Jo Caulfield to host book festival talk on humour and grief

The comedian is set to host a talk which hopes to shed light on the humour that can be found in grief.

After the death of her older sister Annie, Jo used writing as a cathartic release.

But from journalling her own memories of Annie, she found a new way to connect with her sister.

Jo said: “I wasn’t reading anything about grief that I could relate to.

“It started as something cathartic just for myself, a way of getting all the thoughts out of my head.

“I quickly realised that writing down memories and stories about my sister Annie was like spending time with her again and that I was enjoying it.

“I posted some of what I’d written on social media and people seemed to really relate to it.”

Jo was about to head out on stage as part of her nationwide tour when she was told about Annie’s cancer diagnosis.

Following the news, Jo and Annie would reminisce on their childhood while navigating how to react when a loved one is sick.

During Annie’s illness and following her death in 2016, Jo discovered she had become the latest member of ‘The Grief Club’.

Jo shared that she found “huge comfort” in the knowledge that she wasn’t alone in her grief.

She said: “Laughter isn’t just for the good times. Laughing and talking really helped when Annie was ill.

“And after her death I realised that I was in a club with millions of other members, The Grief Club.

“I’ve found that a huge comfort, just knowing that other people are feeling the same thing really helps.

“At book shows I have done so far, there has been an amazing bond in the room.

“It’s liberating to talk about death and loved ones openly and without censorship.

“We all laugh in the saddest of times that’s why I called it The Funny Thing About Death.”

The Funny Thing About Death tells the unconventional story of Annie and Jo’s childhood in the 1970s.

Annie was a TV writer, playwright, radio dramatist, children’s novelist, and comedy writer.

Jo added: “Because Annie was a writer I felt very connected to her when I was writing.

“It made me understand why she had loved writing so much.

“The best thing about the book is that I can include some of Annie’s writing.

“Funny pieces that let readers really get to hear her voice.

“She was a big character and as my big sister she had always been there, ahead of me, helping me through life.

“She was such an interesting person I felt that more people should know about her.”

Jo will take to the Borders Book Festival stage on Sunday, June 16 at 7pm.

In her talk, Jo will draw on her experiences of leading one-woman comedy shows as she talks about how Funny Thing About Death came about and introduce the audience to Annie with some funny stories, followed by a Q&A session.

Jo added: “Grief is so changeable and pops up when you least expect it, sometimes in very funny ways.

“I think it’s good to talk about that too.”

For tickets and more information, visit the Borders Book Festival website at bordersbookfestival.org