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 Sharing Your Grief. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Sharing Your Grief. Show all posts

Wednesday, April 24, 2019

Grief and Emotions

When grief hits, we are pummeled by a range of emotions. We never knew we could feel so much, endure so much, or rage for hours until we were exhausted. Grief unleashes a barrage of emotions that short circuits our mind and leaves us sobbing on the floor. 

Wednesday, April 6, 2016

What You Give Me When You Share Your Grief

When people who are grieving gather together, whether this is at a retreat or at a grief Dinner Party, they talk about their struggles and they support each other. They cry together and celebrate.

Those who are grieving know how hard it is to be vulnerable in front of others. Too many people have shut us down or turned away because our emotions were too strong or went on for longer than they thought they should. But when we are among others who are grieving, when we are among our tribe, we feel accepted, and by sharing our struggles, we begin to work our way through them.

* If you would like to read the rest of this post, let me know and I’ll send it to you. *

Thursday, February 17, 2011

When Friends Visit





Talking about grief with friends who haven’t lost someone close is a grab bag experience; you don’t know what reaction you’ll get. The reactions can range from sympathy to empathy to compassion on the positive side, and from indifference to anger to fear on the negative, as if your closeness with death will rub off on them.

You want the people with compassion.


* If you would like to read the rest of this post, let me know and I’ll send it to you. *

Thursday, January 27, 2011

End Talks






We’ve all heard people say something like, “Don’t talk about death. Death is morbid.” So we don’t. And because we don’t talk about it, when death comes to someone we know, we’re not ready. We don’t know what to do or say.

Thursday, September 30, 2010

Grief At a Party




It’s a common enough occurrence. 

I will be at a party talking to different people about a variety of topics when someone will say something about themselves, or ask something of me, and I either bring up the death of Evelyn or I don’t. 


* If you would like to read the rest of this post, let me know and I’ll send it to you. *