Tuesday, May 20, 2008

Researcher asks questions about obits

Kate Sweeney, a North Carolina-based writer, is putting together a book about "our changing ways of remembering our dead in this country, everything from green burial to online urn retailers, to, of course, obituaries."

She slipped a comment with questions into the last blog posting that merits a broader audience.

Kate writes: Have the number of papers that print "every-day Joe" obits in recent years, grown? (Those being, of course, obits not about famous people.)

Does anyone have any figures on this? Newspapers that have added the Everyman Obit?

Secondly, I'm also looking for hard evidence of whether the obituary's grown in popularity, period, in recent years.


Got any answers or comments for her?

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

So how can I be in touch with Kate Sweeney? Thanks.

Alana Baranick said...

Hello, Holly.

You can reach Kate at: kateswe@gmail.com.