It's a shame no one wants to talk to them at parties, because obituary writers are a surprisingly funny bunch. Ten hours before newspapers hit neighborhood doorsteps—and these days, ten minutes before news hits the web—an obit writer is racing against deadline to sum up a long and newsworthy life in under 1000 words. The details of these lives are then deposited into the cultural memory amid the daily beat of war, politics, and football scores. 

It’s back! One of Green-Wood’s most popular events returns with an afternoon of exploring some of the cemetery’s most impressive and elaborate 19th-century mausoleums. Venture inside the elaborate bronze gates of these ancient stone structures to explore stunning examples of Green-Wood’s distinct architecture. At each location, docents will offer a glimpse into the lives of the personalities who now rest in these opulent edifices.

Green-Wood celebrates LGBT History month with a special trolley tour illuminating permanent residents who have made a lasting impact on American culture in the 19th and 20th centuries. You will visit the graves of important LGBT figures including “It’s Raining Men” co-writer, Paul Jabara; sculptor of Central Park’s Bethesda Fountain, Emma Stebbins; activists, Drs. Emery Hetrick and Damien Martin; and Broadway lyricist, Fred Ebb, among others. Tour goers will mark each grave with a rainbow flag.

Join us on a special October evening to welcome New York Times bestselling author Caitlin Doughty to celebrate the release of her new book From Here to Eternity: Traveling the World to Find the Good Death. In an illustrated talk, she will recount some of the traditions detailed in the book, which include the Indonesian practice of dressing and living with the dead, the Bolivian practice of natitas (cigarette-smoking, wish-granting human skulls); and the Japanese kotsuage, in which relatives use chopsticks to pluck their loved-ones’ bones from cremation ashes.