By: Joe Strupp With journalism groups in place for every beat from sports to religion, it is not surprising that obituary writers want a group to call their own.
Well, that is apparently happening with the formation of the Society of Professional Obituary Writers. The group, which announced its creation Thursday, has already scheduled a three-day conference for May and plans to distribute its first awards.
"Journalists who write about the dead for a living are coming together from across the United States and Canada to form their own organization, honor distinguished obituary writing and hone their writing, researching and multimedia skills," a release stated. "Obituary writers from all news organizations ? print and online ? are invited to help shape the fledgling organization, elect officers and plan SPOW's future. No membership fee is required while SPOW is in its infancy."
SPOW is not the first organization to form for obituary writers. The International Association of Obituarists (IAO) has been in place for several years and annually hosts its Great Obituary Writers Conference, with this year's set for June 12-14 in New Mexico. Information is available at that group's Web site, www.obitpage.com.
Carolyn Gilbert, founder of the IAO, said her group does not focus on newspaper obituaries as much as SPOW will. "Our group includes people who are from other disciplines, such as historians, political scientists, even genealogists," she told E&P. "There has not been a section for obituary writers within journalism groups so this is a natural evolution. It will be a very collegial relationship."
SPOW's Web site, www.obitwriters.org, boasts itself as a place to share information, find resources and writing guides, and even recruit speakers.
"SPOW's goal is to promote obituaries as once-in-a-lifetime stories that should be researched, reported and penned with as much care and attention as any other newsroom assignment," Alana Baranick, an organizer of the group and an obituary writer for The Plain Dealer in Cleveland, wrote to E&P in an e-mail. "The organization also aims to elevate the stature of obituary writers in the newsroom, in the eyes of their editors and in the field of journalism."
The group's three-day conference is set for May 8-11 in Portland, Ore. Workshop sessions will be held at The Oregonian and "are designed to boost the professional development of reporters on the death beat," the release stated.
"Speakers include a nationally known writer's coach, authors, award-winning journalists and veteran obituary writers," the group announced.
Organizers also said they will focus on some of the touchier subjects that arise for obituary writers, including: advance obituaries, multimedia approaches, suicides, background for obituary subjects, regional approaches to obituary writing, interviewing techniques, and photo acquisition.
The "deadline" for entering the writing contest is April 1. Five finalists will be selected by a panel of judges comprised of obituary writers. The finalists? work will be posted online for review by the general public and consideration of SPOW members. Winners in each category will be announced at the Portland conference.
Contest entries and $25 entry fees are being accepted online.
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