Death in the Afternoon The Order of the Good Death

The author of history's most influential piece of animal mourning literature had been lost...until now. Learn the incredible true story behind The Rainbow Bridge. 
Episode Guest
Paul Koudounaris is a  founding member of The Order of the Good Death. He has a PhD in Art History and has written three books about the use of skeletal remains in sacred spaces, Empire of Death, Heavenly Bodies, and Memento Mori. When he’s not hunting skeletons he moonlights as a cat historian, and his book co-authored by his tabby cat Baba, A Cat’s Tale: A Journey Through Feline History, was a 2020 Barnes and Noble Book of the Year.
Episode Resources
The Rainbow Bridge: The True Story Behind History’s Most Influential Piece of Animal Mourning Literature  
Episode Credits
Hosted by Caitlin Doughty 
Guest Paul Koudounaris 
Produced by the Order of the Good Death, Sarah Chavez 
Edited by Alex de Freitas
Music by Kissed Her Little Sister
Podcast artwork by Jessica Peng
The Order of the Good Death (https://www.orderofthegooddeath.com) Is supported by listeners like you! Support the Order by becoming a member (https://www.orderofthegooddeath.com/donate?)
 

A court case in California could force death doulas to become licensed funeral directors. We talk to the doula and the lawyer taking on California's Funeral and Cemetery Bureau. 
Episode Guests
Akhila Murphy is one of the original co-founders of Full Circle of Living and Dying, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit located in Grass Valley, CA.  She is a trained End-of-Life Doula and After-Death care educator. Currently she serves on the board of directors for Full Circle of Living and Dying as Founding Director and Co-Chair President. 
Ben Field is an attorney at the Institute for Justice, a national nonprofit public interest law firm that fights to secure the constitutional rights of all Americans against abuses of government power. A major part of Ben’s practice is protecting the First Amendment rights of people to speak freely in their occupations and without fear of government retaliation. He is counsel to the plaintiffs in Full Circle of Living and Dying v. Sanchez, a landmark case challenging the California Cemetery and Funeral Bureau’s restrictions on the rights of end-of-life doulas to provide advice and guidance to families about end-of-life care.
Episode Resources
Defending Your Right to a Good Death
Full Circle of Living and Dying
Home Funerals 
Institute for Justice  
 
Episode Credits
Hosted by Caitlin Doughty 
Guests Akhila Murphy and Ben Field
Produced by the Order of the Good Death,
Sarah Chavez and Lauren Ronaghan
Edited by Alex de Freitas
Music by Kissed Her Little Sister
Podcast artwork by Jessica Peng
 
The Order of the Good Death (https://www.orderofthegooddeath.com) Is supported by listeners like you! Support the Order by becoming a member (https://www.orderofthegooddeath.com/donate?)
 

Go behind the scenes with Cat Warren, who works with cadaver dogs to find the missing dead and locate Black and Indigenous burial grounds. 
 
Episode Guest
Cat Warren is the author of the NYT bestseller What the Dog Knows, which explores how scent-detection dogs help find the missing and dead, sometimes even those missing for hundreds of years. She currently researches how best to use human remains detection dogs in archaeology and to help locate African-American burial grounds.
 
Episode Resources
Cat Warren’s Website
What the Dog Knows by Cat Warren 
What Are Cadaver Dogs Teaching Us About History? 
Become an Order Member to access Cat’s 2022 event with us!
 
Episode Credits
Hosted by Caitlin Doughty 
Guest Cat Warren
Produced by the Order of the Good Death,
Sarah Chavez and Lauren Ronaghan
Edited by Alex de Freitas
Music by Kissed Her Little Sister
Podcast artwork by Jessica Peng
The Order of the Good Death (https://www.orderofthegooddeath.com) Is supported by listeners like you! Support the Order by becoming a member (https://www.orderofthegooddeath.com/donate?)
 

From viral trends to new options for your future corpse, Caitlin and Sarah review the best and worst of the past year in death, revealing how the death positive movement is making an impact on the way we do death. 
 
Episode Resources
To access The Year in Death Project, sign up to become an Order member, or make a donation of $50 or more to our nonprofit! 
 
Episode Credits:
Hosted by Caitlin Doughty 
Co-Host Sarah Chavez
Produced by the Order of the Good Death,
Sarah Chavez and Lauren Ronaghan
Edited by Alex de Freitas
Music by Kissed Her Little Sister
Podcast artwork by Jessica Peng
The Order of the Good Death (https://www.orderofthegooddeath.com) Is supported by listeners like you! Support the Order by becoming a member (https://www.orderofthegooddeath.com/donate?)

In a space of loss that is already difficult to exist in, we need to do more to understand how our language surrounding green burial can better acknowledge difficult histories and experiences. 
Episode Resources
This episode is an audio version of the article “Whose Green Burial Is It Anyway?” by Corinne Elicona. 
Green Burial 101
Locate a Green Burial Ground 
So, You Want to Be a Tree When You Die? 
How to Green Your Funeral 
Episode Credits:
Written by Corinne Elicona @CorinneElicona
Narrated by Sarah Chavez 
Produced by the Order of the Good Death,
Sarah Chavez and Lauren Ronaghan
Edited by Alex de Freitas
Music by Kissed Her Little Sister
Podcast artwork by Jessica Peng
The Order of the Good Death (https://www.orderofthegooddeath.com) Is supported by listeners like you! Support the Order by becoming a member (https://www.orderofthegooddeath.com/donate?)

Mortuary schools began as embalming schools, sponsored by embalming chemical companies. Today, mortuary schools are designed to be more holistic, covering everything a new mortician may face in the industry. But what groups are being left out of this education? The last decade has brought hard discussions around serious gaps in what is taught to students and if they're ready for the reality of working in the death industry. 
In this episode Caitlin talks with two funeral directors, Joél Maldonado and Ezra Salter to discuss race and gender in funeral education and practice. 
 
Episode Guests
Joél Maldonado is a funeral director, sacred end-of-life and grief care professional, and educator. Learn more on her website, The Grave Woman. 
Ezra Salter (they/them) is a Louisiana licensed funeral director and embalmer, a board member of Wake, a New Orleans based deathcare non-profit, and co-creator of the Louisiana LGBTQ+ End of Life Planning Guide.
 
Episode Resources
Sandi Baker article mentioned in the episode, Why Are All the Wax Heads Caucasian? 
Petition to Remove Racist and Discriminatory Language From Mortuary College Dress Codes and Handbooks
Order of the Good Death, Working in Death: How Do I Become a Mortician?
Audio excerpt from Ask a Mortician webseries, Why Are Black and White Cemeteries Still Separate? 
Cultural Competency: Black Hair and Skin Care for Non-Ethnic Funeral Professionals 
Louisiana LGBTQ EOL Guide 
Trans Death Rights Are Human Rights 
 
Episode Credits:
Hosted by Caitlin Doughty 
Produced by the Order of the Good Death,
Sarah Chavez and Lauren Ronaghan
Edited by Alex de Freitas
Music by Kissed Her Little Sister
Podcast artwork by Jessica Peng