MARIALICIA GONZALEZ
The daughter of Cuban refugees, Marialicia González was raised in Miami with values of community and resilience. Though her family was heavy with loss of country and culture, grief was never spoken about.
When as a child, her friend died suddenly, Marialicia was struck by how little it was talked about. It was all she wanted to do. A few years later, another friend died suddenly, and this was followed by four more sudden deaths of family and close friends, over the next three years.
Adults were silent about it. Friends didn’t know what to say; Marialicia felt alone and confused. Where was the wisdom?
As a teenager, she attended her first birth and having the doors of death and birth open so young, catapulted her into a journey of fascination, deep respect, and curiosity, about all things birth and death.
Poetry writing and more heartache, transformed her to become a strong voice in the cultural shift to normalize the experience and expression of grief. She is passionate about breaking down the social barriers around grief and the stigma attached to it.
Marialicia is a published author, poet, artist, and mother. Her first book, “Language Has No Words,” is available wherever books are sold. She is co-founder of the popular Portland-based literary non-profit, Grief Rites Foundation, where art is used as agency for expression and witnessing of grief. For over a decade, she has held grief groups and rituals, internationally and locally, creating grief literacy content for all ages.
She is a Certified Grief Educator, Traditional Midwife, and a Hospice Nurse, bringing her passionate wisdom and teaching to anyone seeking healthy and heart-ful relationships with their grief. Her warm, grounded, and embodied approach has served thousands over the last 25 years.
Marialicia offers services in Spanish and English and lives in the Pacific Northwest with her family.
When as a child, her friend died suddenly, Marialicia was struck by how little it was talked about. It was all she wanted to do. A few years later, another friend died suddenly, and this was followed by four more sudden deaths of family and close friends, over the next three years.
Adults were silent about it. Friends didn’t know what to say; Marialicia felt alone and confused. Where was the wisdom?
As a teenager, she attended her first birth and having the doors of death and birth open so young, catapulted her into a journey of fascination, deep respect, and curiosity, about all things birth and death.
Poetry writing and more heartache, transformed her to become a strong voice in the cultural shift to normalize the experience and expression of grief. She is passionate about breaking down the social barriers around grief and the stigma attached to it.
Marialicia is a published author, poet, artist, and mother. Her first book, “Language Has No Words,” is available wherever books are sold. She is co-founder of the popular Portland-based literary non-profit, Grief Rites Foundation, where art is used as agency for expression and witnessing of grief. For over a decade, she has held grief groups and rituals, internationally and locally, creating grief literacy content for all ages.
She is a Certified Grief Educator, Traditional Midwife, and a Hospice Nurse, bringing her passionate wisdom and teaching to anyone seeking healthy and heart-ful relationships with their grief. Her warm, grounded, and embodied approach has served thousands over the last 25 years.
Marialicia offers services in Spanish and English and lives in the Pacific Northwest with her family.
Work with Marialicia
- 1:1 Grief Education Mentorship
- Community Grief Literacy workshop
- Death & Rebirth Annual Retreat
- Frequency of Grief Ritual
- Keynote speaking on topics of Grief & Loss