ACCLAIMED. ACCOMPLISHED. UNFORGETTABLE.
MEET OUR AMAZING SPEAKER
Annabelle Gurwitch
New York Times Best Selling Author
2-TIME THURBER PRIZE FINALIST
for distinguished contributions to American humor and literature.
NEW YORK TIMES BEST-SELLING AUTHOR
of multiple celebrated memoirs and essays.
LONG-TIME HOST
of the fan favorite TV show, Dinner and a Movie, on TBS.
ACCLAIMED HUMORIST
whose writing appears in prestigious publications, including The New Yorker magazine.
IN-DEMAND SPEAKER
known for uplifting talks on resilience, humor, and human connection.
About Annabelle Gurwitch
Annabelle Gurwitch is a New York Times bestselling author, actress, and patient advocate known for her wit, warmth, and candor. She is the author of six memoirs, and her writings have appeared in several publications, including the New York Times, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, and The New Yorker magazine. She was a regular NPR commentator and the long-time host of the popular TV series Dinner and a Movie.
Annabelle's most recent memoir, The End of My Life is Killing Me: The Unexpected Joys of a Cancer Slacker, published in March 2026, became an instant national bestseller. She shares how she cultivates joy even in the most difficult times with both hilarity and heartfelt insights. Annabelle and her book have been featured in interviews including Fresh Air with Terry Gross and most recently All Things Considered on NPR.
Annabelle mentors patients one-on-one and speaks at scientific conferences, cancer centers, and patient support groups. In 2023 she was awarded the Patient Advocate Award by the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer and in 2026 she was honored with the Gilda Award, named after Gilda Radner.
Our 2026 Together Again - Live Your Best Life Luncheon
IS GRACIOUSLY UNDERWRITTEN BY
Bruce and Ellie Lederman
Lauren and Austin Fite
Their generous underwriting allows all event
proceeds to go directly to griefHaven.
Sponsors, Tickets & Tributes
Browse, Bid & Buy
VIEW ITEMSSign Up to Participate
Not Attending?
Buy a gifted ticket.YOUR GENEROSITY MAKES THIS POSSIBLE
Every gift helps provide compassionate, meaningful support and trusted resources
to grieving individuals and families, regardless of where they live or their ability to pay.
YOUR SUPPORT HELPS PROVIDE ...
- Support Groups: Provide professionally facilitated grief support groups for parents, spouses, siblings, children, teens, grandparents, and others grieving the death of someone they love. Our groups are facilitated by specially trained grief therapists and counselors using the griefHaven Method™.
- Counseling Assistance: Help make individual grief counseling available to people who could not otherwise afford it.
Packets of Hope: Provide our free, loss-specific Packets of Hope to grieving individuals and families throughout the United States and around the world.
Online Resources: Maintain and expand griefHaven.org, where millions of people each year can find trusted grief information, videos, articles, tools, and support at no cost.
Education and Outreach: Bring grief education, training, and support to schools, hospitals, medical professionals, first responders, community organizations, and others affected by death, trauma, and loss.
Videos and Podcasts: Create educational videos, interviews, and programs that bring expert grief guidance and practical tools to people wherever they are.
- Fire Loss Support: Continue providing free Zoom grief and trauma support to individuals and families affected by the devastating Palisades fire and other community tragedies.
Your support allows griefHaven to continue being a place of help,
healing, and hope for those whose lives have been changed by loss.
BOUTIQUE
Shop these fabulous vendors at our event!
Just in time for the holidays ... and for yourself.
27 Miles Malibu
Classy Bag Lady
Coco Maloo
Coco Suisse
Dale Michele
Lady Jane Jewels
Malibu Road
O&V CA
Robin Terman Jewelry
Stephanie Rund
SVP @ Home
Ya Living
and more ...
Who is griefHaven?
With loss comes grief.
When someone we love dies, life is forever changed.
Grief becomes part of the life we now must learn to live.
With grief come questions.
What is happening to me? Is what I'm feeling normal?
How do I live with this loss? Where do I go from here?
This is where griefHaven comes in.
griefHaven was founded in 2003 by Susan and Wendell Whitmore after the death of their only child, Erika. What began as a deeply personal mission has grown into an organization providing meaningful, compassionate grief support to people throughout the United States and around the world.
Through the griefHaven Method™, griefHaven provides integrative grief support that combines professionally facilitated support groups, practical tools, education about the grieving brain and body, educational videos and resources, individual support, and outreach to communities affected by loss and trauma.
Our goal is to help grieving individuals understand what they are experiencing, learn specific grief techniques, and gradually rebuild their lives while continuing to carry the love and connection they have with the person who died.
For more than 20 years, griefHaven has been a place where grief is understood, love is honored, and hope can begin to return.
griefHaven is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.
Together we can help create a world where grief is better understood
and those who are grieving are met with compassion, understanding, and meaningful support.
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