Every year in Kentucky and across the country hundreds of people die and are laid to rest alone…without any relatives or friends present. These are people who society has forgotten.
The Lonely Passage project (inspired by the Lonely Funeral Project in the Netherlands) is an initiative based in Kentucky that offers simple, heartfelt dignity, respect and recognition of the passing and burial of a human life. To help with this, we have engaged a group of volunteer poets, since throughout history poets have been known for their ability to connect deeply and to translate experiences into words.
What We Do
Whenever the organizers of The Lonely Passage are alerted of the passing of a person without contacts, a participating poet – drawing on whatever specific information is available – writes a tribute poem, honoring the deceased. The poet then attends the funeral, reads the poem, and leaves a copy to be buried with the person.
“…the world is like an enormous spider web and if you touch it, however lightly, at any point the vibration ripples to the remotest perimeter…it does not matter whether or not you meant to brush the web of things.”
Robert Penn Warren
Contact
Kris Kimel
Founder
kkimel99@gmail.com
Lead Poet
Katerina Stoykova
Kentucky Humanities Council
katerina.stoykova@uky.edu