Move through the end of life with ‘LOL Dying Stuff’

LOL Dying Stuff

Zine, Mick Moran, 16 pgs, meetmickmoran.com, $5

In the pandemic’s environment of heightened risk, many of us are reflecting more on death, both in the abstract and practical sense. But the death-positive movement has been growing for more than a decade. Anchored by organizations like The Order Of The Good Death, there’s a proliferation of alternative burials options, and a growing field of professionals such as “full-spectrum,” meaning birth to death, doulas, including zinester Mick Moran. Their slim volume LOL Dying Stuff is packed with information to help the reader think through decisions regarding their death and what comes next, helping the layman navigate systems that often feel mired in legal and medical jargon, and to do so before it’s too late or becomes somebody else’s job.

It’s become far more normal for people to die somewhere other than where they were born. When many people choose to move outside the traditions their family holds, it can be easy to feel overwhelmed and uncertain about how to make and enforce decisions around your death. Moran’s zine moves through the steps that often accompany the end of life, starting with medical decisions and interventions and moving through to options for what happens to your body, or at your memorial. Bookended by a page for making notes and a page listing resources, the information in this zine is well-explained but very dense. The design of the zine would have benefited from allowing more space overall. It is also worth noting that some information is specific to the US, although much of it is generally helpful.)