Death Over Dinner

This event is part of Spirit & Dust, an exhibition on death and dying curated by Diane Callahan and Michelle Burdine.

In this closing reception, guests will participate in facilitated conversations about end-of-life concerns while sharing a meal together. Visitors are encouraged to bring a loved one to join in a candid, welcoming conversation about death and what it means to be alive.

The evening will begin with a poetry reading from Atlas, a Columbus-based poet and co-founder of The Grief Club, a community organization dedicated to creating intentional spaces for people to explore grief and healing.

This is a free event with a provided buffet, but the gallery can only accommodate 50 attendees, so please RSVP to reserve your spot.

Atlas is a Columbus-based poet, storyteller, educator, and U.S. Air Force veteran whose work explores grief, Black masculinity, fatherhood, intimacy, memory, and the complicated search for home. He holds an MFA in Creative Writing from Miami University and is the co-founder of The Grief Club, a community organization that creates spaces for people to process loss through storytelling and collective care. His current manuscript, holy even now, examines what remains sacred in a life shaped by love, survival, inheritance, and loss. Through poetry, Atlas invites Black men and boys to encounter themselves beyond what they have endured and to imagine healing as something practiced in community.

Death Over Dinner is a global initiative founded by author Michael Hebb and co-founder Angel Grant to transform how society approaches the conversation around mortality. Launched as an interactive online platform, the organization provides free tools, curated reading materials, and guided prompts that empower individuals to host dinner parties aimed at discussing end-of-life planning and personal wishes in a comfortable, meaningful setting. Since its inception, the initiative has inspired hundreds of thousands of gatherings worldwide.

Visiting Urban Arts Space

50 W. Town St., Ste. 130Columbus, OH 43215Located in the historic Lazarus Building in downtown Columbus.

Admission to our exhibitions and programs is free!

View this map for parking garage options, with street parking on Rich, Front, and Wall Street, or go to our Accessibility page for bike or bus directions.

• Columbus Commons Parking Garage (Always has ample parking on the upper floors)
• Ohio Statehouse Parking Garage (Enter from westbound Broad Street or Third Street—we recommend this garage when accessibility is a concern)
• Riffe Center Parking Garage (Enter from Front Street)