Memento Morbid

17: ‘Spiritual Gumbo’ - Lilith Dorsey

"Voodoo dolls are the one thing I'm always on my high horse about." In this episode, Joanna is joined by author, filmmaker, anthropologist and initiated New Orleans Vood

16: Reality TV: A Poison and a Pox? - Evan Michelson

"I don't keep the most valuable things. I keep the things that sing to me." — Evan Michelson What makes an object into a portal for memory, grief, beauty, and the sacred

15: ‘The Deathosphere’ – Joanna Ebenstein & Producer Jess

"It's the death of organisms that creates the fertility of the soil." When a storm in Mexico forces a last-minute change of plans, host Joanna Ebenstein is joined by Mem

14: ‘Death Makes Creativity Possible’- Dylan Thuras

What happens when the project that defined your life suddenly no longer belongs to you? This week, Joanna Ebenstein is joined by her longtime friend Dylan Thuras, co-fou

13: Hoodoo: Healing & Harm - Yvonne Chireau

What if the dead are not gone at all, but woven into the fabric of everyday life? Historian, scholar of religion and Black studies, and Sinners consultant Yvonne Chireau

12: From Pixar to Peculiars - Lee Unkrich

Academy Award-winning filmmaker Lee Unkrich—director of Coco, Toy Story 3, and longtime Pixar creative—joins Joanna Ebenstein for a deeply personal conversation about col

11: ‘Living Persons Guide to the Dead’- Tiffany Hopkins

What if mediumship and creativity trace back to the same roots? In this episode of Memento Morbid, Joanna Ebenstein is joined by medium, researcher, educator and author

10: Sparkling Skeletons and Costumed Cats - Paul Koudournaris

What happens when a lifelong fascination with mortality leads you into crypts, catacombs, pet cemeteries, and skull festivals across the world? Photographer, writer, and

9: ‘Ectoplasm? It looks like cheesecloth’ – Shannon Taggart

What happens when a photographer spends 25 years documenting people who believe they can speak with the dead? Photographer Shannon Taggart joins Joanna Ebenstein for a f

8: Mysticism, Sex, and the Impossible- Jeffrey Kripal

Is Reality Stranger Than We’re Willing to Admit?  Religious scholar and author Jeffrey J. Kripal joins Joanna Ebenstein for an engrossing conversation exploring mysticis

7: ‘Impossible Bodies’ - Asti Hustvedt

In this episode of Memento Morbid, Joanna Ebenstein speaks with independent scholar, historian, and author Asti Hustvedt about hysteria, gender, spiritualism, and the une

6: ‘I've never not known death’ - John Troyer

What happens when a lifetime spent studying death collides with personal loss? Death scholar, writer, and educator John Troyer joins Joanna Ebenstein for a conversation

5: ‘Darkness is Healthy and Holy’ - Pam Grossman

What happens when we recognise creativity as a form of magic? Writer, curator, and cultural critic Pam Grossman joins Joanna Ebenstein for a conversation about witchcraf

4: ‘Death isn’t a problem to fix’ - Oliver Burkeman

What does it mean to live well, knowing our time is finite? Author Oliver Burkeman joins Joanna Ebenstein for a conversation about time, mortality, and what it means to

3: 'Grave Dirt & Mud Pies' - Leila Taylor

Grave dirt makes the best mud pies…  Leila Taylor, writer, designer, cultural critic and Creative Director of Brooklyn Public Library, joins Joanna Ebenstein for a rich,

2: 'I'm a Monster Now'- Paul Giamatti

What Does It Mean to Become Someone Else? Award-winning actor and producer Paul Giamatti joins Joanna Ebenstein for a wide-ranging, eerie, and often amusing conversation

1: 'Corpse Girl' - Caitlin Doughty

What Happens to a Body After Death? Mortician, author and death care reformer Caitlin Doughty joins Joanna Ebenstein for a candid, curious and surprisingly funny conversa

Welcome to Memento Morbid….

Memento Morbid Fascinating, poignant, and surprisingly life-affirming conversations about death, the human condition, and life’s great mysteries. Join Joanna Ebenstein,