Death, et seq.

Tanya talks to Erik Seeman, a history Professor at University at Buffalo and the author of several books on early American attitudes towards death and death care practices, including Speaking with the Dead in Early America. Dr. Seeman's work helps us understand the worldview of those who shaped American funeral and cemetery law, and he also has some insights on how those views have changed over the past several centuries.

What death care practices are in line with the teachings of the Catholic Church? In this episode, Tanya talks to Wake Law student Andrea St. Paul about the historical evolution of Catholic death care practices.

In this episode, Tanya talks to Vivian Bolen about the law and death customs in Ancient Rome and Greece, and to Lillian Remler about death customs in Ancient Egypt. The echoes of this ancient law and these ancient practices can be felt in modern American law and social norms.

In this episode, Tanya talks to her friend Holly Swenson, walking her through the options for the disposition of her remains (cremation, casket burial, green burial, water cremation, and human composting). They also discuss who has the right to legally make disposition decisions and how to document your preferences. The bottom line is: people should be armed with information about their funeral and disposition choices!

Since emerging tools like AI memorialization, grief bots, and digital afterlife platforms can essentially allow us to virtually resurrect the dead, they can provide support during times of intense grief, but they also raise a host of legal and ethical issues. This week I talk to second year Wake Lake student Manjot Kaur about these technologies and the thorny issues they raise.

In this episode, Tanya talks to Professor Ellie Morales, who directs the Veteran's Legal Clinic at Wake Forest Law School, about the funeral benefits available to service members and veterans, as well as the very important question of who qualifies as a "veteran" for the purpose of receiving benefits from the VA.

Ground penetrating radar (or GPR) is one of the geophysical techniques that archaeologists like Dr. David Leslie of Terrasearch Geophysical use to image or map archaeological sites without disturbing the ground itself. This is particularly useful to assess sites that are suspected of containing graves, or to better understand the boundaries or extent of known cemeteries. In this episode, Tanya talks to Dr. Leslie about his work and the scientific techniques he employs. For more information on Dr. Leslie and his work, visit his website: https://terrasearchgeo.com/

Will Boyce, the current Editor in Chief of The Wake Forest Law Review is the guest. He and Tanya discuss the legal scholarship created in connection with the Spring 2024 Symposium -- The Future of Death Care -- as well as explaining what law reviews are and how they work.

Wake Law Student Jannine Huby organized this episode. She explains how cremation fireworks work and introduces Jason Diemer and Clay Adams of Greenlawn Funeral Home in Springfield, Missouri, the only U.S. funeral home that offers customized cremation fireworks memorials.