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Sunday in the Cemetery
December 7th , 10:00am – 6:00pm
Sunday in the Cemetery is a day-long exploration of mortality at Green-Wood. We invite you to candidly engage with grief and death through a compassionate, supportive lens. This free, open-house style event brings together leading experts for engaging talks, workshops, and guided tours that illuminate end-of-life care, funeral traditions, and memorial arts. Through personal stories and interactive experiences, discover community through shared human experiences and gain insights into how we can each live well and remember meaningfully.
Price: Free. Donations encouraged.
(see details below)
Before Registering, Please Note:
- Registration: Advanced reservation is strongly recommended. We may reach capacity, potentially turning away late arrivals. While registration is recommended, it does not guarantee entry. Only one space may be reserved per person.
- Location: Programs will take place at various locations and times throughout the day. Please check the schedule for details on your selected events.
- Donation: Although programs are free, we invite each registrant to support Green-Wood’s ongoing death education initiatives through a voluntary contribution, enabling us to continue offering meaningful community programs throughout the year.
- Accessibility & Safety: The Modern Chapel is not fully ADA compliant; however, accommodations for entrance can be made for visitors using wheelchairs or other mobility aids. Before reserving tickets, we encourage visitors to contact our staff with any questions regarding accommodations and accessibility at 718-210-3080, ext. 1, or events@green-wood.com.
- A Little More About Safety: Unless there is a medical emergency, it may be difficult to easily exit during certain tours. Please consider these limitations before registering.
Program Schedule
See the program below for event descriptions and links to register. More programs to be added and a full lineup of panelists forthcoming.
Too Poor to Die: A Reading & Conversation
10am–11:30am
Lecture in the Modern Chapel – Chapel A
Explore the politics and power of memorialization with Amy Shea, author of Too Poor to Die: The Hidden Realities of Dying in the Margins. She will be joined in conversation by Emma Acker of All’s Well Initiative, an organization providing End-of-Life Doula services to the unhoused, and Elsie Soto the Director of Friends of Hart Island, New York City’s public cemetery. Together, they’ll consider how we remember and honor those who have died, especially those without family or resources.
The conversation will be moderated by Gabrielle Gatto, Green-Wood’s Manager of Public Programs. A book signing will follow the conversation, with books available for purchase.
About the presenters:
Amy Shea is an essayist with an MFA and a doctorate in creative writing. In addition to her latest publication, her work has appeared in literary journals across the U.S. She works as the Writing Program Director for Mount Tamalpais College, a free community college for the incarcerated people of San Quentin Rehabilitation Center.
Emma Acker has been working as an end-of-life doula since 2017. In 2021, Emma founded All’s Well Initiative to provide compassionate end-of-life care across the socioeconomic spectrum of New York City. Partnering with the Pathways Program at All Angels’ Church on NYC’s Upper West Side, Emma created the Health Care “Proxy Project” supporting unhoused individuals. Emma joined University of Vermont’s End-of-Life Doula Professional Certificate Program as an academic instructor in 2025. She is a founding team member of Here to Honor.
Elsie Soto is the Director of Friends of Hart Island and a public health advocate dedicated to preserving dignity, remembrance, and access to New York City’s public cemetery, where her father was buried during the AIDS epidemic in 1993. Elsie leads citywide efforts to landmark Hart Island and expand visitation for families, blending advocacy, education, and public health awareness. Her work has been recognized by New York City mayors and featured in The New York Times, Society Magazine (France), and numerous local, national, and international publications.
About the book:
Too Poor to Die: The Hidden Realities of Dying in the Margins is a collection of essays that take the reader on a journey into what happens to those who die while experiencing homelessness or who end up indigent or unclaimed at the end of life. Too Poor to Die highlights the disparities in death and dying faced by some of society’s most marginalized and underscores how privilege and access play a role in death as in life.
Everything You Were Dying to Know About New York Cemeteries
10am–11:30am
Lecture in the Modern Chapel – Chapel B
Ever wonder how cemeteries in New York are managed, who owns what, or what it means to be a lot owner? Join Kerry McGovern, Investigator with the New York State Department of State’s Division of Cemeteries, as she presents an overview of how New York’s regulated cemeteries operate and the laws that guide their preservation and governance.
This presentation offers an easy-to-understand overview of cemetery governance—a system far more complex and compelling than you might imagine. Whether you’re a Green-Wood lot holder or simply curious about how public cemeteries operate, you’ll learn how these sacred places are preserved and how you can play a role in keeping them thriving for generations to come.
The Division of Cemeteries oversees the establishment, maintenance, and preservation of burial grounds for approximately 1,700 not-for-profit cemeteries in New York State. As authorized by the Not-for-Profit Corporation Law, the division works with cemetery officials on a wide range of issues including the sale of lots, service fees, and the acquisition of land.
A Final Contribution: Understanding Body Donation to Science
12–1:30pm
Lecture in the Modern Chapel – Chapel A
What does it mean to donate your body to science? This informative and compassionate program explores the often-misunderstood process of whole-body donation—what it involves, why it matters, and how it supports medical education and scientific advancement.
Led by experts in medical ethics, anatomy, and end-of-life planning, this session will walk participants through the practical steps of body donation and address common questions about eligibility, religious considerations, and how the choice aligns with personal values.
Whether you’re considering donation for yourself or a loved one, this conversation will provide clarity and compassion around this meaningful end-of-life choice. A Q&A session will follow, inviting you to engage directly with the panelists.
What Do I Doula?
12–1:30pm
Lecture meets in the Modern Chapel – Chapel B
Join death and grief doulas, alongside death educators, for a discussion about the far-reaching services of a doula. Learn how you can use their services and how they can be a resource when supporting others.
You’ll hear from grief doulas, pet loss doulas, legacy doulas, eco doulas, vigil doulas, administrative doulas, and many more. (Not sure what that means? Don’t worry, we’ll tell you all about it!)
Whether you’re exploring doula services for yourself, considering training, or seeking resources to help others, this conversation will illuminate the diverse ways doulas can provide compassionate support during life’s most challenging transitions.
Writing about Grief
2–3:30pm
Panel Conversation in the Modern Chapel – Chapel A
Loss touches every life, yet each person’s journey through grief remains uniquely their own. This panel brings together writers who center grief in their work to explore how the act of artistic creation serves as both a pathway through mourning and a means to connect with others navigating similar terrain.
This conversation welcomes writers, readers, and anyone walking their own path through loss. Together, we’ll discover how words can help us make sense of grief—its sorrow and its revelations, its endings and unexpected beginnings. The panel will conclude with an interactive Q&A.
Sibling Loss
2–3:30pm
Panel Conversation in the Modern Chapel – Chapel B
Sibling loss is often called a “forgotten grief,” overlooked by society and frequently misunderstood. This panel brings together writers, mental health professionals, and individuals with lived experience to explore the profound complexity of grieving a sibling and how that loss shapes identity, memory, and family dynamics throughout one’s life.
Whether your loss is recent or long ago, whether you’re grieving or supporting someone else, this conversation will offer validation, insight, and space to reflect on the enduring bond between siblings that persists even after death. A moderated Q&A will follow, allowing attendees to share questions and stories.
Grieving and Weaving
4–6:00pm
Hands-on Workshop in Chapel B
Join us for an afternoon of knitting and crocheting that explores creativity, contemplation, and healing through textile arts. Led by artist Mary Pat Klein, discover the therapeutic potential of tactile crafts in processing grief.
All skill levels are welcome; tutorials are available for beginners, and experienced crafters of any medium may work on their new or ongoing projects. A limited number of materials for crafting will be provided on a first-come, first-served basis.
Mary Pat Klein is a renowned yarn craftsperson whose work has been part of Oscar-nominated costume design teams and has been featured on Broadway and television.
Sacred Grounds: Sips & Stories
4–6:00pm
Meet and Greet in the Modern Chapel – Chapel A
At this intimate and informal gathering, Green-Wood’s gravediggers, crematory operators, and memorial counselors, alongside local death-care-industry professionals and community members, will join together for candid and supportive conversations about death work.
While mingling over light refreshments, you’ll have unprecedented access to the professionals who quietly steward our final transitions and work to demystify death care.
Green-Wood’s public programs are made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature, as well as the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs.