Dead Advice: A Guide to Living (From the Dead)
July 18, 2010 11:40 PM Subscribe
Dead Advice: A Guide to Living (From the Dead)
The premise of this site is that you have recently died, and now you're penning a letter to the rest of the world. The subject matter is open, and can be whatever you'd like: a list of things you found important, a series of regrets, or an open letter to the young. There is only one requirement. Every letter submitted to the site must begin with the same first sentence: "Now that I'm dead, I want to tell you a few things."
I was originally inspired by a series of essays by Thomas Lynch, in his book "The Undertaking." It drastically changed the way in which I viewed death, and the mourning process. It's a pretty great book, and I re-read the thing at least once a year.
I'm also a big fan of poetry, and the way in which one can make these grand declarations through poems. I wanted to provide a medium for people to proclaim large things, to look back on their lives and to say "this is what's important."
I've got a more detailed overview of the project in both the About and FAQ sections.
I hope you enjoy the letters that have been posted so far. And if you're so inclined, I invite you to submit one of your own. Thanks!
The premise of this site is that you have recently died, and now you're penning a letter to the rest of the world. The subject matter is open, and can be whatever you'd like: a list of things you found important, a series of regrets, or an open letter to the young. There is only one requirement. Every letter submitted to the site must begin with the same first sentence: "Now that I'm dead, I want to tell you a few things."
I was originally inspired by a series of essays by Thomas Lynch, in his book "The Undertaking." It drastically changed the way in which I viewed death, and the mourning process. It's a pretty great book, and I re-read the thing at least once a year.
I'm also a big fan of poetry, and the way in which one can make these grand declarations through poems. I wanted to provide a medium for people to proclaim large things, to look back on their lives and to say "this is what's important."
I've got a more detailed overview of the project in both the About and FAQ sections.
I hope you enjoy the letters that have been posted so far. And if you're so inclined, I invite you to submit one of your own. Thanks!
It's a new site, cjorgensen, so give it a break and write your own (tragic?) sex story under either the 'Love' or 'Regrets' section. Like Metafilter, this is a site that needs time to grow.
I found Dear Everyone to be particularly affecting -- not exactly a world-changer, but it provided some of the small answers that many people have sought. Part of me wonders if any of the ideas there might be expressed in a work of art, given that the presentation is similar to the PostSecret website.
posted by vhsiv at 6:29 PM on July 20, 2010
I found Dear Everyone to be particularly affecting -- not exactly a world-changer, but it provided some of the small answers that many people have sought. Part of me wonders if any of the ideas there might be expressed in a work of art, given that the presentation is similar to the PostSecret website.
posted by vhsiv at 6:29 PM on July 20, 2010
"Now that I'm dead I want to tell you a few things. Actually just one thing, really, but it's pretty important. Anyway, you know how in the movies, it's always the red wire you're supposed to cut? Turns out that's not always the case in real life."
posted by .kobayashi. at 6:41 AM on July 22, 2010 [2 favorites]
posted by .kobayashi. at 6:41 AM on July 22, 2010 [2 favorites]
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posted by cjorgensen at 6:00 PM on July 19, 2010