Four Inane Questions with Grief Cards’ Madison Clark

Photo Courtesy of Madison Clark

When Madison Clark quietly launched her specialized brand of sympathy cards late last year, she was hopeful they’d find an audience. Born and raised in Kansas City, Clark experienced a tremendous loss at 15 years old when her big brother Garrett was killed in a car accident at only 18 in 2008.

Clark went on to travel the world, teaching in Indonesia and earning her master’s degree in Belfast, Northern Ireland. “Through all of my travels, I hoped that I would find the types of sympathy cards I wish I received, but after, they’d never appeared,” she says. 

So, she created her own card line—the aptly named Grief Cards. Her tagline, you ask? “Sympathy cards that don’t suck.”

“Each card is designed for grieving people, by grieving people, without any toxic positivity or assumed spirituality,” she says.  “And all Grief Cards are printed locally and sustainably in Kansas City, Missouri.”

We sat down with Clark recently to pepper her with our supremely subpar questionnaire. Needless to say, she was up to the challenge. Bless.

Photo Courtesy of Madison Clark

 The Pitch: Describe—in detail—the perfect donut/pastry.

Madison Clark: A LaMar’s glazed sour cream donut is the epitome of perfection. It’s a cake donut without being dry. It’s far denser than their traditional glazed donut, so it serves as a better breakfast—especially when paired with 2 percent Belfonte milk. 

The only thing that could improve this particular donut would be sprinkles—maybe baked into the batter in a Funfetti type of way? Maybe sprinkled over the top before the glaze sets so they can settle into the donut’s unique shape? That’s just me being picky, honestly, because it’s pretty hard to improve perfection. 

What book title best describes your life thus far? 

The working title of my memoir is Eulogy For Innocence, so I think I have to stick with that! The vast majority of my life has been filled with pockets of intense joy, followed quickly by sudden loss, and this title captures that. 

The title also asks me to maintain a practice of celebrating all of the joy and adventure that I’ve been able to experience while still remembering and grieving the numerous sudden losses that I’ve survived. I think there’s a duality in life. And in owning a company in the grief space—that I do my best to honor on a daily basis—I’m so thankful that I’m able to help bring grief into the public narrative like this. But I’d also trade it all in a second if it meant my family members and friends were still alive. 

What skill could you pick up faster—tap dancing or bull roping?

There’s no question about it: tap dancing. I wouldn’t be good, per se; let’s be abundantly clear. But I think I’d be capable of doing a few tap dancing basics within a month or two. I’m an enthusiastic dancer and singer (very poor at the latter, but still enthusiastic) and I think that energy would serve me well. 

Alternatively, bull roping is a world that I’ve never been a part of. If I’d grown up with it, I might make a different choice, but I’m an urban and suburban kid through and through.

Who’s the most underrated singer in the world? 

Benjamin Clementine is an incredible artist who I genuinely believe everyone should listen to. His 2014 album At Least For Now was my introduction to his work, and the track “I Won’t Complain” has maintained a permanent spot on my funeral playlist ever since I first heard it. 

Clementine’s voice maintains a balance between out-of-control and gently unassuming. This type of balance is one I’ve rarely experienced from any other artist. (PS. I’d also recommend creating the playlist you’d like played at your funeral/visitation/celebration of life, but that’s a topic for another day!)

Bonus 5th Question: What’s your favorite sci-fi movie? 

What Happened to Monday is a sci-fi film that I come back to time and time again, but so are the Hunger Games and Divergent trilogies! I’m not a horror sci-fi fan, and I think the most ‘out there’ film that I’m a fan of would be Everything Everywhere All At Once. 

Sci-fi for me is less about furthering the realm of possibility and more about finding a comfortable film that helps me interrogate the real world a little more deeply.