This is a word, a podcast from Slate. I'm your host, Jason Johnson. The pandemic era has

been full of trauma and grief for millions of Americans whose loved ones have died of

COVID. And for many African Americans who were hard to hit by the crisis, the season of sorrow

has seen endless. In her new book, author Marissa Renee Lee shares her own story of grief and

finding joy at a time of loss. Give yourself some time, you know, like to just sit and ask yourself,

what do I need? What might help me move through this? I am a meditation person, I am a church girl,

I do therapy, I have my things that I know help me live with loss. The author of Brief Is Love coming

up on a word with me, Jason Johnson. Stay with us.

Welcome to a word, a podcast about race and politics and everything else. I'm your host,

Jason Johnson. On any given day, a friend, a colleague, or anyone you know could be dealing with

grief. The fog of sorrow and sometimes anger and regret after the death of a loved one is a

universal experience, but so often, a lonely one. Even in a wake of a global pandemic, when

millions endured repeated losses in isolation, many of us lack the language for describing our own

grief, for helping others through theirs. Marissa Renee Lee is hoping to change that. She's an author,

speaker and entrepreneur who's written for the Atlantic, Vogue, the Grille, and Glamour.

And her new book, grief is love. Living with loss is out now. Marissa, welcome to a word.

Thank you so much for having me, Jason. I really appreciate it. So I'm going to start with this

my best friend, pass away on New Year's Eve after a long struggle with sickle cell. So

this was both helpful and I was like both dreading and looking forward to this conversation.

The experience of grief is very personal to you. Can you just talk a little bit about

what inspired you to write grief as love living with loss? You know, I think looking back,

my grief journey probably started when I was 13 years old. My mom, who had otherwise been a healthy,

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