“Obits, Philadelphia Style” is the theme of the Society of Professional Obituary Writers (SPOW) 2010 Convention in Philadelphia, Pa., April 22-24, 2010.
Jim Nicholson, the retired award-winning Daily News reporter who became a rock star among obit writers by writing about the extraordinary lives of ordinary people, will be the keynote speaker.
Irv Randolph, managing editor of The Philadelphia Tribune, will speak about his paper’s history as America’s oldest and the Greater Philadelphia region’s largest newspaper serving the African-American community.
The convention’s roundtable on diversity will focus on handling obituaries for African Americans.
Obituary writers and other local journalists from Philadelphia will discuss their news outfit’s policies regarding obituaries. They will share their favorite obits and anecdotes about their experiences on the death beat, as well as offer practical tips on obit writing.
Departing slightly from the theme, Tom Schecker and Barry Nelson, authors of "Mr. Ed: Dead: And Other Obituaries of the Most Famous People Who Never Lived," will discuss the use of obituaries as a satiric device.
The event will start with a kickoff dinner on Thursday, April 22, at a site to be determined.
Professional development sessions will be held during the day on Friday, April 23, and Saturday, April 24, at The Philadelphia Inquirer building at 400 N. Broad St., Philadelphia.
Presentation of the 2010 SPOW Awards for obituary writing will be made at a Friday awards luncheon.
Program updates will be posted at www.obitwriters.org/convention.html.
To register for the convention and/or pay SPOW membership dues, visit http://obitwriters2010.eventbrite.com.
2 comments:
I got no beef with this Nicholson cat, but I believe I am the only certified rock star among professional obit writers.
I'll keep on rockin' all of yous!
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