Thanks For Being Here The Joy of Funerals

Kelly Corrigan Wonders

Kelly Corrigan Show

Society & Culture

4.8 • 3.2K Ratings

🗓️ 19 November 2023

⏱️ 9 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Kelly shares an excerpt from her friend Alix Strauss’ book, The Joy of Funerals: A Novel in Stories, which has just been reissued in celebration of its 20th anniversary.

“The Joy of Funerals is a sneak peek at the inner world of those left behind. From the very first page, readers are drawn into the strange, often humorous world where nine women grapple with sex, power, love, and death. When read as a collection, they are anchored together by the novella, "The Joy of Funerals," which follows the life of Nina, a lonely, single thirty-something woman who attends the funerals of the deceased characters in the previous stories. Thinking her ‘funeraling’ habit is under control, Nina slips seamlessly in and out of these proceedings, and these people's lives, until, of course, she's found out.”

Transcript

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0:00.0	Hi everyone, welcome to thanks for being here, a short weekly pod to remind us of the many essential
0:06.0	and beautiful ways we affect one another. Every Sunday I'll read a submission from a listener,
0:12.4	Kelly Corrigan Wonders, could be wedding vows or about
0:15.5	mitzvah toast, a eulogy or retirement speech.
0:19.1	We believe this is probably the loveliest way to tap into our better selves and remember our highest values.
0:26.2	We encourage you to share this podcast each week with one person you love,
0:30.5	maybe someone you miss and need to bring closer,
0:33.0	someone you want to feel your appreciation or admiration or both.
0:38.0	This is thanks for being here is a little different. It's an excerpt from a book called The Joy of Funerals, a novel in stories.
0:54.7	It's written by a friend of mine. Her name is Alex Strauss. You may have read her in the New York Times.
0:59.7	The Joy of Funerals is a collection of stories exploring the lives of young women who handle
1:04.9	sex, power, love, and death in their own ways.
1:08.7	This excerpt that I'm about to read is from the last story in the book.
1:11.6	It's about a woman named Nina who attends
1:14.0	funerals of people she does not know in an effort to find connection.
1:18.3	Here we go. I take another deep cleansing breath, slip on my glasses, open the door, and proceed out of the diner like a normal person.
1:31.0	The weather is outstanding, warm and beautiful. I'm sure Edna is
1:34.9	thankful for this. I'm sure everyone attending Archie's funeral will comment on
1:39.4	what a gorgeous day it is. People are predictable. In the winter they stand in a huddle mass of
1:45.5	tears, matted down with thick wool coats, scarves wrapped tightly around necks,
1:50.6	hands and leather gloves.
1:53.0	In the summer, the warm air rings of sorrow,
	...

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