267. Alua Arthur with Rebecca Crichton: A Friend At the End of the World

Town Hall Seattle Arts & Culture Series

When it comes to our own mortality, one big thing that we all share is that we absolutely have to face it and most of us have no idea how to begin. Through her work as a death doula, Alua Arthur has honed the skills to aid others in navigating these uncertain seas- from the many logistics within end-of-life care to the often unpredictable cravings for human connection and understanding. These vulnerable moments can be colored by many emotions—pain, confusion, joy, regret, and release. Arthur’s passion for her work shapeshifts to meet people where they are and guide them towards where they want to be. To Arthur, grappling with the challenges that await us starts way earlier than that final chapter. It isn’t something to fear and dread and it’s an endeavor we definitely should not be doing alone.

In her debut book Briefly Perfectly Human: Making an Authentic Life by Getting Real About the End, Arthur details how her life’s work around death has informed and reshaped the ways she thinks we can embrace life while we’re still living it. She touches on many encounters with death- from her background layered with the harsh realities of political refuge to mental illness to the firsthand experience of what advocacy for the dying really looks like. Equal parts intimate memoir, thoughtful exploration, and message of encouragement, Briefly Perfectly Human gives context to the author’s deep and ever growing relationship with our innate impermanence. Through her storytelling, Arthur aims to explain why we should sit at the table to learn from some of our most painful questions and complicated truths about death- and she invites readers to pull up a chair.

Alua Arthur is a writer, keynote speaker, and prominent death doula working to bring visibility to the world of death positivity. She is the founder of Going with Grace, a death doula training and end-of-life planning organization. Her work has been featured in national media outlets such as Vogue, Los Angeles Times, The Cut, The New Yorker, and Refinery29. She has made appearances on CBS’s The Doctors, Disney’s Limitless docu-series, and at the 2023 TED conferences with her TED Talk Why Thinking About Death Helps You Live a Better Life.

Rebecca Crichton started her “Encore Career” as Executive Director of NWCCA in 2012 after 21 years with The Boeing Company. She refashioned her skills and knowledge as a writer, curriculum designer, and leadership development coach to offer Creative Aging programs at many Seattle area venues. An active participant in the local aging community, she writes regularly for 3rd Act Magazine.

Buy the Book Briefly Perfectly Human: Making an Authentic Life by Getting Real About the End

Third Place Books