Louise Penny will sit down with CBC/Radio One’s The Next Chapter host Shelagh Rogers to talk about loss, death, and learning as part of PROJECTION: A Week of Dialogue. “Life, Death, and the Whole Damn Thing” will take place at Temple Emanu-El-Beth Sholom in Westmount on Oct. 20th. This promises to be a particularly interesting discussion as the two women share a longstanding friendship. PROJECTION, the first week of a series of talks and events sponsored by the MUHC, is designed to help individuals become more aware of end-of-life issues and decision-making.
The subject of death and its meaning in our lives has preoccupied human beings from time immemorial. Who better to spark a public conversation about this universal topic than Quebec’s own award-winning crime-fiction novelist and journalist Louise Penny who hails from the Eastern Townships? Publishers Weekly puts it this way: “With an uncompromising eye, Penny explores the depths of human emotion, both horrifying and sublime.” However, Penny’s insights are not limited to those found in her literary oeuvre.
We are delighted to give Montrealers the chance to hear Louise Penny talk about end-of-life issues, says Kappy Flanders, Co-Chair of PROJECTION and pioneering palliative care advocate and educator. Louise accompanied her husband, Michael, through the final years of his life and was very articulate about what it is like to care for a loved one suffering from dementia. She does not shy away from talking about loss and how to prepare for it.
There will also be performances by Effusion A Cappella, McGill University’s student a cappella ensemble. Effusion performs at private functions, public events, and parties, and has recorded 3 albums over the last 10 years. Effusion pushes the boundaries of traditional a cappella, infusing it with gospel, jazz, R&B, pop, rock, and folk among other genres. The talented group of young singers will sing before and after the interview, finishing with a moving rendition of Hallelujah Leonard Cohen’s spiritual paean for our times.
The I Medici di McGill Orchestra, under maestro Gilles Auger, presented a free classical concert to kick off PROJECTION. We have put together a very diverse series of events that will help people deal with difficult subjects in ways that engage them on a personal level, says Co-Chair Suzanne O’Brien, who is also the Co-Chair of the McGill Council on Palliative Care, Classical music touches the soul, and this concert, held in a spectacular and spiritual setting,” sets the tone for PROJECTION.
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