Humour and Humanity in Writing about Death with Jackie Dent and Nadine Cohen

Join authors Jackie Dent and Nadine J. Cohen for a discussion on the highs, lows, and surprising humour in writing deeply personal stories about death. Jackie’s book 'The Great Dead Body Teachers' delves into her grandparents’ dissection at the University of Queensland, while Nadine’s semi-autobiographical novel "Everyone and Everything" follows Yael, a woman on the edge, grappling with the loss of her parents in early adulthood. Together, they’ll explore how confronting death on the page can open up unexpected insights into life.

Nadine J. Cohen is a Sydney-based writer and refugee advocate published widely in mastheads including The Guardian, The Saturday Paper, SMH, ABC, Harper's Bazaar, and more. Her debut novel, Everyone and Everything, was released in 2023 to critical acclaim and named Booktopia’s debut release of the year. Nadine also co-hosts and produces Grave Matters on SBS, a podcast about death, grief and the business of dying.

Jackie Dent is an author and journalist who has worked for outlets like the ABC, The Sydney Morning Herald, The Guardian, and The New York Times. She has also worked with the UN in Afghanistan, Pakistan, South Sudan, and North Ossetia. She has curated talks for Tedx Sydney, the Ethics Centre and Clear Spot Club, and her work appeared in Critical Practices Inc’s LEF(t) publication at the 2014 Whitney Biennial. Her latest book, The Great Dead Body Teachers, explores whole-body donation and anatomy. She is currently completing a PhD in International Relations at the University of Sydney on ‘The Pleasures of War’.