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Journeying through Loss
February 19, 2019
We revisit stories of people of choosing to embrace the pain of loss: through faith, through creativity, through honesty, and through emotional vulnerability.
Andy Chaleff: pioneering The Last Letter Project February 19, 2019
When Andy Chaleff was 18 years old, he experienced a loss so profound, it would change the trajectory of his life. At the time of that death, he was “basically already dead, emotionally gone.” But 30 years later, he’s started The Last Letter project, inspired by his own experience. He facilitates letter writing workshops for people to break down emotional barriers and share their true feelings with loved ones both living and dead.

Andy Chaleff, author and creator of The Last Letter
Elaine Pagels: A lifelong religion scholar asks, “Why religion?” February 19, 2019
Elaine Pagels is a seasoned scholar of religion and author of the National Book Award winning The Gnostic Gospels. An expert in religion in an academic sense, she was forced to grapple with faith on a personal level when she unexpectedly lost her husband in an accident, just a year after their son died of a rare lung disease. She says experiencing guilt was a mask for avoiding her real feelings… total helplessness. During this time, she came to realize the importance of traditional religious rituals and spiritual practices: “these things have been useful for thousands of years and we still need them.”

Elaine Pagels, author of Why Religion?



Our host, Amber Khan (left) with Elaine Pagels (right). 
Inspired Story Slam: "My exposure to religion came from attending funerals" February 19, 2019

We close the show with a story from our live show, held last November. Audience members were invited to share stories on the theme of "One Family, Many Beliefs." This was the last story of the evening, shared by Maryland resident James Burns.