Passed and Present: Finding Others Who “Get It”

This month, our esteemed panel of leading grief professionals will explore strategies for building new friendships and why finding others who “get it” helps. The discussion will be especially helpful leading up to the holiday season. (Mark your calendar: the final session in the series will be held before Thanksgiving on Thursday, November 16.) Everyone is welcome and there is no cost to attend.

Allison Gilbert is host of the Passed and Present event series and co-author of Listen, World!, the first biography of American writer Elsie Robinson, the highest-paid woman writer in the Hearst media empire and a young mother who, at the turn of the 20th century, grappled with the death of her only son. Through her groundbreaking work, Allison reveals that beyond self-help books and memoir, biography is a vital yet overlooked reservoir of support and healing after loss. Allison is author of numerous other books, including Passed and Present: Keeping Memories of Loved Ones Alive and Always Too Soon: Voices of Support for Those Who Have Lost Both Parents. Allison Gilbert serves on the Advisory Board of the Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors and is past Board Member of the National Alliance for Children’s Grief. Through her successful initiative Pub Day, Allison enthusiastically supports emerging and established writers to best-position their grief stories for publication. Follow her on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter at @agilbertwriter.

Barri Leiner Grant is founder of The Memory Circle, an initiative that offers individuals a safe and supportive environment to gather, remember, and celebrate the people they’ve loved and lost. As a grief coach, she offers one-on-one sessions, courses that explore grief through writing, and intimate “support circles” that bring people together to share their grief stories. Barri’s mother died of a brain aneurysm and she brings this personal experience to her work, including helping organizations develop best practices and policies around bereavement leave and employee grief support. She’s also creator of the innovative “Remember and Reflect” deck, a collection of 50 cards that encourage the bereaved to honor their unique history – no matter where they are on their grief journey.

Jenny Lisk is the author of Future Widow, winner of the New York City Big Book Award, and a widowed mom who is dedicated to helping widowed parents increase their family's well-being. In her book, Jenny reflects on losing her husband, Dennis, to brain cancer and provides a practical guide for surviving and thriving while raising grieving children. Jenny is also host of The Widowed Parent Podcast, an active member of the National Alliance for Children’s Grief, and author of two forthcoming books, Widowed Parents Unite and Kids Like Me: Stories for Grieving Children. As a seasoned interviewer, Jenny has explored loss and parenthood with more than 100 experts and authors, many of whom are also widowed parents.

The Passed and Present series, named after Allison Gilbert’s inspiring book, is sponsored by For Grief, a platform created with a single goal in mind: to provide in one place the best and most trusted resources, support, and information available to begin the healing process.

Registrants will be added to the For Grief and Reimagine e-newsletter lists.