One of the great taboo topics in our society is taking center stage at three Seattle restaurants come October: the inevitable (but no less devastating) fact of dying. We hate thinking about it—and we despise talking about it even more—but People’s Memorial Association (PMA) aims to change that.

To that end, PMA, a nonprofit that helps folks with end-of-life preparation—paperwork, wills, memorial service wishes—which includes facilitating conversations about death, will team up with Death Over Dinner for a one-night-only event scattered around Seattle. Brimmer and Heeltap, Cafe Hitchcock, and Terra Plata all open their doors October 27 for a night of dining and talks with professionals versed in the field of death.

Wait, what?

You read that right. At Ballard's cozy, Mexican-influenced Brimmer and Heeltap, a trio of “death experts” like Trudy James, producer of Speaking of Dying, a film that explores end-of-life planning, Michael Hebb, founder of Death Over Dinner, and PMA executive director Nora Menkin will steer the conversation.

Dinnertime at Brendan McGill's all-day cafe will see the chef at the table, as well as Greg Lundgren, artist and author of two children’s books on the topic of death, and Chanel Reynolds, founder of the online resource community Get Your Shit Together.

And finally, Melrose Market mainstay Terra Plata will bring NPR commentator and TEDMED speaker Debra Jarvis; Barak Gaster, a dementia specialist and UW medicine professor; and chef Tamara Murphy together for discussion.

As October (and thus spooky vibes) roll around, PMA and Death Over Dinner hope to open the door on a topic that’s important to explore year-round—and especially so in the days leading up to Halloween.

Death Over Dinner
Oct 27, Various Locations, $75