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Hortus Mortus
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The Dead Garden
Observations from 15+ years in thanatology and gardens
Nov 19, 2025
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Cole Imperi
5
Notes from the Garden
A single mulberry, accidental vermicompost, and rain. Plus a list of what’s in my herb tower.
Nov 15, 2025
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Cole Imperi
2
1
Flourishing, Faltering, and Fig Jam
Finding sweetness after the stumble. And a recipe for jam.
Sep 3, 2025
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Cole Imperi
9
2
1
Announcing a New Project: Grief & Food
Do you eat? Do you grieve? This might be right up your alley.
Jul 24, 2025
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Cole Imperi
3
Beat Up, but Beloved
A Bit About My Kitchen Table, and the Importance of Non-Clinical Tools
Jul 9, 2025
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Cole Imperi
3
1
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Grieving? Read Romance.
Mar 16, 2025
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Cole Imperi
10
2
Grievers Are a Vulnerable Population. We Owe Them Higher Standards.
May 2, 2025
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Cole Imperi
9
Flourishing, Faltering, and Fig Jam
Sep 3, 2025
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Cole Imperi
9
2
1
Run the Damn Dishwasher
Apr 9, 2025
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Cole Imperi
6
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Preserving More Than Food
How Becoming a Master Food Preserver Deepened My Work with Grief, Community, and Belonging, and What I Bought for my Home Kitchen
Jun 20, 2025
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Cole Imperi
5
1
A Quiet Cameo Connected to “Dying for Sex”
The power of expert voices, good journalism, and making death a little more understandable
Jun 18, 2025
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Cole Imperi
1
Grievers Are a Vulnerable Population. We Owe Them Higher Standards.
How workplaces, professionals, and culture at large are failing the grieving—and what we must do differently.
May 2, 2025
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Cole Imperi
9
Run the Damn Dishwasher
A tiny ritual for surviving grief, guilt, and the tyranny of dirty dishes.
Apr 9, 2025
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Cole Imperi
6
Help, I Accidentally Became a Master Something Again
I just wanted to meet people and grow a few tomatoes. Now I’m learning about food terrorism and failing quizzes about pickles.
Apr 7, 2025
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Cole Imperi
4
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Grief in the Hemp Field
A hot Kentucky hemp field, PTSD, and the CBD business that never made it out of the dirt.
Apr 4, 2025
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Cole Imperi
1
What I'm Learning About Making a Home for Grief....When I'm Writing About My Loss
My next book (out with Penguin in 2026) is currently going through a major revision, reorganization, and final fleshing out. My deadline is the end of…
Apr 3, 2025
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Cole Imperi
2
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Cole’s Hortus Mortus
From a thanatologist and horticulturalist: practical, non-clinical essays on living wisely through gardens, food, and grief. For people who want to understand life more deeply—and savor it more fully.
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