a trip to the other side

摘要

I study the intersections between death, dying, and the deceased. What does it mean to be dying, to be dead? The answer has changed a lot throughout history. It's not hard to figure out how I got here: My dad was a funeral director. I grew up around death. In the early 2000s, he called and asked if I'd help him exhume a grave that was about 30 years old. Unfortunately, the concrete around the casket had cracked, and the whole thing was full of water. It was a big, brown soupy mess. I got into a haz-mat suit and climbed down with a bucket and a rope.