Speaking Up About Grief, Vol 6
/ Books, Movies, and Music : Litsa Williams
We know, we know...the first week of the month is about to end and we still haven't posted a edition of 'Speaking up About Grief'. We're you starting to get worried? Oh..you weren't even keeping track...hum.
Well anyway, never fear because volume 6 is here! Don't know what this series is all about? Well, the concept is pretty darn simple: because we talk about grief a lot, we love when celebrities talk about grief too. Our culture is a bit weird when it comes to grief and death...we're kind of bad at it...so we love when people in the spotlight turn the tides and talk openly about grief. Every month we highlight celebs we love for their willingness to talk to world about this tough topic.
Glee's Chris Colfer Has to Grieve Over Cory Monteith in His Own Way
Interesting video, originally on Huffington Post, about the unique experience of the grief of the Glee cast after Cory Monteith's death and the frustration of being told how to grieve.
Judy Blume's Tiger Eyes
So, I would worry about dating myself by saying I grew up on Judy Blume, but at this point there are a range of girls from 10 to 50 who grew up on Judy Blume so I guess it is safe. Facing all sorts of weird, uncomfortable topics Judy Blume was always there to let you know you were normal. She was controversial because she was honest. Tiger Eyes may not be the most edgy of her works, but it dealt with the tough topics of death and dislocation that were very adult for a young adult book. We love that Judy Blume was facing death and grief and all sorts of other tough topics in 1981 and we love that 31 years later its finally on the big screen, with her son directing. Thanks Judy Blume for normalizing all our weird, crazy teenage feelings, including the grief feelings! Check out the trailer below, and go over to NPR if you want to check out an interview with her on the making of this film.
Vince Neil on the Death of His Daughter, Skylar
Nate Berkus on surviving the 2004 tsunami which also took the life of his partner, Fernando Bengoechea
This is an old clip from Oprah's 'Super Soul Sunday' series. Nate's perspective on the 'gift' of witnessing his partner disappear is really interesting as well as his take on how witnessing tragedy has changed his life and worldview. You can also read an article about this interview on Huffington Post and the lessons the tsunami taught Nate about grief and loss. In this article Nate makes some interesting observations about the different roles his friends and his family were able to take on, those he might never have suspected to be good support turned out to be just the people he needed and vice versa.
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Jennifer Simpson August 9, 2013 at 11:34 am
I recently discovered this site–loving it! finding so many cool things to write about, and to bank for sharing– I am a volunteer bereavement group facilitator working with teens and young adults.
Litsa August 9, 2013 at 2:31 pm
Welcome and glad you found us Jennifer! Thanks for the positive feedback- always nice to know people are finding our posts useful!