Death Knell
Death Knell
David Ruiz
Death Knell is a monthly podcast about understanding grief after death. Each month, we interview two people with changing themes—dead parents, long distance, guilt—and try to find the similarities between the two gulfs. Obituaries are told every day. We do the follow up.
The Worst of It
It is Death Knell's one year anniversary, and for it, we have a special episode that includes multiple guests from our first season. For Episode 10, we ask just one question: What was the worst of it? No two stories are alike, no two deaths are the same.
Aug 18, 2017
43 min
I Made This
For this month's episode, we spoke to two artists—musician Scott Ferreter and cartoonist Anders Nilsen. In 2005, Anders suffered the death of his fiancé. In 2013, Scott lost his father. Both artists responded to their grief by creating something—Anders, two books, Scott, a record. We spoke to both of them about how they turned their grieving into something public and what it meant to release that something to the public.  Scott's music can be found at www.deep-pools.com, and Anders' work can be found at http://www.andersbrekhusnilsen.com  
Jul 13, 2017
43 min
Spouses
This month, for our eighth episode, Death Knell speaks with guests David Buskirk and Mitra Sapienza about the loss of their spouses, Kathy Buskirk and Jason Walker. David and Mitra both lost their partners to cancer, and both became de facto caretakers during the final stages of the illness. David and Mitra's stories sometimes overlap, but each had very different approaches to their grief. 
Apr 13, 2017
32 min
My Good Friend
On this month's episode, Death Knell visits Oakland resident Gloria to talk about her friend and companion Russell, who died in 2012. Gloria and Russell grew together, Gloria said, and Russell was a constant source of support for her career, her studies, her life and her interests.  Gloria discusses her plan for grieving, how she reached out to Russell's family and the importance of having something to remember a person by. 
Mar 14, 2017
24 min
Out There
On this month's episode, Death Knell takes a brief departure and revisits some older material from interview's past. The isn't a lazy clip show, though! This episode showcases three former guests all talking about having conversations with their loved ones after they died, and how those conversations affected their grief. The conversations happened in dreams, in rituals and through psychics. The conversations happened somewhere else... out there. 
Jan 12, 2017
25 min
Holidays
This month's episode, Holidays, is all about handling the first holiday after the death of a loved one. Our guests are Bryanna Tapia, whose dad died in 2006, and A.R. Vallejos, whose dad died in 2016.  Bryanna Tapia is the cousin of Death Knell host David Ruiz. When she talks about her father, it is David's uncle, his mother's brother. She and A.R. discuss Thanksgiving and Christmas, and what was expected of them after the death of their dads. How did they participate, did they have anything to be thankful for, and what do they remember most. 
Dec 15, 2016
31 min
Children
Mothers Rosanna and Kathleen talk about grieving after the deaths of their young adult daughters and about the international support group Compassionate Friends. 
Nov 10, 2016
27 min
Suicide
Guests Johnathan Doojphibupol and Lauren Lavin talk about losing a roommate and brother to suicide. 
Oct 7, 2016
31 min
You're Going to Die
Guest Ned Buskirk talks about his monthly San Francisco show You're Going to Die and what he's learned about grief after hosting it for years.  
Oct 4, 2016
33 min
Parents
In the very first episode of Death Knell, host David Ruiz and guest Courtney Brown discuss the grieving process of a dead father and mother.  
Sep 27, 2016
25 min