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Edwidge Danticat: The Art of Death

3,359 views · Published 29 November 2017 · 51:01 · Indexed 29 October 2026

Channel: Chicago Humanities · 2017 · Nonprofits & Activism

Writers are told to "write what you know," yet death is ultimately unknowable. We can witness the moment right before, but the next reality remains elusive and writers unavoidably focus on life. Two-time National Book Award finalist Edwidge Danticat comes to CHF to discuss her astute and intimate The Art of Death, a personal account of her mother's death from cancer and a deeply considered reckoning of how other writers, from Toni Morrison to C.S. Lewis, have approached death in their own work. Tracie Hall Director of Culture Program at the Joyce Foundation, joins Danticat for this profound and moving discussion.

This annual lecture is supported by the Doris Conant Endowment for Programs on Women and Culture.

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