The schedule for the 4th annual Before I Die New Mexico Virtual Festival, four days of death-positive conversations and experiences, is now available. Live online theater and movies, book panel discussions, Death Cafes, funeral industry experts, and a Halloween VIP Experience are on tap. Events will take place over Zoom October 30 to November 2, 2020, at www.BeforeIDieNM.com.
Tickets for Before I Die New Mexico Virtual Festival events range from one-day passes for $20, to all four days for $50, to the VIP Experience at $100. Tickets are available here
The Virtual Festival includes online videos featuring behind-the-scenes tours and past Before I Die NM Festival panel discussions and speakers. Videos are accessible any time for free through this Festival web page.
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 30 (Create a Great Funeral Day)
10:00 a.m. "Where the Bodies Are Buried" panel discussion with cemeterians about new approaches to cemetery use and creative community outreach. Panelists include:
- Chris Keller, Sunset Memorial Park, Albuquerque, NM
- Joshua McManigal, Fairview Memorial Park, Albuquerque, and Vista Verde Memorial Park, Rio Rancho, NM
- Paul Williams, Historic Congressional Cemetery, Washington, D.C.
- Heather Leigh, Greenhaven Memorial Gardens, Elgin, SC
- Alesia Skinner, Paxtang Cemetery, Harrisburg, PA
11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Death Cafe discussion - an opportunity to discuss what's on your mind about mortality issues.
1:30 to 2:30 p.m. "How to Hold a Virtual Memorial Service" with Mandy Benoualid, President of Keeper.
3:00 to 4:30 p.m. "Raising the Bar on Our Funeral Traditions" It's time to take our goodbye celebrations up a notch. And that doesn't mean a great photo montage. It means getting involved, rolling up your sleeves, and honoring and celebrating with all that you've got. With this new vision, you'll never see funerals the same way again. Kyle Tevlin is the founder of I Want a Fun Funeral, a consulting company helping people create deeply meaningful and unforgettable goodbye celebrations.
5:00 p.m. "Women Who Know: What the Dead Want to Tell You" panel discussion with four women who communicate with those who have died:
View last year's panel discussion with these women
7:00 p.m. Mortality Movie: CARPET KINGDOM – Enjoy this short film about funeral plans gone awry and join in a post-viewing discussion.
Get Tickets Here: https://beforeidienm.com/virtual-festival-tickets-on-sale/
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 31 (Halloween)
9:00 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. "The Woo-Woo Side of Death" – a discussion with internationally renowned psychic, speaker and author Tammy Holmes, and paranormal investigator and ghost hunter Matthew Goldman.
11:00 a.m. Workshop: "Why You Need an Advance Healthcare Directive" – Jan Wilson presents on why an Advance Healthcare Directive is important, how to choose your health proxy, what to include in the directive and how to have that vital conversation with your loved ones. Resources will be emailed ahead of the session.
1:00 to 2:30 p.m. Death Cafe discussion - an opportunity to discuss what's on your mind about mortality issues.
3:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. Mortality Movie: PLOTS – short film of the play by Los Alamos playwright Robert Benjamin. A couple visits the grave of a husband's first wife, as his second wife realizes his funeral plans differ from her vision for final resting arrangements. Performance followed by an audience talk back session.
4:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. Book Discussion: Wonder Widows authors Trish Comer, Peggy Langenwalter, and Jennifer Cox Horak discuss how they are empowering women to break the silence of widowhood.
7:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. VIP Experience Halloween Zoom Party with film clips from Dia de los Muertos animated films COCO and BOOK OF LIFE, "Show & Tales" with Martie McNabb of Memories Out of the Box, helping you share the stories behind a treasured object, and fun interactive activities.
Get Tickets Here: https://beforeidienm.com/virtual-festival-tickets-on-sale/
SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 1 (All Saints Day)
9:00 a.m. to 9:45 a.m. Q&A about Historic Fairview Cemetery, established in Albuquerque, NM in 1881, with Susan Schwartz, Cemetery Historian. The nonprofit organization that runs the cemetery maintains the grounds and shares the history of Albuquerque and New Mexico with the public. Part of Festival ticket sales and sponsorships are donated to this 501(c)(3) organization.
10:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. Death Cafe discussion - an opportunity to discuss what's on your mind about mortality issues.
12:00 p.m. to 12:45 p.m. Book Discussion: Cruel Death, Heartless Aftermath: My Family's End-of-Life Nightmare, and How to Avoid It by Barbara Mancini. In 2013, she was arrested and prosecuted in Pennsylvania on the charge of aiding the attempted suicide of her dying 93-year old father after handing him his prescribed morphine five days before his death. Millions of Americans could easily suffer a similar family tragedy.
1:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. Panel Discussion: "Prospects for Medical Aid in Dying in New Mexico" with New Mexico leaders discussing the path to pass state legislation in January. Participants include Barak Wolff, MPH, Founding Member, NM End of Life Options Coalition; Rob Schwarz, Emeritus Professor, UNM Law School, and Elizabeth Armijo, Western Field Director, Compassion & Choices.
3:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. Mortality Theatre: ULTIMATE PRECISION – Live Zoom theatre production of the short play by Los Alamos playwright Robert Benjamin. A man works on his own obituary, to the consternation of his wife. Performance followed by an audience talk back session.
5:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. "Millennial Morticians with ABQ Brews" – join in this lively discussion with young professionals in the funeral and cemetery business.
7:00 p.m. to 8:15 p.m. "Property Reincarnation: Giving New Life to the "Stuff" of our Lives" – Karen Hyatt, Founder, Estate Pros.
Get Tickets Here: https://beforeidienm.com/virtual-festival-tickets-on-sale/
MONDAY, NOVEMBER 2 (All Souls Day)
10:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. Book Discussion: "Managing Our Loved Ones' Possessions Before and After They Die" with Allison Gilbert, author of Passed and Present, Rachel Kodanaz, author of Finding Peace, One Piece at a Time, Bill Shapiro and Karen Wax, authors of What We Keep, and Karen Hyatt, Estate Pros.
12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m. Panel Discussion: "Funeral Directors' Experiences in COVID Hot Spots" with funeral directors Amy Cunningham (New York City), Syd Waldman (Houston) and others sharing their experiences at the peak of coronavirus deaths in their cities.
1:30 to 2:45 p.m. "COVID-19 Advance Care Planning: Who Will Speak for You?" with Garrick Colwell, Kitchen Table Conversations. If you became seriously ill with COVID-19, what are your treatment options? Do you want to be intubated and on a ventilator? What about CPR? Be prepared, take control now, make your COVID-19 medical plan.
3:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. Death Cafe discussion - a chance to discuss what's on your mind about mortality issues.
5:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. Fathers Building Futures (FBF) panel discussion. FBF is a nonprofit social enterprise that provides jobs and skills to ex-convicts to reduce recidivism. They make pine caskets, wooden urns, and household wood products. Part of Festival ticket sales and sponsorships are donated to this 501(c)(3) organization.
7:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Mortality Theatre: ALLOCATING THE JEWELS – Live Zoom theatre production of the short play by Los Alamos playwright Robert Benjamin. A woman with a terminal illness seeks to find new homes for her valuables before she dies. Performance followed by an audience talk back session.
Get Tickets Here: https://beforeidienm.com/virtual-festival-tickets-on-sale/
Festival Sponsors
Thank you to these sponsors of the Before I Die New Mexico Virtual Festival:
A portion of the sponsorship proceeds and ticket sales from the Before I Die NM Virtual Festival will be donated to these 501(c)(3) charitable partners:
Gail Rubin, CT, is author and host of the award-winning book and television series, A Good Goodbye: Funeral Planning for Those Who Don’t Plan to Die, Hail and Farewell: Cremation Ceremonies, Templates and Tips, and KICKING THE BUCKET LIST: 100 Downsizing and Organizing Things to Do Before You Die.
Rubin is a Certified Thanatologist (that's a death educator) and a popular speaker who uses humor and films to get the end-of-life and funeral planning conversation started. She "knocked 'em dead" with her TEDx talk, A Good Goodbye. She provides continuing education credit classes for attorneys, doctors, nurses, social workers, hospice workers, financial planners, funeral directors and other professionals. She's a Certified Funeral Celebrant and funeral planning consultant who has been interviewed in national and local print, broadcast and online media.
Known as The Doyenne of Death®, she is the event coordinator of the Before I Die NM Festival. She also hosts A Good Goodbye Internet radio show and produces Mortality Minute radio and online video spots. Her YouTube Channel features more than 450 videos!
Rubin is a member of the Association for Death Education and Counseling, the International Cemetery, Cremation and Funeral Association, Toastmasters International and the National Speakers Association New Mexico Chapter. Her speaking profile is available at eSpeakers.com.
Gail Rubin has been interviewed about funeral planning issues in national and local broadcast, print and online media. Outlets include The Huffington Post, Money Magazine, Kiplinger, CBS Radio News, WGN-TV, and local affiliates for NPR, PBS, FOX, ABC-TV, CBS-TV and NBC-TV. Albuquerque Business First named her as one of their 2019 Women of Influence.
Sign up for a free planning form and occasional informative newsletter at her website, AGoodGoodbye.com.