Grief Encounters

If All The World And Love Were Young with Stephen Sexton

Grief Encounters

Show Notes

After a late summer break, Sasha and Venetia return with more weekly Grief Encounters chats, and this weeks guest was an incredibly special one. Stephen Sexton is on the cusp of being one of Ireland's great modern poets, and his debut book has been compared to that of Seamus Heaney in recent weeks. If All The World And Love Were Young, is a beautiful elegy to his mother, who passed away from cancer in 2012.

Stephen explores her death and other themes of grief through the guise of the Super Mario World, video games that used to consume so much of his childhood. The books narrative takes the reader through the various levels of Super Mario World, whose flowered landscapes bleed into our world, and ours, strange with loss, bleed into it. This episode features an incredible mix of deep conversation about the process of grief, its ever frequent manifestation into the world of art, as well as a few readings of Stephen’s truly beautiful work.

If you're looking for a safe haven to express how you feel, Share articles, photos ,memories and more, Join the Grief Encounters Facebook Group, A place for support, compassion and empathy for those grieving

https://www.facebook.com/groups/GriefEncounters/

Music by: Nctrnm

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

More from Grief Encounters

Dec 1, 2020

Séamas O’Reilly is a Derry born writer for The Observer and The New York Times, who speaks to Sasha and Venetia about his mother Sheila, who passed away three weeks before his sixth birthday in October 1991. Driving back from the Belfast hospital on the night of her death, his father was faced with the mammoth task of raising 11 children as a loan parent for the first time.

Nov 19, 2020

This week's Grief Encounters is a little bit different than usual. Regular listeners of the podcast know that we often focus an episode on the life and loss of someone dear to our guests.

Oct 28, 2020

One of the most difficult things a person can experience in their lifetime is hearing the news that a loved one has died both prematurely and unexpectedly.

Sep 15, 2020

This week’s guest recently described grief as “the companion you never wanted”, a sentiment that is shared by all of the team involved in making this podcast series. Amanda Grace is the daughter of Brendan Grace, one of Ireland's all-time legendary figures in comedy and entertainment, who’s death in July 2019 saw a special public outcry of grief and love, in a way that very few people garner. Amanda is a former 'rock school rebel' turned spiritual guide. Her offerings in contemplative journaling, coaching & community teach women to marry the powers of creativity and intuition, surrender the never ending pursuit of trying to 'fix' themselves & commit instead to a more intentional healing path, on which they can be unapologetically true to who they are. Her relationship with her father still remains incredibly strong, albeit a different form of relationship since his passing. She discusses carrying on this relationship within your grief, and the importance of speaking about your loved one in the present.

Aug 11, 2020

This week’s guest, Justin Caffrey and his wife Beatrice have gone through something no parents should ever have to deal with in their lifetime. The loss of a child.

See all episodes →