Picture a cemetery chapel full of strangers belting karaoke for the people they've lost, then a cosmologist in the next building explaining how galaxies die. Mortal Matters puts Edwidge Danticat, astrophysicist Moiya McTier, author Bruce Feiler, dancer Eiko Otake and a forensic anthropologist on one program, all under Green-Wood's trees. If you like your big questions served with some humor and a Gothic backdrop, this is the most unusual free weekend in Brooklyn.
What to expect
Programs run in parallel, so you pick a path: a reading in the Green-House Atrium, a talk on natural organic reduction, a twilight walking tour from the Gothic Arch, a zine or weaving workshop, or a trolley tour on the history of deathcare science. Expect a mix of hour-long talks, drop-in art-making and open-mic style karaoke where singing is optional and listening counts.
Good to know
- Enter at the main Gothic Arch gate at Fifth Avenue and 25th Street; the R train to 25th Street is a short walk.
- Admission is free but the cemetery uses advance registration, so reserve the specific talks you care about most.
- Green-Wood is huge and hilly — wear comfortable shoes and give yourself time to walk between the chapels and the Green-House.
- Grief Karaoke is first come, first served for sign-ups; watching from the pews is welcome.
- Some sessions deal frankly with corpses, grief and loss, so check the program description before bringing kids.
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Common questions
Do I need a ticket for Mortal Matters?
Green-Wood lists the festival as free and open to all, with registration through its event page. Reserving ahead is the safest way to get into popular talks.
Who is speaking?
The published lineup includes Edwidge Danticat, astrophysicist Moiya McTier, Bruce Feiler, Eiko Otake, artist Janine Antoni, forensic scientist Jennifer Rosati and writer Allison C. Meier, among many others.
Is it all talks?
No. There are walking and trolley tours, hands-on workshops like zine-making and weaving, a dance program and an evening of grief karaoke in the Historic Chapel.
