Event and Book

Join the National Writers Series for an inspiring conversation with New York Times bestselling and author Alua Arthur. Arthur’s deeply transformative memoir Briefly Perfectly Human: Making an Authentic Life by Getting Real About the End, reframes how we think about death and how it can help us lead better, more fulfilling, and authentic lives.

For her clients and everyone who has been inspired by her humanity, Arthur is a friend at the end of the world. As our country’s leading “death doula,” she’s spreading a transformative message: thinking about your death—whether imminent or not—will breathe wild, new potential into your life.

Warm, generous, and funny, Arthur supports and helps manage end-of-life care on many levels. The business matters, medical directives, memorial planning; but also honoring the quiet moments, when monitors are beeping and loved ones have stepped out to get some air and her clients become deeply contemplative.

They want to say aloud to her their aching, unfinished business— regrets, fears, secret joys, hidden affairs, and dim realities. When this happens, Arthur focuses her attention at the pulsing center of her clients’ anguish and creates space for them, and sometimes their loved ones, to find peace.

Briefly Perfectly Human is a life-changing, soul-gathering debut, by a writer whose empathy, tenderness, and wisdom shimmer on the page. Arthur combines intimate storytelling with a passionate appeal for loving, courageous end-of-life care—what she calls “death embrace.”

Praised by author Jodi Picoult (Mad Honey and The Book of Two Ways) who called it “a truly unique, inspiring perspective on the time we have, what we do with it, and how we let go of this world. There is no one I’d trust more to guide me through an understanding of death, and how it informs life.”

Doors open at 6 p.m. with a cash bar and live music. The event begins at 7 p.m. and includes a Q &A and author signing. Each ticket comes with a signed trade paperback copy of Briefly Perfectly Human (or opt for a two-ticket package with one book).

TCIKET INFORMATION:
Tier One indicates premium seating options with the best views, available on the main floor closest to the stage along with premium sections of the balcony.
Tier Two indicates standard seating options, available on the main floor and most of the balcony.

Individual Tickets
Tier One: $42.50
Tier Two: $32.50
Admits one person to the live event and each ticket comes with one signed trade paperback edition of Alua Arthur’s Briefly Perfectly Human: Making an Authentic Life by Getting Real About the End (retail value $18).

Two-Ticket Package
Tier One: $69.50
Tier Two: $49.50
This two-ticket option admits two people to the live event and comes with one signed trade paperback edition of Alua Arthur’s Briefly Perfectly Human: Making an Authentic Life by Getting Real About the End (retail value $18). Perfect for couples or friends who want to share a book together.

Virtual Tickets
$30.50
Virtual tickets are $15 plus a book. You can choose to pick up your book at Horizon Books in Traverse City at 243 E. Front Street, Traverse City, MI 49684, or you can pay to have it shipped to you.

Group Tickets:
For discounted rates on ticket packages of 20 or more, please contact [email protected]

Student Tickets: $10
No age restriction with a valid school ID, student tickets admit one person to the live event. Books are not included.

Which Ticket Package to Choose?
If you and a partner or friend are attending together and only need one book to share, choose our Two-Tickets/One-Book package.

About Our Book Sales
One of the most exciting parts of attending our events is getting a signed copy of the author’s latest book along with the chance to meet the writer and have them personalize it after the show. Each sale benefits our local partner Horizon Books in downtown Traverse City, Michigan. The bundled price of National Writers Series books is always 20 percent below retail, so you also get a great deal. If you already own the featured book, the one you receive with your ticket makes a great gift for friends and family. Or you can donate it back to us at the National Writers Series, and we’ll distribute it to libraries and young writers in Northern Michigan. We think a new book is one of the greatest joys of life, and we thank you for helping us make Traverse City one of the premiere destinations for authors through our book sales.

Virtual Option
Even if you can’t make it to the City Opera House, you can still enjoy National Writers Series events from the comfort of your own home on event night or later on-demand when it’s more convenient. Please go to www.nationalwritersseries.org for ticketing information.

FAQS:

Why do I have to buy a book with my tickets?
NWS will often include a book with every ticket (or two tickets). We sometimes bundle a book with a ticket to lure a high-profile author to our fine small town. This is now a common practice with authors on book tours—their publishers require the bundle, not only to introduce the author to his or her readers, but also to sell books. Please note, all books are 20 percent off.

What if I already purchased the book?
If you already have the book, the book with your ticket makes a great gift for friends and family. Or, you can donate your book by contacting our office manager at [email protected].

Is this event kid friendly?
Most of our events are not appropriate for children.

Alua Arthur is the most visible and active death doula working in America today. She is a recovering attorney and the founder of Going With Grace, a death doula training and end-of-life planning organization. A frequent guest on TV and radio, Arthur has been featured on CBS’s The Doctors and in Disney’s Limitless docu-series with Chris Hemsworth, as well as in national print media outlets, such as Vogue, InStyle, the Los Angeles Times, The Cut, The New Yorker, and the New York Times. International newspaper features on Arthur include Brazil’s Estadão and Norway’s Årets Avis. She has appeared on dozens of podcasts, and a Refinery29 video feature on Arthur and her work received ten million views across social platforms. In non-pandemic times, she travels the country and world as a keynote speaker, addressing audiences of several hundred to several thousand people at medical and end-of-life conferences, universities, seminaries, senior citizens’ communities, and more.

Guest Host Doug Stanton is the #1 New York Times best-selling author of In Harm’s Way and 12 Strong, made into a major motion picture by Jerry Bruckheimer, and The Odyssey of Echo Company. His writing has appeared in The New York Times, The New York Times Book Review, Time, The Washington Post, Men’s Journal, The Daily Beast, Newsweek, Esquire, and Outside. He was awarded the 2021 Steven Ambrose Oral History award. He attended Interlochen Arts Academy, Hampshire College, and received an MFA from the Writers’ Workshop at the University of Iowa. He created the National Writers Series in 2009 with his wife, Anne, and attorney Grant Parsons. He and Anne have three children and live in Traverse City.