Upcoming events
Mother's Day Grief Gathering
On this day we will honor both the gratitude and the grief that Mother’s Day can bring. This is a space to hold all emotions—without pressure for closure.
We honor:
Those who gave life and those who shaped it
Anyone who nurtures with love, care, and presence
Mothers of children, flora & fauna, communities, and ideas
All forms of mothering—seen and unseen, chosen and unexpected
We also make space for grief:
Relationships that didn’t meet our needs
The loss of mothers or the chance to mother
The pain carried for ourselves and for Mother Earth
This gathering offers a simple ritual to honor your experience, time for reflection, sharing, and being witnessed.
Journals will be provided. You’re invited to bring a meaningful item (photo, memento, etc.) for the altar.
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.
Death Cafe- Cedar Rapids
Every third Wednesday of the month at the Illumination Studio in Cedar Rapids! Open, Honest, and Respectful conversation about all things death & dying.
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.
Death Cafe- Iowa City
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 for People Under 50
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
April 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.
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.
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.
Hospicing Modernity: Book Discussion Group
Hospicing Modernity: Facing Humanity’s Wrongs and the Implications for Social Activism
Invitation to a Discussion Group
Winter traditionally is a time for slowing down, for contemplation. This is more timely than ever. Join the Death Collective of Eastern Iowa as we slow down to reflect upon our times through a group reading of Hospicing Modernity by Vanessa Machado de Oliveira. We’re usually sitting with the deaths of loved ones, and contemplating our own mortality, but what about that of modernity? What happens when the stories we grew up with about who we are, and were, aren’t so rock solid anymore? How do we sit with the passing of old stories and live into the generation of new ones?
This is a give-as-led gathering to support snacks to fuel our discussions and to support the Death Collective (mainly our annual website maintenance costs). With or without donating though, everyone is welcome! If you are led to give, do so here. Here are the giving tiers:
$0 - We want you to come! $10 - Thank you! $20 - I wonder what fancy snacks we can get? $30 - Our website maintenance fees won't worry us so much. $40 or more - Death will not touch you
Death Cafe- Cedar Rapids
Every third Wednesday of the month at the Illumination Studio in Cedar Rapids! Open, Honest, and Respectful conversation about all things death & dying.
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.
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.
April Grief Support Group for People Under 50
Tuesday, March 3rd, 2026 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
Hospicing Modernity: Book Discussion Group
Hospicing Modernity: Facing Humanity’s Wrongs and the Implications for Social Activism
Invitation to a Discussion Group
Winter traditionally is a time for slowing down, for contemplation. This is more timely than ever. Join the Death Collective of Eastern Iowa as we slow down to reflect upon our times through a group reading of Hospicing Modernity by Vanessa Machado de Oliveira. We’re usually sitting with the deaths of loved ones, and contemplating our own mortality, but what about that of modernity? What happens when the stories we grew up with about who we are, and were, aren’t so rock solid anymore? How do we sit with the passing of old stories and live into the generation of new ones?
For this session we’ll be reading up to page 61 (through the end of Part 1). We’ll be meeting at the Green House.
This is a give-as-led gathering to support snacks to fuel our discussions and to support the Death Collective (mainly our annual website maintenance costs). With or without donating though, everyone is welcome! If you are led to give, do so here. Here are the giving tiers:
$0 - We want you to come! $10 - Thank you! $20 - I wonder what fancy snacks we can get? $30 - Our website maintenance fees won't worry us so much. $40 or more - Death will not touch you
March 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.
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.
Death & Dying
Beginning on February 25th, Pastor Brenda Peconge, Senior Pastor at Zion Lutheran Church, will be leading a 5 week adult class on Death and Dying. The class will meet at 4:30 p.m. on Wednesdays, just prior to weekly Lenten Suppers.
This adult class is designed to spark learning and conversations about death, dying, and Christian hope. We will consider theological perspectives, pastoral practices, funeral planning, advance directives, and how faith shapes our understanding of mortality. Grounded in Lutheran theology and the promise of the resurrection, the class will offer both practical guidance and spiritual reflection for navigating one of life's realities.
While we realize that this particular Lutheran and Christian lens may not be meaningful to everyone, we want to extend the invitation to this series beyond our walls and out into the community. These classes, and the meals that follow are free and open to members of the public. We will also hold a meditative worship service weekly following the meal for those who find such experiences meaningful.
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.
Death & Dying
Beginning on February 25th, Pastor Brenda Peconge, Senior Pastor at Zion Lutheran Church, will be leading a 5 week adult class on Death and Dying. The class will meet at 4:30 p.m. on Wednesdays, just prior to weekly Lenten Suppers.
This adult class is designed to spark learning and conversations about death, dying, and Christian hope. We will consider theological perspectives, pastoral practices, funeral planning, advance directives, and how faith shapes our understanding of mortality. Grounded in Lutheran theology and the promise of the resurrection, the class will offer both practical guidance and spiritual reflection for navigating one of life's realities.
While we realize that this particular Lutheran and Christian lens may not be meaningful to everyone, we want to extend the invitation to this series beyond our walls and out into the community. These classes, and the meals that follow are free and open to members of the public. We will also hold a meditative worship service weekly following the meal for those who find such experiences meaningful.
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.
Advance Care Planning
Come join us to give a gift to your future self, family, and friends! Advance care documents, (your living will, healthcare power of attorney, etc) can be hard to think about, but getting them in order is both easy and quick. As a form of community care we are hosting a workshop where folks can drop in and get help accessing, filling out, and notarizing their documents.
We will have a packet on hand that encompasses a living will, durable healthcare power of attorney, HIPPA release, Do Not Resuscitate (DNR) orders, and durable financial power of attorney. There will be a notary present, who is performing notarial acts free of charge. If you would like to provide your own forms, you are welcome to do so!
Planning for the future in this way is a wonderful gift to your friends and family, and creates peace of mind in case of unfortunate circumstances. It may not seem so, but taking both the legal and emotional burden off of loved ones in a time of emergency, grief, or other difficult time is an incredible act of love. Lessening the struggle and indecision is huge!
Light snacks will be provided, and the only thing you need to bring is a folder to keep your forms in after they are signed. This event is free and open to the public. The hosts are not lawyers or legal experts, and as such will not be able to give legal advice.
If you would like to complete your living will and durable healthcare power of attorney form on your computer and come only to have your forms notarized and witnessed, this form recommended by local healthcare providers: tinyurl.com/wkppyaab
Restorative Yoga with Reiki (with Kimberly!)
Join us for a 90-minute restorative yoga experience designed to support deep rest and energetic renewal. In the environment we’ll create a gentle pause—an intentional space to slow down and reconnect. You’ll be guided through fully supported postures that encourage the body to unwind and the nervous system to settle. During these restful shapes, teachers will offer optional Reiki to support relaxation, balance, and subtle healing.
Registration through Heartland Yoga
Kimberly offers one on one Reiki, rest & Yoga for grief sessions. Email at info@heartlandyoga.com or arjes.kimberly@gmail.com.
$35
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.
Death & Dying
Beginning on February 25th, Pastor Brenda Peconge, Senior Pastor at Zion Lutheran Church, will be leading a 5 week adult class on Death and Dying. The class will meet at 4:30 p.m. on Wednesdays, just prior to weekly Lenten Suppers.
This adult class is designed to spark learning and conversations about death, dying, and Christian hope. We will consider theological perspectives, pastoral practices, funeral planning, advance directives, and how faith shapes our understanding of mortality. Grounded in Lutheran theology and the promise of the resurrection, the class will offer both practical guidance and spiritual reflection for navigating one of life's realities.
While we realize that this particular Lutheran and Christian lens may not be meaningful to everyone, we want to extend the invitation to this series beyond our walls and out into the community. These classes, and the meals that follow are free and open to members of the public. We will also hold a meditative worship service weekly following the meal for those who find such experiences meaningful.
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.
Clear is Kind Retreat Workshop
Weekend retreat and workshops to support clear, compassionate conversation and planning around the end of life.
Hospicing Modernity: Book Discussion Group
Hospicing Modernity: Facing Humanity’s Wrongs and the Implications for Social Activism
Invitation to a Discussion Group
Winter traditionally is a time for slowing down, for contemplation. This is more timely than ever. Join the Death Collective of Eastern Iowa as we slow down to reflect upon our times through a group reading of Hospicing Modernity by Vanessa Machado de Oliveira. We’re usually sitting with the deaths of loved ones, and contemplating our own mortality, but what about that of modernity? What happens when the stories we grew up with about who we are, and were, aren’t so rock solid anymore? How do we sit with the passing of old stories and live into the generation of new ones?
We’ll meet every other week on Thursday evenings from 6:30 - 8:00 pm starting on February 19th, ending on April 30th (6 sessions), reading 40 - 50 pages for each session with discussion questions to reflect upon while reading. RSFIC is graciously supporting us with the use of their space at 1927 Keokuk St in Iowa City. The Death Collective of Eastern Iowa is an all-volunteer nonprofit that provides educational community engagements such as our monthly Death Cafe at the Green House on the last Tuesdays of every month at 7 pm.
This is a give-as-led gathering to support snacks to fuel our discussions and to support the Death Collective (mainly our annual website maintenance costs). With or without donating though, everyone is welcome! If you are led to give, do so here. Here are the giving tiers:
$0 - We want you to come! $10 - Thank you! $20 - I wonder what fancy snacks we can get? $30 - Our website maintenance fees won't worry us so much. $40 or more - Death will not touch you
Death & Dying
Beginning on February 25th, Pastor Brenda Peconge, Senior Pastor at Zion Lutheran Church, will be leading a 5 week adult class on Death and Dying. The class will meet at 4:30 p.m. on Wednesdays, just prior to weekly Lenten Suppers.
This adult class is designed to spark learning and conversations about death, dying, and Christian hope. We will consider theological perspectives, pastoral practices, funeral planning, advance directives, and how faith shapes our understanding of mortality. Grounded in Lutheran theology and the promise of the resurrection, the class will offer both practical guidance and spiritual reflection for navigating one of life's realities.
While we realize that this particular Lutheran and Christian lens may not be meaningful to everyone, we want to extend the invitation to this series beyond our walls and out into the community. These classes, and the meals that follow are free and open to members of the public. We will also hold a meditative worship service weekly following the meal for those who find such experiences meaningful.