Author of Ashes to Admin and Get Ahead of Being Dead

Join us at Poetic Endings Kirkdale for an evening with writer and council funeral officer Evie King, whose acclaimed books have brought humour, compassion and humanity to one of life's most overlooked subjects.

Evie has spent almost a decade arranging funerals for people who die without family or money to organise their affairs.

In this thought-provoking and often surprisingly funny talk, she will share stories from behind the scenes of council funerals, explore what these lives can teach us about death, connection and planning ahead, and discuss how a little preparation can make things easier for the people we leave behind.

Expect practical advice, dark humour, compassion and a fresh perspective on one of life's few certainties.

By the end of the evening, it is her hope (and cautious expectation) that you will feel more at ease with the uncertainties of death and eager to make whatever preparations you can to meet them head on.

Following the talk, there will be an opportunity to ask questions, meet Evie, enjoy a drink with fellow attendees, and continue the conversation.

Copies of Get Ahead of Being Dead will be available to purchase on the evening, and Evie will be signing books after the event.

About Evie King

Evie King does not exist, but the person who plays her is a council worker and writer. A former stand-up comedian, she has written for The Guardian, New Humanist, BBC Comedy and Viz.

After moving to the seaside and reducing her working hours, she completed her first book, Ashes to Admin, an account of her work arranging council funerals. The book sold more than 10,000 copies, was selected by Stewart Lee for the London Review of Books "One Hundred Books for the Next Twenty Years" collection, and won the 2025 Association for the Study of Death & Society Award for Outstanding and Original Books in Death Studies.

Her second book, Get Ahead of Being Dead, was published in June 2026. She is also an ambassador for the missing persons and cold-case charity Locate International and leads the UK's training programme for council funeral workers.

Date: Thursday 16 July 2026
Venue: Poetic Endings, 161 Kirkdale, London SE26 4QJ
Doors: 6.45pm
Talk: 7.00pm
Tickets: Free - but please consider buying a book to support the author!

Complimentary drinks will be provided on arrival.