Karen and Megan recorded LIVE with the actor, comedian and performance artist Kate Berlant as part of the "Unscripted" program at the Park Avenue Armory earlier this month.
They get into how we all, to a certain extent "perform" grief through certain public rituals like funerals, while tapping into…
The Art of Grief
by Dr. Karen Tongson and Dr. Megan Auster-Rosen
Featuring provocative conversations with artists, creators, mental health professionals, spiritual guides and everyday people exploring the many forms of loss and grief, and the different ways we use art to cope with those feelings. The Art of Grief delves into how art is made and forged through grief, as well as how art transforms and ameliorates our experiences of loss and mourning. Co-hosted by podcast veteran, author and the chair of USC's Gender & Sexuality Studies department, Dr. Karen Tongson, and Dr. Megan Auster-Rosen, a clinical psychologist and former Associate Medical Director of Behavioral Health at Cedars Sinai, the show is led by two queer voices who are not only experts in their fields, but also close-friends whose bond was formed by processing their histories of grief.
Latest Episodes
Shawn Taylor, a coach, consultant, Senior Fellow with the Pop Culture Collaborative and author of the recent book The Alphabet for New and Expecting Fathers, joins us to talk about the vicissitudes of masculinity and grief. His new performance project-turned-short film, Speak and Carry tackles how…
Gil Hochberg, a professor at Columbia University and the author of the new memoir My Father the Messiah (2026), joins us for a discussion of this creative nonfiction text that explores the intersections of mental illness, religion, queerness, Judaism, Zionism and anti-Zionism.
Hochberg reconstruct…
Writer, multimedia journalist and a producer for KCRW's Good Food, Elina Shatkin, joins us for a candid, moving conversation about what it's like to lose her mother unexpectedly (while she was 7 months pregnant), right before caring for her newborn daughter.
Elina and her mom immigrated from Ukrai…
Chief restaurant critic for The New York Times, Tejal Rao joins us to talk about her recent article, "That Restaurant You Love Will Close One Day. What to Do?"
Beyond talking about how we grieve the loss of our favorite "third spaces," we get into how to become a regular at restaurants, as well as …
Dr. Jack Saul, a psychologist and artist, joins us for a conversation about the concept of moral injury explored in his practice, and in his public arts project Moral Injuries of War, which undertakes a national public reckoning on United States war-making and war culture.
As a psychologist and fam…
Comedian, author and actor Guy Branum (Bros, Platonic) joins us to talk about his new one-man show, Be Fruitful. We explore the concept of "pre-grieving," especially as we enter middle age, and consider how love and grief are intertwined.
Megan and Karen return with Season 2 of the "Art of Grief" by exploring the concepts of unrelenting and compounded grief. Even as we began this podcast last year to process specific losses, we have been confronted with new emotional challenges, shocking losses and seemingly insurmountable obstacles.…
The preeminent music critic, award-winning author, and Yale professor Daphne Brooks joins us for a wide ranging conversation about music as an expression of grief and a portal to our feelings. We learn about what it's like to bear "aural witness" across generations and communities, and get a better …
Reverend Christina Shu, Lead Interfath Chaplain at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, joins us for an intimate conversation about holding space for those confronting mortality and loss. She shares the transformative nature of being present with people as they grapple with the deepest questions.
We discu…
Writer and cook Millicent Soros joins us to explore her journey of understanding loss and the power of food to connect and heal. From early experiences of unprocessed grief to finding catharsis through cooking, Millicent shares insights on moving through pain, the fine line between coping and avoida…
MacArthur Genius Fellow, writer and historian Natalia Molina joins us to talk about scripts of grief, as well as how we become open to signs from beyond in the processes of grieving and healing.
We also discuss her award-winning essay, "How I learned the Dodgers are L.A.'s Language of Love," which …
We are joined by voices from around the city of Los Angeles to talk about their personal experiences with the L.A. wildfires, and communal grief in the wake of these catastrophic events. We also ask about their hopes for the future not only for themselves, but our community.
Guests include: Myriam…
This week we are joined by Hala Alyan, a Palestinian-American writer, poet, and clinical psychologist, who is also a professor at NYU. A specialist in trauma and cross-cultural identity, and the author of the award-winning novel Salt Houses, as well as four collections of poetry, including The Moon …
Karen and Megan record their first holiday special, and themselves get caught off-guard by some of their own holiday feelings, including the confluence of grief and joy. Karen opens up about the difficulty of Christmas this year, as well as in years past because it was her grandmother's favorite hol…
Bereavement facilitator, author, and host of the podcast Good Mourning Today, Japhena Kay, joins us for a candid conversation about losing her son Chase to suicide, while animating her processes of grief that have evolved and transformed in the years since. She and Megan met in a grief group specifi…
In June 2019, Colin Campbell and his wife Gail Lerner lost both of their children, Ruby and Hart when a drunk driver hit their car and changed a pleasant family outing into the worst day imaginable.
Megan and Karen invite Colin to discuss the book he wrote in the wake of that tragedy, Finding the W…
Megan and Karen check in with each other after the 2024 election, and discuss their own range of emotional responses, including grief, anger, and even a sense of tragicomedy.
They also offer some thoughts around how to take care of yourselves and others during this intense, confrontational and diff…
This week we are joined by Dr. Regina N. Bradley, a prominent public voice on contemporary southern Black life and hip hop culture, who is the author of the widely-acclaimed book, Chronicling Stankonia: the Rise of the Hip-Hop South. Dr. Bradley candidly talks about her efforts to heal and return to…
Globally renowned artist Cherine Fahd joins us to talk about the role photography plays in visualizing grief. Based in Australia, her own photographic work and writing not only celebrate the communities around her and their public lives, but delves deeply into what is more difficult to see and say, …