Audiences will have the unique and unusual opportunity to write their own obituaries in a new thought-provoking workshop at this year’s national festival of humanities – Being Human Festival.

This year, the festival celebrates its 10th anniversary, and ‘Obituaries – Landmarks for Life and Living’ is just one of 230 free events taking place in November across the UK in 58 towns and cities.

Experts from Queen Margaret University (QMU), Edinburgh will host a creative and interactive workshop that aims to challenge participants to explore their own experiences and celebrate their lives in a new way.

Dr Michelle Elliot, Senior Lecturer in Occupational Therapy, Dr Giorgos Tsiris, Senior Lecturer in Music Therapy, and Dr Anthony Schrag, Reader in Arts Management and Cultural Policy, will facilitate ‘Obituaries – Landmarks for Life and Living,’ which will invite audiences to think about their life and how they want to be remembered.

Michelle Elliot said: “In an age where social media enables real-time documenting and curating images of everyday life, we invite participants to question what might be the ‘sum’ rather than the ‘parts’ of their lives.

“In most circumstances, obituaries are written after someone’s death, by someone else who is possibly going through their own experience of bereavement. What if we were to change the narrative and ask you to write your own obituary, in life, in this present moment?

“We consider this narrative exercise to be a celebration of, and reflection on, life. It allows you to look back at activities, events, and roles – do they represent what you would want to be remembered for? As you consider your life’s journey to this point, you may find the experience reflective and revealing.

“In this interactive workshop, we will look at examples of obituaries and share in conversations about what everyday life says about who we are and how we live. In this reflective space, we will explore the influences on the stories we live by, live with and perhaps aspire towards.”

2024 marks a landmark anniversary year for the Being Human Festival. Every November over the past decade, the festival invites researchers at universities and affiliated organisations to collaborate with local communities and cultural partners to present hundreds of free public engagement events. The aim is to celebrate and demonstrate the ways in which the humanities inspire and enrich our everyday lives, help us to understand ourselves, our relationships with others, and the challenges we face in a changing world.

To date, the Being Human Festival has featured more than 2,600 free events and activities, reaching over 260,000 people across the UK.

To tie in with its 10th anniversary, the theme of the festival this year is ‘Landmarks’ and will feature free events across the UK between 7-16th November.

‘Obituaries – Landmarks for Life and Living,’ will take place on 16 November 2024 at St Columba’s Hospice Care, Edinburgh from 1pm to 4pm.

To find out more, visit the Being Human Festival website – https://www.beinghumanfestival.org/

To book your free spot for ‘Obituaries – Landmarks for Life and Living,’ visit – https://www.beinghumanfestival.org/events/obituaries-landmarks-life-and-living