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Close to Death is a podcast that profiles people who spend every day working with the dead and dying. Sound depressing? It isn’t. Sound creepy? It can be! From death doulas to crime scene cleaners, obituary writers to taxidermists, human composting farms to witches who talk to the dead, these death experts have seen it all. In each episode, with the help of comedians and reporters, we’ll hear their stories and find out what they have learned about life by working with death. Hosted by Utkars ...
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Homegrown: OKC dives into a case of domestic terrorism from the past that’s really a warning about the future. Back in 1995, there was a disaster that should have prepared us for January 6th and the political violence that we’re seeing today: the Oklahoma City Bombing. Journalist Jeffrey Toobin reveals the story behind Timothy McVeigh, the Oklahoma…
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We've all been to a funeral where we've looked around and thought: "[The deceased] would have hated this." So what would it look like if we ditched the stuffy funeral homes, skipped the expensive caskets, and designed our funerals before we died? Death doula Jill Schock helps her clients have end of life celebrations that feel unique to the life th…
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When someone dies, they always leave things behind, and their loved ones are left to clean up. But sometimes, cleaning up after death means cleaning up a literal biohazardous crime scene. Comedian Mary Beth Barone spends time with people who do that kind of extreme cleanup for a living: crime scene cleaners from Spaulding Decon. They share what the…
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For years, we’ve been sold on just two ways to deal with a dead body — you either get cremated or you’re caked in makeup and placed in a casket six feet under. But there’s gotta be more options, right? Uninspired with what's on offer, comedian and journalist Francesca Fiorentini went on a tour of how to dispose of a dead body to get some ideas of w…
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It feels normal to try to preserve someone we've lost. But what does that do for us — and our grief? Comedian Mary Beth Barone seeks the wisdom of someone who makes mementos out of the once living: a very chic, very glamorous taxidermist. For a lot of us, losing a pet is our first introduction to death, and taxidermist Divya Anantharaman helps clie…
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After someone we love dies, it’s hard to get them off our minds — especially if we didn’t get the chance to say everything we needed to. But for some people, the conversation doesn’t die when their loved one does. Comedian and TV writer Jourdain Fisher confronts his fear of witches and visits Lynn Swain of Magik Craft — a woman in his hometown who …
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Greg Heller sets out to discover what actually makes an obit feel like a satisfying account of a person's life. With the guidance of professional obituary writer John Pope, Greg practices the craft by writing his own. Credits: Josh Bloch- For USG Audio Jessica Grimshaw- For USG Audio Jennifer Sears- For USG Audio Tara Frelund- For USG Audio Utkarsh…
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Close to Death is a podcast that profiles people who spend every day working with the dead and dying. Sound depressing? It isn’t. Sound creepy? It can be! From death doulas to crime scene cleaners, obituary writers to taxidermists, human composting farms to witches who talk to the dead, these death experts have seen it all. In each episode, with th…
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continue reading
