Grave Matters on SBS Podcasts – Get ready to explore some of the biggest taboos and questions we all face around death, grief and mourning, guided by hosts Nadine J. Cohen and Anthony Levin. Over 10 episodes, the duo chat to a forensic scientist, Muslim death doula, First Nations grief counsellor, trauma therapist, climate researcher, tech innovator and more.
Long-time friends, Cohen is a writer and refugee advocate, and Levin is a human rights lawyer and writer. They share a willingness to confront these difficult topics with heart and humour.
“Grave Matters looks at death and dying from all angles. We meet incredible people doing work they’re very passionate about, and some have real character. It’s not a morbid or depressing podcast. It’s a fascinating look into a world we could all know more about,”
– said Cohen.
Both Cohen and Levin explain that death was a theme in their lives from an early age.
“I’ve always been surrounded by death. Both my maternal grandparents are Holocaust survivors, they lost their entire families,”
– said Levin.
In episode one, the pair explore how modern funerals often condense a person’s life into a highlight reel, speaking with death doula and funeral director Bec Lyons, an advocate for family-led death care.
“It was great chatting to Bec, who has a lot of experience in both the commercial and independent death sectors, and learning that the rituals commonly prescribed by funeral homes don’t serve everyone’s bereavements,”
– said Levin.
Other episodes look at innovations making the funeral industry more environmentally sustainable, such as human composting; a new model for processing and healing grief and loss; and a Norwegian scientist studying human decomposition to solve crimes.
“Every episode explores and celebrates practices that widen the narrow paradigm of Western grief and mourning,”
– said Levin.
Listen to Grave Matters at SBS Audio, the SBS Audio app on iOS and Google Play Store, LiSTNR, Spotify, Apple Podcasts and other podcast platforms from Wednesday March 6.
Grave Matters on SBS Podcasts
Grave Matters on SBS Podcasts
About Nadine J. Cohen
Nadine is a Sydney-based writer and refugee advocate. Her opinion pieces, essays, satire and reviews have been published widely, with bylines in The Guardian, The Saturday Paper, Sydney Morning Herald, ABC, Crikey, Harper’s Bazaar, Elle and more. In 2018, she co-founded Hope for Nauru, a volunteer-run not-for-profit that served refugees and asylum seekers detained on Nauru. Nadine’s debut novel, Everyone and Everything, was released by Pantera Press in 2023 to critical acclaim. Grave Matters is her first podcast.
About Anthony Levin
Anthony is an award-winning human rights lawyer and writer based in Sydney. His writing has appeared in journals, books and print media including Men’s Style, The Punch (News Corp), VIVA Magazine and Prospect Magazine (UK). Anthony has acted in and written comedy for stage, film and TV, and has also been featured on TV and radio programs such as ABC Breakfast with Fran Kelly, ‘Science Friction’ with Natasha Mitchell, and ABC’s Compass program ‘Faith & Funerals’. Grave Matters is his first foray into podcasts.
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