Upcoming events
Sitting with Impermanence
Join us at the Iowa City Zen Center for a short period of meditation along with a short reading to prompt a discussion on impermanence. We’re currently reading a book by Pema Chödrön. While there is a Buddhist flavor to this event, everyone is welcome. No experience with meditation is necessary.
November Grief Support Group for People Under 50
Tuesday, November 4, 2025 from 6-7pm at Press Coffee
For people under 50 who've experienced a significant personal loss, join us the first Tuesday of every month for a confidential and donation-based grief support group.
Led by a facilitator trained in grief and end of life, and no RSVP required. For more information or additional questions, reach out to the Death Collective of Eastern Iowa at info@deathcollectiveeasterniowa.com.
Iowa City Senior Center Death Cafe
A Death Café is a safe place for people to talk about death in order to make the most of life. New people are encouraged to join anytime. This is not a bereavement support group or grief counseling session. This is open to people of all ages, no membership or registration required. For more information on the purpose of this group, visit deathcafe.com or contact Michelle at 319-356-5222.
Writing Grief
Grief is a process, not an event. Writing is a process, not a product. Which is why it’s so well suited to helping us unravel our way through the confusion and pain of all kinds of loss.
This monthly writing group will provide supportive space, prompts, and short readings focused on the experience of loss. There are many kinds of grief — this class is inspired by Francis Weller’s Five Gates of Grief — and we’ll spend time with many of them.
The group meets the first Saturday of each month from 10:00 to 11:30 am CT. Each session includes:
arrival and centering
a reading and brief exploration of a theme
a prompt and 20-30 minutes of writing
sharing (by choice) of our writing
Each class is on a sliding scale according to ability to pay. See more info below.
WHEN: First Saturday of each month, 10:00-11:30 am Central Time
WHERE: In-person option at Porch Light Literary Center, Iowa City OR on Zoom
REGISTER: https://bit.ly/GriefWriting
Sitting with Impermanence
Join us at the Iowa City Zen Center for a short period of meditation along with a short reading to prompt a discussion on impermanence. We’re currently reading a book by Pema Chödrön. While there is a Buddhist flavor to this event, everyone is welcome. No experience with meditation is necessary.
Iowa City Senior Center Death Cafe
A Death Café is a safe place for people to talk about death in order to make the most of life. New people are encouraged to join anytime. This is not a bereavement support group or grief counseling session. This is open to people of all ages, no membership or registration required. For more information on the purpose of this group, visit deathcafe.com or contact Michelle at 319-356-5222.
Grieving Your Loss
Grieving Your Loss: A professionally led support group for persons who have experienced the death of a loved one. The group meets the 2nd and 4th Wednesdays of each month. No pre-registration is required and open to all community members.
Open Hours with an End-of-Life Doula
Join us at The Goose Nest, a space in the heart of Goosetown, Iowa City, where conversations about death and grief are welcomed with openness and care.
Whether you're seeking heartfelt connection, logistical or practical support, or space for quiet reflection, you're welcome here. Come with questions, with grief, or just curiosity. Come to share, to listen, to learn, or to rest. You can simply stop in to say “Hello.”
You don’t need to prepare anything. Everyone is welcome. There is no cost, your presence is a gift.
Sitting with Impermanence
Join us at the Iowa City Zen Center for a short period of meditation along with a short reading to prompt a discussion on impermanence. We’re currently reading a book by Pema Chödrön. While there is a Buddhist flavor to this event, everyone is welcome. No experience with meditation is necessary.
Grief Support Group (for people under 30)
Join us at the Goose Nest for a grief support group geared toward individuals under 30 who have experienced a significant loss and are looking for support or to share their grief experience.
Led by Mary McCall and Whit Martinez.
Email mccallconsulting22@gmail.com with questions.
Street parking available.
November Death Cafe
What is a Death Café? An open-ended, informal community conversation about the end of life without any particular goal or agenda.
Why a Death Café? What to expect?
• Arrive at the Greenhouse, grab a tasty drink and some snacks if you’d like, then sit at a table with some other participants. Facilitators will be present to answer any questions and give a brief introduction before conversations begin. Participants practice active, engaged listening with respect for others’ views and experiences.
• Ground rules: respect, compassion, support, and confidentiality. Death Cafés are not designed to focus on bereavement and grief support, but open-ended questions and conversation.
• What happens in a Death Café stays in a Death Café.
Grieving Your Loss
Grieving Your Loss: A professionally led support group for persons who have experienced the death of a loved one. The group meets the 2nd and 4th Wednesdays of each month. No pre-registration is required and open to all community members.
Iowa City Senior Center Death Cafe
A Death Café is a safe place for people to talk about death in order to make the most of life. New people are encouraged to join anytime. This is not a bereavement support group or grief counseling session. This is open to people of all ages, no membership or registration required. For more information on the purpose of this group, visit deathcafe.com or contact Michelle at 319-356-5222.
December Grief Support Group for People Under 50
Tuesday, December 2, 2025 from 6-7pm at Press Coffee
For people under 50 who've experienced a significant personal loss, join us the first Tuesday of every month for a confidential and donation-based grief support group.
Led by a facilitator trained in grief and end of life, and no RSVP required. For more information or additional questions, reach out to the Death Collective of Eastern Iowa at info@deathcollectiveeasterniowa.com.
Grief Support Group (for people under 30) (Copy)
Join us at the Goose Nest for a grief support group geared toward individuals under 30 who have experienced a significant loss and are looking for support or to share their grief experience.
Led by Mary McCall and Whit Martinez.
Email mccallconsulting22@gmail.com with questions.
Street parking available.
Grieving Your Loss
Grieving Your Loss: A professionally led support group for persons who have experienced the death of a loved one. The group meets the 2nd and 4th Wednesdays of each month. No pre-registration is required and open to all community members.
Grief Support Group (for people under 30) (Copy) (Copy)
Join us at the Goose Nest for a grief support group geared toward individuals under 30 who have experienced a significant loss and are looking for support or to share their grief experience.
Led by Mary McCall and Whit Martinez.
Email mccallconsulting22@gmail.com with questions.
Street parking available.
COME SEE ME IN THE GOOD LIGHT Film Screening
A poignant and unexpectedly funny love story about poets Andrea Gibson and Megan Falley facing an incurable cancer diagnosis with joy, wit and an unshakable partnership. Through laughter and unwavering love, they transform pain into purpose, and mortality into a moving celebration of resilience.
Cemetery Walk with Professor Brandon Dean
Learn how to "read" a cemetery, explore the porous boundaries between the living and the dead, meet the Black Angel, and more with UI Assistant Professor of Instruction in the Religious Studies department!
Open Hours with an End-of-Life Doula
Join us at The Goose Nest, a space in the heart of Goosetown, Iowa City, where conversations about death and grief are welcomed with openness and care.
Whether you're seeking heartfelt connection, logistical or practical support, or space for quiet reflection, you're welcome here. Come with questions, with grief, or just curiosity. Come to share, to listen, to learn, or to rest. You can simply stop in to say “Hello.”
You don’t need to prepare anything. Everyone is welcome. There is no cost, your presence is a gift.
Cedar Rapids - Sunset Cemetery Walk + Death Cafe
Please be sure to direct message or rsvp as "going" on this event’s facebook page so we can plan accordingly. We will provide the final address closer to the event.
Join death doulas on this cemetery walk to honor the dead and the living in this Samhain autumnal season. Cemeteries offer a peaceful environment for quiet thought and reflection.
We will practice mindful walking, while respectfully staying on paths, and avoiding loud conversations. We will have a little history about Cedar Rapids’ Oak Hill Cemetery, but please bring any information or history to the conversation. After a short walk with the remaining sun light, we will walk to a nearby community home for a Death Cafe.
A Death Cafe is a discussion group for folks to freely talk about death in a safe, confidential, and respectful environment, with the primary goal of increasing awareness of death to help people make the most of their lives.
Please feel free to bring anything to share; snacks, art, journaling, curiosities to engage with during the Death Cafe or just an open mind. There will be light refreshments and snacks at the Death Cafe.
October Death Cafe
What is a Death Café? An open-ended, informal community conversation about the end of life without any particular goal or agenda.
Why a Death Café? What to expect?
• Arrive at the Greenhouse, grab a tasty drink and some snacks if you’d like, then sit at a table with some other participants. Facilitators will be present to answer any questions and give a brief introduction before conversations begin. Participants practice active, engaged listening with respect for others’ views and experiences.
• Ground rules: respect, compassion, support, and confidentiality. Death Cafés are not designed to focus on bereavement and grief support, but open-ended questions and conversation.
• What happens in a Death Café stays in a Death Café.
Sitting with Impermanence
Join us at the Iowa City Zen Center for a short period of meditation along with a short reading to prompt a discussion on impermanence. We’re currently reading a book by Pema Chödrön. While there is a Buddhist flavor to this event, everyone is welcome. No experience with meditation is necessary.
Grief Support Group
A grief support group meeting on the 2nd and 4th Thursdays at Zion Lutheran Church (310 N Johnson St, Iowa City). The group meets from 3:30-5:00pm in Zion Lutheran’s lower level Gathering Room.
Suggested donation is $10-20 per person. Attendees can just show up or email Mary at mccallconsulting22@gmail.com for information. This group meets in-person only.
Sitting with Impermanence
Join us at the Iowa City Zen Center for a short period of meditation along with a short reading to prompt a discussion on impermanence. We’re currently reading a book by Pema Chödrön. While there is a Buddhist flavor to this event, everyone is welcome. No experience with meditation is necessary.
Sitting with Impermanence
Join us at the Iowa City Zen Center for a short period of meditation along with a short reading to prompt a discussion on impermanence. We’re currently reading a book by Pema Chödrön. While there is a Buddhist flavor to this event, everyone is welcome. No experience with meditation is necessary.
Grief Support Group
A grief support group meeting on the 2nd and 4th Thursdays at Zion Lutheran Church (310 N Johnson St, Iowa City). The group meets from 3:30-5:00pm in Zion Lutheran’s lower level Gathering Room.
Suggested donation is $10-20 per person. Attendees can just show up or email Mary at mccallconsulting22@gmail.com for information. This group meets in-person only.
October Grief Support Group for People Under 50
Tuesday, October 7, 2025 from 6-7pm at Press Coffee
For people under 50 who've experienced a significant personal loss, join us the first Tuesday of every month for a confidential and donation-based grief support group.
Led by a facilitator trained in grief and end of life, and no RSVP required. For more information or additional questions, reach out to the Death Collective of Eastern Iowa at info@deathcollectiveeasterniowa.com.
Sitting with Impermanence
Join us at the Iowa City Zen Center for a short period of meditation along with a short reading to prompt a discussion on impermanence. We’re currently reading a book by Pema Chödrön. While there is a Buddhist flavor to this event, everyone is welcome. No experience with meditation is necessary.
Writing Grief
Grief is a process, not an event. Writing is a process, not a product. Which is why it’s so well suited to helping us unravel our way through the confusion and pain of all kinds of loss.
This monthly writing group will provide supportive space, prompts, and short readings focused on the experience of loss. There are many kinds of grief — this class is inspired by Francis Weller’s Five Gates of Grief — and we’ll spend time with many of them.
The group meets the first Saturday of each month from 10:00 to 11:30 am CT. Each session includes:
arrival and centering
a reading and brief exploration of a theme
a prompt and 20-30 minutes of writing
sharing (by choice) of our writing
Each class is on a sliding scale according to ability to pay. See more info below.
WHEN: First Saturday of each month, 10:00-11:30 am Central Time
WHERE: In-person option at Porch Light Literary Center, Iowa City OR on Zoom
REGISTER: https://bit.ly/GriefWriting
September Death Cafe
What is a Death Café? An open-ended, informal community conversation about the end of life without any particular goal or agenda.
Why a Death Café? What to expect?
• Arrive at the Greenhouse, grab a tasty drink and some snacks if you’d like, then sit at a table with some other participants. Facilitators will be present to answer any questions and give a brief introduction before conversations begin. Participants practice active, engaged listening with respect for others’ views and experiences.
• Ground rules: respect, compassion, support, and confidentiality. Death Cafés are not designed to focus on bereavement and grief support, but open-ended questions and conversation.
• What happens in a Death Café stays in a Death Café.
Grief Support Group
A grief support group meeting on the 2nd and 4th Thursdays at Zion Lutheran Church (310 N Johnson St, Iowa City). The group meets from 3:30-5:00pm in Zion Lutheran’s lower level Gathering Room.
Suggested donation is $10-20 per person. Attendees can just show up or email Mary at mccallconsulting22@gmail.com for information. This group meets in-person only.
Alan Sparhawk in Conversation | Creating from Loss
Musician Alan Sparhawk, co-founder of the legendary band Low, reflects on the role of creativity in navigating grief. Moderated by writer and organizer Jennifer New, the dialogue will explore how art emerges from profound personal loss. Together, they’ll consider the ways music and storytelling offer pathways toward healing and connection.
Bhangaar (Obsolete) Movie Screening
"A heartfelt paean to the inevitability of life and the impossibility of death"—Sunil Bhandari, The Uncuts
In a century-old chawl we meet Ira and Narayan who have lived together in a 12'x12' partitioned room for 53 years. Without affluence or influence, these unconventional octogenarians petition the highest authorities in the country for the right to die together. Confronted with obstacles like its illegality and its taboo in Hindu culture, they actively engage the media to have their voice heard. Attention brings the watchful eye of the police to their door. Feeling sentenced to live beyond their wishes and waiting for official response causes time to hang heavy. Outside their front door, we are transported from their island of isolation, to the frenetic rhythms of chawl life where seasons, festivals, events, rush by.
The couple’s aging bodies and minds, juxtaposed with the relentless march of progress of the city and its dwellers, tell parallel stories of transience. Within this narrative, a neighborhood sculptor, crafting Ganesha idols, symbolises the eternal cycle of birth, life and death. Through this ethnic microcosm, universal themes of love, loss, freedom, ageing, are uncovered. An unforeseen crisis brings the couple to a crossroad.
Pallium India is a national registered charitable trust formed in 2003. It is an NGO based out of Trivandrum, Kerala, with the objective of alleviating serious health-related suffering (SHS) of 7-10 million people in India. They strive to demonstrate quality palliative care, to educate professionals and the public, and facilitate development of palliative care services across India.
Get your tickets here: https://icfilmscene.org/film/bhangaar-obsolete/
Grief Support Group
A grief support group meeting on the 2nd and 4th Thursdays at Zion Lutheran Church (310 N Johnson St, Iowa City). The group meets from 3:30-5:00pm in Zion Lutheran’s lower level Gathering Room.
Suggested donation is $10-20 per person. Attendees can just show up or email Mary at mccallconsulting22@gmail.com for information. This group meets in-person only.
Writing Grief
Grief is a process, not an event. Writing is a process, not a product. Which is why it’s so well suited to helping us unravel our way through the confusion and pain of all kinds of loss.
This monthly writing group will provide supportive space, prompts, and short readings focused on the experience of loss. There are many kinds of grief — this class is inspired by Francis Weller’s Five Gates of Grief — and we’ll spend time with many of them.
The group meets the first Saturday of each month from 10:00 to 11:30 am CT. Each session includes:
arrival and centering
a reading and brief exploration of a theme
a prompt and 20-30 minutes of writing
sharing (by choice) of our writing
Each class is on a sliding scale according to ability to pay. See more info below.
WHEN: First Saturday of each month, 10:00-11:30 am Central Time
WHERE: In-person option at Porch Light Literary Center, Iowa City OR on Zoom
REGISTER: https://bit.ly/GriefWriting
September Grief Support Group for People Under 50
Tuesday, September 2, 2025 from 6-7pm at Press Coffee
For people under 50 who've experienced a significant personal loss, join us the first Tuesday of every month for a confidential and donation-based grief support group.
Led by a facilitator trained in grief and end of life, and no RSVP required. For more information or additional questions, reach out to the Death Collective of Eastern Iowa at info@deathcollectiveeasterniowa.com.
Grief Support Group
A grief support group meeting on the 2nd and 4th Thursdays at Zion Lutheran Church (310 N Johnson St, Iowa City). The group meets from 3:30-5:00pm in Zion Lutheran’s lower level Gathering Room.
Suggested donation is $10-20 per person. Attendees can just show up or email Mary at mccallconsulting22@gmail.com for information. This group meets in-person only.
August Death Cafe
What is a Death Café? An open-ended, informal community conversation about the end of life without any particular goal or agenda.
Why a Death Café? What to expect?
• Arrive at the Greenhouse, grab a tasty drink and some snacks if you’d like, then sit at a table with some other participants. Facilitators will be present to answer any questions and give a brief introduction before conversations begin. Participants practice active, engaged listening with respect for others’ views and experiences.
• Ground rules: respect, compassion, support, and confidentiality. Death Cafés are not designed to focus on bereavement and grief support, but open-ended questions and conversation.
• What happens in a Death Café stays in a Death Café.
Soul Care for Adults
Prairiewoods
120 Boyson Road, Hiawatha IA 52233
Led by Jamie Siela, LISW, & Jackie Koster, BSW
Explore your grief with others through creative expression in this grief group for adults every third Wednesday, 5:30–7 p.m. U.S. Central Time
Take time to connect with others in grief and engage the creative spark. Jamie Siela, LISW, and Jackie Koster, BSW, from UnityPoint Hospice facilitate this monthly grief group open to any adults grieving loss through death. On the third Wednesday of each month, come together in person to explore a different creative art medium. (A similar group for children and the adults who support them is offered on the second Wednesday of each month.)
In June, we will personalize flower pots with photos and decorations in remembrance of our loved ones. Please bring paper copies of photos if you would like to add them to your flower pot. Different mediums will be available to create your own pot.
Registration is required by noon a week in advance. This group is free and includes all art supplies.
Register here: https://pw.retreatportal.com/events/f?p=101:2:8214524269407::::PROGRAM_ID:29650
Grief Support Group
A grief support group meeting on the 2nd and 4th Thursdays at Zion Lutheran Church (310 N Johnson St, Iowa City). The group meets from 3:30-5:00pm in Zion Lutheran’s lower level Gathering Room.
Suggested donation is $10-20 per person. Attendees can just show up or email Mary at mccallconsulting22@gmail.com for information. This group meets in-person only.
August Grief Support Group for People Under 50
Tuesday, August 5, 2025 from 6-7pm at Press Coffee
For people under 50 who've experienced a significant personal loss, join us the first Tuesday of every month for a confidential and donation-based grief support group.
Led by a facilitator trained in grief and end of life, and no RSVP required. For more information or additional questions, reach out to the Death Collective of Eastern Iowa at info@deathcollectiveeasterniowa.com.
Writing Grief
Grief is a process, not an event. Writing is a process, not a product. Which is why it’s so well suited to helping us unravel our way through the confusion and pain of all kinds of loss.
This monthly writing group will provide supportive space, prompts, and short readings focused on the experience of loss. There are many kinds of grief — this class is inspired by Francis Weller’s Five Gates of Grief — and we’ll spend time with many of them.
The group meets the first Saturday of each month from 10:00 to 11:30 am CT. Each session includes:
arrival and centering
a reading and brief exploration of a theme
a prompt and 20-30 minutes of writing
sharing (by choice) of our writing
Each class is on a sliding scale according to ability to pay. See more info below.
WHEN: First Saturday of each month, 10:00-11:30 am Central Time
WHERE: In-person option at Porch Light Literary Center, Iowa City OR on Zoom
REGISTER: https://bit.ly/GriefWriting
July Death Cafe
What is a Death Café? An open-ended, informal community conversation about the end of life without any particular goal or agenda.
Why a Death Café? What to expect?
• Arrive at the Greenhouse, grab a tasty drink and some snacks if you’d like, then sit at a table with some other participants. Facilitators will be present to answer any questions and give a brief introduction before conversations begin. Participants practice active, engaged listening with respect for others’ views and experiences.
• Ground rules: respect, compassion, support, and confidentiality. Death Cafés are not designed to focus on bereavement and grief support, but open-ended questions and conversation.
• What happens in a Death Café stays in a Death Café.
Free public discussion: “The Great Matter: Birth + Death = Life” with Roshi Daiken Nelson
Free public discussion: “The Great Matter: Birth + Death = Life” with Roshi Daiken Nelson
Thursday, July 24, 7:00-8:30pm, 1025 Fairchild St, Iowa City, IA
Co-sponsored by the Iowa City Zen Center and the Death Collective of Eastern Iowa.
Learn more about Roashi Daiken Nelson at the Iowa City Zen Center website.
Grief Support Group
A grief support group meeting on the 2nd and 4th Thursdays at Zion Lutheran Church (310 N Johnson St, Iowa City). The group meets from 3:30-5:00pm in Zion Lutheran’s lower level Gathering Room.
Suggested donation is $10-20 per person. Attendees can just show up or email Mary at mccallconsulting22@gmail.com for information. This group meets in-person only.
Special screening and discussion of “Familiar Touch”
A special screening of Familiar Touch on Sunday, July 20th at 4pm at FilmScene's Chauncey location. This screening is pay-what-you-can and will include a post-film discussion moderated by Mary McCall!
There will also be tabling before and after with local orgs offering aging and memory care related services.
Soul Care for Adults
Prairiewoods
120 Boyson Road, Hiawatha IA 52233
Led by Jamie Siela, LISW, & Jackie Koster, BSW
Explore your grief with others through creative expression in this grief group for adults every third Wednesday, 5:30–7 p.m. U.S. Central Time
Take time to connect with others in grief and engage the creative spark. Jamie Siela, LISW, and Jackie Koster, BSW, from UnityPoint Hospice facilitate this monthly grief group open to any adults grieving loss through death. On the third Wednesday of each month, come together in person to explore a different creative art medium. (A similar group for children and the adults who support them is offered on the second Wednesday of each month.)
In June, we will personalize flower pots with photos and decorations in remembrance of our loved ones. Please bring paper copies of photos if you would like to add them to your flower pot. Different mediums will be available to create your own pot.
Registration is required by noon a week in advance. This group is free and includes all art supplies.
Register here: https://pw.retreatportal.com/events/f?p=101:2:8214524269407::::PROGRAM_ID:29650