Illinois Libraries Present

Heyworth Public Library is joining other libraries across the state of Illinois to host a virtual event with Caitlin Doughty, mortician, bestselling author, and advocate for death acceptance. Doughty will discuss the reform of Western funeral industry practices and more in conversation with Mark Bazer, host of WTTW’s (Chicago’s PBS station) The Interview Show. The event will be held on Wednesday, November 16, at 7 p.m.

Hailed by The New York Times as “a relentlessly curious and chipper tour guide to the underworld,” Doughty is known as a bête noire of the traditional funeral industry. Doughty is the founder of a Los Angeles funeral home and the funeral reform collective The Order of the Good Death, which spawned the death positive movement. Her educational web series “Ask a Mortician” has been viewed almost 250 million times. Doughty is also the author of the bestselling books Smoke Gets in Your Eyes, From Here to Eternity, and Will My Cat Eat My Eyeballs?

The event with Caitlin Doughty is made possible by Illinois Libraries Present (ILP), a statewide collaboration among public libraries offering premier events. ILP debuted earlier this year as a way to bring virtual events with bestselling authors and diverse and esteemed speakers to communities across the state and counts more than 200 Illinois libraries as members. Joining forces for such events allow libraries to bring speakers to their communities that might not be possible due to budget constraints or production capabilities.

A Conversation with Caitlin Doughty will begin at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, November 16. The event is free and open to the public, but registration is required. To register, visit https://bit.ly/ILP_CaitlinDoughty ILP is funded in part by a grant awarded by the Illinois State Library, a department of the Office of Secretary of State, using funds provided by the U.S. Institute of Museum and Library Services, under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA).