Grief is love with marisa renee lee
Discussion on grief and love in communities of color with Marisa Renee Lee
At 1-800 Happy Birthday
Wednesday, November 30 at 7-9pm, doors open at 6PM.
WORTHLESSSTUDIOS
This armchair conversation with author, leading grief advocate, and former Obama White House appointee Marisa Renee Lee focuses on the intersections of state-sanctioned violence against Black people with processes of grief and healing. In her work, Marisa invites audiences to “remember your person in a joyful way” through providing access to resources around grief and healing, strategies for exploring nonlinear grief, and addressing and combatting racism and white supremacy in attitudes and approaches to grief.
Marisa will be joined by Krishan Trotman, the Vice-President, Publisher of Legacy Lit. In 2020 she launched Legacy Lit, an imprint of Hachette Books dedicated to books that give voice to issues, authors, and communities that have been marginalized, underserved, and overlooked.
At the 1-800 Happy Birthday exhibition, a space where loved ones killed by police are not forgotten but remembered and honored, this conversation on grief and love is geared towards providing healing space to understand grief not as a privilege but as a human right.
Book signing of Marisa’s Grief Is Love: Living with Loss will follow the conversation.
Please register for the event below.
About 1-800 Happy Birthday
1-800 Happy Birthday is an exhibition honoring Black and Brown lives killed by police. Originally a voicemail project, now transformed into a large-scale exhibition in a 10,000 square-foot warehouse, 1-800 Happy Birthday is created by artist Mohammad Gorjestani and Even/Odd, curated by Klaudia Ofwona Draber, with artistic direction by Neil Hamamoto, and presented by arts nonprofit WORTHLESSSTUDIOS with the aim of honoring the lives of those lost too soon. The families of Dujuan Armstrong, Sandra Bland, Philando Castile, Stephon Clark, Fred Cox, Eric Garner, Oscar Grant, Xzavier Hill, Donovon Lynch, Sean Monterrosa, Tony Robinson, and Mario Woods are participating in the exhibition.
About marisa renee lee
Marisa Renee Lee is a called-upon grief advocate, entrepreneur, and bestselling author of “Grief is Love: Living with Loss.”
Deemed “the friend we all wish we had in times of need” by Elaine Welteroth, Marisa is able to utilize research-based advice and wisdom to help others navigate the complicated and challenging emotions we face when experiencing loss, offering unique insights for women and Black communities.
In addition to her work in the grief space, Lee is a former appointee in the Obama White House and CEO of Beacon Advisors, a mission-driven consulting firm primarily focused on racial equity. She is a rabble-rouser of social healing: former managing director of My Brother’s Keeper Alliance; co-founder of the digital platform Supportal; and founder of The Pink Agenda, a national organization dedicated to raising money for breast cancer care, research, and awareness.
Lee also regularly contributes to The Atlantic, Glamour, Vogue, MSNBC, and CNN and serves as an expert for Ritual’s wellbeing app. She is a Harvard graduate and an avid home cook. Marisa lives in upstate New York with her husband, Matt, their son Bennett, and their dog, Sadie.
about krishnan trotman
VP and Publisher, Legacy Lit
Krishan Trotman is the Vice-President, Publisher of Legacy Lit. She joined Hachette Books in 2016. In 2020 she launched Legacy Lit, an imprint dedicated to books that give voice to issues, authors, and communities that have been marginalized, underserved, and overlooked. This includes BIPOC authors, all women, and any group that they believe deserves a spotlight. The imprint is committed to promoting equality, equity, and inclusion for all people. The books are bold, mission-driven commercial works. Social justice and empowerment are Trotman’s passion. She likes to work with authors who are candid, bold, and, in their own unique way, not afraid to shake things up.
Her authors have included a range of award-winning and New York Times bestsellers, including: congressman John Lewis’ Across That Bridge; journalist Stephanie Land’s Maid; MSNBC political analyst Malcolm Nance’s The Plot to Destroy Democracy; New York Times columnist Lindy West’s The Witches Are Coming and Shit Actually; UFC’s Mixed Martial Artist Paige VanZant’s Rise; Olympic medalist Ibtihaj Muhammad’s Proud; radio and TV host Zerlina Maxwell’s The End of White Politics; TV personality Ed Gordon’s Conversations in Black; journalist Talia Lavin’s Culture Warlords; Vanity Fair writer Nancy Jo Sales’ forthcoming memoir Nothing Personal; BRAVO’s Million Dollar Listing star Ryan Serhant’s Sell It Like Serhant and Big Money Energy; Morning Joe’s cohost Mika Brzezinski’s Earn It! and Comeback Careers; The Today Show’s cohost Al Roker’s You Look So Much Better in Person; and empowerment coach Gina DeVee’s The Audacity to Be Queen, to name a few.
Krishan has been featured in the New York Times, Essence Magazine, New York Magazine, Publisher’s Weekly, Salon, Shondaland, Cheddar TV, MSN, CSPAN, and more. She is the self-described Beyoncé of Books, and mom to her son Bleu.