Storying life’s other half — Florence Chiew

This paper describes how I have developed narrative practice principles in a hospice biography environment. The practice stories in the paper have emerged from my attempts at innovating and experimenting with narrative approaches such as: scaffolding a sense of spaciousness in the pace and rhythm of a conversation, inviting in story moments that attend to the relational dimensions of identity work, and facilitating re-membering definitional ceremonies both face-to-face and online. Death and dying are topics that arouse great discomfort in modern societies where a high premium is placed on constructs and ideals of ‘wellness’ and youth. By using narrative conversations and practice principles to support people in crafting their life stories for themselves and their loved ones, the work of storytelling, writing and re-membering can be vital forms of resistance to popular discourses of death and dying as disappearing.