Becoming Death Literate

There are many kinds of literacy including digital and health as well as traditional reading & writing. One event at the State Library explored literacy as it applies to death, grief, and end-of-life care.

Photo courtesy of Metro Arts

Our Creative in Residence, Matt Finch, teamed up with Brisbane’s arts organisation Metro Arts for an exploration of the conversations we have around end of life in contemporary Queensland.

Matt hosted a panel including Fiona Hawthorne, general manager at the children’s hospice Hummingbird House; Ian Mellor, who manages medical bequests for Queensland University of Technology; and Dr Sarah Winch, healthcare ethicist at the University of Queensland and author of Best Death Possible: A guide to dying in Australia.

It’s a challenging topic, but one which affects every community. Listen to the panel online and find out more via SLQ’s John Oxley Library.