Who I am.

I write about the landscape of grief, nature, and the wisdom of fools. The author of four books, my essays, poems, and reviews have been published in over 50 journals, including in the Huffington Post and Colorado Review. I’ve won the River Teeth Nonfiction Book Award, the Chautauqua and Literal Latte’s essay prizes, and my work has been nominated for four Pushcart Prizes and named a notable by Best American Essays. My account of hiking in Yosemite to deal with my wife’s death, Mountains of Light, was published by the University of Nebraska Press. http://www.markliebenow.com.

Showing posts with label Donor. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Donor. Show all posts

Wednesday, April 29, 2020

Giving Life

Organ Donation

We generally don’t like to think about death. Because of the coronavirus, we’re now thinking about it every day, and we’re worried because so much about the disease remains unknown.

When someone we love dies, the waves of emotion, finality, loss, and shock overwhelm our system and we don’t know what we’re supposed to do next. When doctors ask if we want to donate their organs, we may not understand the gravity of what they’re asking.

Sunday, November 22, 2015

Giving Life: Organ Donation

A year after my wife died and I donated her organs, I gathered with other donor families from around the Bay Area to give thanks and celebrate the gift of life.

You can read my short essay “Out of Death, Something” at



Tuesday, April 2, 2013

Organ Donation


Journal Entry 2

The next evening family and friends return to the hospital from our homes around the Bay Area to say a final goodbye to Evelyn. Shortly after 9 p.m. the organ surgery is over. Ev is the only patient in the recovery room. One by one, family and close friends go over, say their words, and leave. It’s my turn.

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