What can we learn from ghost stories? | Amy Tudor | TEDxVCU

Dr. Amy Tudor, a death doula and scholar of Thanatology, explores the persistence of ghost stories in Western culture. Drawing from hospital bedside experiences and uncanny moments in daily life, she examines what these stories might really reveal about us—and what we might be haunted by within ourselves. Amy Tudor holds a PhD in Interdisciplinary Humanities (focus in Thanatology) and an MFA in Creative Writing, as well as a certification as an End-of-Life Doula. Her research includes death and photography, end-of-life ritual practices, and identity issues in facial injury patients, the latter of which she studied as a Visiting Academic Fellow at The University of Oxford. Dr. Tudor is the author of two collections of poetry – A Book of Birds (2008) and Studies in Extinction (2016) – and is also a published essayist, short story writer, and lyricist. She teaches in the Department of Focused Inquiry at Virginia Commonwealth University. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx