, we're finalists for the 'Yearly Achievement Award' at the National Good Funeral Awards 2025. All four finalists in this category are working innovatively & creatively to help people have the choice & support to do death differently. >KV

We host 'get mortal' workshops to help you create & write down a set of imaginative funeral wishes. How does it work? You choose the venue and up to 10 people. And we'll come over to run the workshop with all the resources & props. Drop us a message on socials or email us at [email protected]

Children are dead good & we've worked with hundreds. Death literacy is for all. Kids can be straightforward about death when spaces are created where they can explore concepts, ask questions & share their experience. Would you bring your children (or someone else's) to a DEAD GOOD activity? >KV

Huge thanks to @truecrimeforumnewcastle for booking DEAD GOOD to run a 'get mortal' funeral planning workshop. The lively session got the room unpicking funeral conventions before going wild with their imaginations. Creating spaces for open conversation about death & grief is valuable. >KV

Grief & clay are natural companions. Clay is of the earth. Connected to soil. Connected to us. I was born in The Potteries. Clay is under my nails & under my skin. Working the clay channels your grief. The clay seedball will return to the earth & new life will come. No endings. Not really. >KV

We're meeting our board of directors tomorrow to review the happenings in Year 2 of DEAD GOOD. We're particularly pleased with our funding breakdown for Y2. It feels good to have increased our trading income in comparison to our public funding. Onwards and onwards. >KV

Our new mortality stickers have hit the webshop! Big limited edition eco stickers, plastic-free, no nasties. Designed by LV. Buying a pack is a great way to support our DEAD GOOD work. ⚰️ Slap them on your laptop (or cardboard coffin) 🫀 Buy them for your deathy friends www.deadgood.org/shop >KV

YEAR TWO COMPLETED. We've spent most of it asking questions & listening hard to your responses & ideas. We've learned a lot from these community conversations, which will, in turn, fuel the work we do in Y3. Thank you for continuing to support the work we do. THANK YOU FOR BEING DEAD GOOD >KV

The new sticker collection is here! Look at LV's excellent original artwork. They've arrived just in the nick of time. And they're big bold guys. 1. LITTLE ROTTER 2. GRAVE WORM 3. YOU'RE WITH ME 4. MODERN MEMENTO MORI We're bringing them to the @naturalendings conference this weekend. >KV

Our original wind phone now lives at a community garden. The volunteers & visitors find it a helpful tool to support their grief. We are happy this phone has found a home. So we've recently bought another pre-loved rotary dial wind phone to accompany us at upcoming community events and workshops.

LV's ode to David Lynch in a hand-drawn memorial map. Sometimes we mourn people we didn't know. This treasure map could be the basis for acts of remembrance at a community level. If you loved David Lynch, his approach & his work, then following this map could bring solace, joy & connection. >KV

We'll be running a workshop this Saturday on creating treasure hunts as DIY remembrance rituals at the Modern Funeral Rituals Conference in Todmorden. We've enjoyed reflecting on the antecedents of this approach. These led us to set up a public geocache in memory of our dad. >KV #deathsky

Today, I found myself in a community allotment supporting someone to plan a natural burial ceremony. We walked slowly around the allotment, looking close-up at plants. We smelled the roses, tasted the rocket gone to seed, felt the wind & rain on our faces & touched the fuzzy borage & comfrey leaves.

LV has published a piece visually narrating a recent family road trip to bury the ashes of our grandmother. Reuniting our nan's remains with the place she called home for over 70 years. Subscribe to The Mortal Portal for free or become one of our 'paying porties' open.substack.com/pub/deadgood...

Our Little Rotter motif will be featuring in the Routledge Handbook of Dark Events: Celebrations, Heritage & Customs of Death & the Macabre. Little Rotter will be part of a chapter written by Chantal Laws: 'Managing collective memory through funeral events: an experience design perspective'. >KV

Bringing green burial into the public imagination is a core aim of ours. We talked eco-funerals non-stop at the Big Planting Conference in Sunderland today. It really is okay to decay. Let's all become trees, brambles, wildflowers & mushrooms when we die. Bury me in an orchard. >KV #deathsky

The @asdsdeath.bsky.social has announced the finalists for their four annual mortality-inspired awards. DEAD GOOD is shortlisted for the Public Engagement award as are @deathstudiespod.bsky.social & @victstuproject.bsky.social @christinamartin.bsky.social shortlisted for the Book Award too. >KV

⭐️Congratulations to all the ASDS public engagement award shortlisted projects⭐️ Check out @deathstudiespod.bsky.social, @deadgoodlegacies.bsky.social & @victstuproject.bsky.social to discover their brilliant work in raising public awareness of important issues related to death, dying, grief & loss.

A new addition to A Matter of Life and Death Festival! Join Itzatna Arts online on 8th May for the 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗧𝘂𝗯𝗲 𝗣𝗿𝗲𝗺𝗶𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗼𝗳 ‘𝗦𝘁𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗢𝗳 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗪𝗶𝗻𝗱’ A magical children's theatre experience sharing traditional Mexican tales about life, death and rebirth! brumyodo.org.uk/event/livest...

Two months ago, I uploaded 4 images from our October funerals photoshoot to Unsplash. I got a message today to say this one image of our willow coffin topped with jars of sustainable handpicked flowers has been downloaded over 1000 times in 60 days. THIS IS WHAT WE HOPED FOR! >KV #deathsky

Little video on this sunny morning. Sitting in my garden, making some mint tea, watching the kittens play, and thinking about next week. Dying Matters Awareness Week & Sustainability Week Perfect match with our values and social objectives. >KV #deathsky

1 year ago today. Our photoshoot to showcase family-led, eco-friendly, garden funeral ceremonies. We uploaded 10 professional pics to Unsplash for others to use these copyright-free. These 10 images have been downloaded over 2000 times so far. unsplash.com/@deadgood >KV

First, paging #horrorcommunity #horrorsky #filmsky #mutantfam - we’re hosting a The Shrouds giveaway over at @ordergooddeath.bsky.social I have a LOT to say about Cronenberg’s latest film as it sits firmly at the center of my horror + funerals + the dead body wheelhouse. For now, I’ll share this

I’m so excited to introduce a new game: Seasonala Cemetery – explore the serene beauty of an urban cemetery and see how it changes in real-time with the time of day and seasons. A completely free game coming soon to Windows/Mac Wishlist: store.steampowered.com/app/3272690/Seasonala_Cemetery/

Last week, I planted the six pea seeds sent by my aunt on my birthday. Actual heirloom seeds. The original packet was given to her by my (dead) dad. He used to grow these in the back garden. A staple on the Sunday dinner plate. I worried they might not grow. THIS IS HAPPENING AFTER ONE WEEK. >KV

Instead of an elevator pitch, we've opted to create a quirky music video to communicate our DEAD GOOD work & vibes. Careful, though, LV's song is a total ear worm. You'll be singing it all week. www.deadgood.org >KV #deathsky

Who wants to be part of an upcoming conference 'Funeral & Death Ritual for the Modern World'? naturalendings.co.uk/conference-f... The event looks incredible. Me & LV have been invited to run a workshop on curating treasure hunts as DIY remembrance rituals. Day ticket £125. >KV #deathsky

What tiny grief poem will you write? New piece published today. Have you joined us in The Mortal Portal yet? Come on in and have a rummage around in our back catalogue. We're not for everyone but we're just right for you. open.substack.com/pub/deadgood... >KV

Tonight I was invited to a zero-waste community cafe to run a lively workshop on ways to have an eco-funeral for their family of volunteers. We discussed the operational & embodied carbon costs (as well as financial costs) of different UK funeral options. Then we shared a meal 💚 >KV #deathsky

The line up is announced! A Matter of Life and Death Festival will take place 5-17th May in Birmingham and beyond and we have an amazing range of events for you to attend. From tattoos to talks, there really is something for everyone. For the full line up visit www.brumyodo.org.uk/events

This is what fifty professional photographs look like from one of our styled modern funeral photoshoots. Fifty is A LOT. Fifty allows you to tell many different stories in public about your funerals & ceremony work. They show people how extraordinary funerals can be. www.deadgood.org/events >KV

Upcoming styled funerals photoshoot for celebrants & deathworkers to help you publicly promote your work & show how creative, imaginative & beautiful funeral & memorial ceremonies can be. Wed 30th April, 11-4 Periwinkle Barn Flower Farm Durham, UK Find out more below www.deadgood.org/events >KV

LV's new piece in The Mortal Portal. Have you entered yet? If you're keen to stay in touch with LV & KV, signing up (free) to our mortality museletter is the best way to keep connected. Come on over. You'll get a warm welcome. Kettle's on, pal. open.substack.com/pub/deadgood... >KV #deathsky

Our Spring 'Modern Funerals Photoshoot' is 1 month away. Last time someone said it was better than a spa day! Let's visually communicate how beautiful funerals can be. Let's capture you in full flow, working your magic across a range of funeral scenes. Find out more. www.deadgood.org/events >KV

New piece published today. A little reminder that personal acts of remembrance can be simple yet effective. 2022 was the year Sudoku-ing helped me traverse grief & loss. open.substack.com/pub/deadgood... >KV ID: a Sudoku puzzle left unfinished by my dad when he died in February 2022. #deathsky

Today I was part of the Waste Not Collective. I talked with about 80 people at the event about green funeral options in the NE. I also sold our funeral planning zine kits and the Shrouds Aloud zines. And it turns out homemade shroud demos & workshops are a total crowd pleaser. >KV #deathsky

Today, six local eco-entrepreneurs are taking over The Pavilion in Sunderland's Keel Square to spark lively public conversations about ways we can live (& die) more sustainably. I will be showing the art of homemade shrouds (perfect for a green burial). >KV #deathsky #ecosky #greensky

Today the Wellcome Collection made contact to find out more about our mortality & griefwork resources. They purchased a copy of our funeral planning zine kit, shrouds zine AND giclée grief A-Z poster. These will be part of the WELLCOME COLLECTION'S national archive. Zoinks! www.deadgood.org >KV

LV has published a piece in The Mortal Portal today about her relationship with handed down family fabrics & how she is drawn to using pre-loved textiles in her art practice. Watch her rummage & talk through her box of heirloom fabrics inherited from our nan. open.substack.com/pub/deadgood... >KV

Welcome to Nana's House. A creative takeover of an empty shop. I ran a Nana Exchange workshop this afternoon. IT WAS SO MUCH FUN. People joined me to tell stories about their nanas. We wrote these down on postcards & pinned them up on the Nana Noticeboard inside the exhibition. >KV #deathsky

Today I've been running an eco-funerals stall at the No Time For Waste event. I spoke with over 80 people about natural burial options in the North East. There was a surprising amount of interest in shrouds. >KV #deathsky

NANA'S HOUSE exhibition installation day was mint. I'll be hosting a nana postcard writing workshop on Monday. DM me things you love/d about or learned from your grandmother (or a grandma figure in your life). I'll write it on a postcard for you and will pin it to the nana noticeboard. >KV

It's exhibition installation day! Very proud to be part of STRIKE, a women+ public art collective based in County Durham. We use public art to take up space without apology. Nana's House exhibition reflects on the relationships with the nanas and nana-figures in our lives. >KV #wishyouwerehere

You can now order our new SHROUDS ALOUD zine from our webshop. Learn the art of DIY shroud-making. Perfect for green & woodland burials. We have riso-print hard copies or a downloadable PDF version. Designed by LV. www.deadgood.org/shop/downloa... >KV #deathsky

Making and being in close proximity to Dad's willow coffin before, during, and after his death was one of the best things we did to tend to our grief. It was purely intuitive. One of the antecedents that led to us to DEAD GOOD as it is now. open.substack.com/pub/deadgood... >KV #deathsky

Our new riso print zine has arrived. SHROUDS ALOUD - Learn the art of DIY shroud making. Available in our webshop tomorrow as a hard copy zine or as a downloadable PDF version to print at home If you want a green burial a homemade shroud is a very real possibility. No coffin needed. >KV #deathsky

Hand-me-down Histories: the art of reusing heirloom textiles 6th May 19:30 BST online Explore the idea of stitching new life into heirloom textiles through creative reuse & personal storytelling. Join us in person or watch replay later. www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/hand-me-do... >KV #deathsky

Spent yesterday IRL in Macclesfield with my sister (LV) and our deathy friend Liz. A rare treat to be together in person. We walked in graveyards & parks & drank iced tea in the sunshine. So glad that me & LV run DEAD GOOD together. Wish our dad had lived to see it. www.deadgood.org/our-dad >KV