Gail Rubin

Gail Rubin, CT, is a Certified Thanatologist, a two-time TEDxABQ speaker, the recipient of the ADEC 2024 Community Educator Award, a film studies graduate from University of Maryland, and someone who has personally experienced eight family deaths in 24 months. Her motto is "Talking about sex won't make you pregnant. Talking about funerals won't make you dead."

She is a death educator who uses humor, films and outside-the-box activities to help start serious conversations. Known as The Doyenne of Death®, Gail is a pioneer of the Death Cafe movement in the U.S. and is a Certified Funeral Celebrant. In addition to her books, she created The Newly-Dead® Game and hosts the Mortality Movie TV series and movie night events. She is a breast cancer survivor, a member of the Association for Death Education and Counseling (ADEC) and the International Cemetery, Cremation and Funeral Association (ICCFA).

She is the author of the award-winning books A GOOD GOODBYE: Funeral Planning for Those Who Don't Plan to Die; KICKING THE BUCKET LIST: 100 Downsizing and Organizing Things to Do Before You Die; HAIL AND FAREWELL: Cremation Ceremonies, Templates and Tips; BEFORE I DIE FESTIVAL IN A BOX; and 98.6 MORTALITY MOVIES TO SEE BEFORE YOU DIE: Remarkable Films and TV Shows to Discuss Death and Plan Ahead.