Show Notes
Today I am joined by Carla from our coven to talk about death, grief, poisonous plants, her craft and a whole lot more in this episode!
Carla Valentine is a qualified Senior Mortuary Technician, and is currently the human remains conservator at Barts Pathology Museum in London. Her career caring for the dead has spanned over 20 years. She is a writer and broadcaster, featuring on TV shows such as The Bone Detectives, Fatberg Autopsy and Ancient Unexplained Files, and has a podcast called Mortem on BBC Sounds. Her first book, Past Mortems, documents her career carrying out autopsies for a decade, and the follow up, The Language of Bones - out October 1st 2026 - is a deeper exploration of death practices and the human condition. She also penned Murder Isn't Easy: The Forensics of Agatha Christie, and her next book, Planted Evidence - all about gardens, graves and poisonous plants - will be published in 2028.
Carla's career informs her craft and she incorporates death meditation (mortality salience) into her practice as well as the use of body fluids and bones. She runs a small goth gardening business called Morticulture and is obsessed with the dark side of horticulture and its history.
You can find Carla here - Website: www.carlavalentine.co.uk Insta (human remains/work): @past_mortems Insta (personal): @carlavalentineuk Insta (Morticulture): @morticult Tik Tok: @carlavalentineuk
Our book review is Collected Curiosities - More Stories and Recipes from the Historical Apothecary Cabinet by Amanda Edmiston.
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