Hosted by Jo Jensen & Brooks Kasson

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About this Death Cafe

Jo and Brooks initiated the first Death Cafe in Texas (right here in Austin) in June 2013 and continue to gather with like-minded individuals every month at Cafe Express on Lamar. We always have lively discussions on life, death and the various and precious moments in between.

If you want to enjoy some great food before the gathering, Cafe Express offers a wonderful menu.  Come early so you can finish your dinner before the meeting starts!

Bring yourself and your thoughts on the impermance of life to Death Cafe Austin on the first Wednesday of the month! You might be surprised with the depth of conversation...and the brownies are to die for!!! 

About Jo Jensen & Brooks Kasson

JO JENSEN:

My best friend died of cancer at the youthful age of 44. She taught me how to "live into dying" and I think of her remarkable journey every time I see a butterfly (she promised to send them to me). Nowadays, my pastoral care ministry as a full-time oncology chaplain often affords me the honor of sitting with patients and family members in the "what's next?" chair and walking with them into the unknown.  

As someone once told me, the old game of "Hide 'n Seek we played as children can teach us a lot about the end of life. Death's pronouncement of "ready or not, here I come" gives me pause. The concept of Death Cafe feels like a natural, inviting, safe and spacious way for those of us in the Central Texas area of Austin to explore our concerns, fears, thoughts, and interests related to the end-of-life journey as well as making the most of every present moment we have - living in the now!

BROOKS KASSON:

I bever unerstood why I joined the Austin Memorial and Burial Society when I was a youngster in my early thirties. It just seemed like the right thing to do. Thirty-five years later, I am beginning to get it.

For the last few decades, I have been looking for answers to who I am and why I'm here. This discovery process has led me into the twelve-steps, into sweat lodges, a massage calling, motherhood, wifehood, art pursuits, and a meditation practice.

I am wanting to appreciate life in all its myriad forms and complexities. One of the most effective ways I know to value something is to want it and not to have it. Rather than wait until I'm dead to truly appreciate life, I am excited about exploring its opposite through the Death Cafe medium. I want to share others' ideas and expericences of this end-of-life process in order to treasure all the diversity and richness that is inherent in being alive.