Carolyn Gilbert's Art of the Obituary

Monday, May 31, 2010

While this blog is not intended to be a listing of obits, one can hardly overlook some of the recent deaths in the entertainment industry--notably Dennis Hopper, Gary Coleman, Art Linkletter. The wide diversity and gigantic gulf among lifestyles, career achievement and legacy of these men is more than a little interesting.

Those of us who study the art of the obituary could write a dissertation on the various obituaries that have been written about these three since their deaths. Things said...things left unsaid...things revealed: fascinating work. Truth or fiction? Do a bit of research for the obits and make your own conclusions. Note: I highly recommend Adam Bernstein's obituary for Dennis Hopper that appeared in The Washington Post.
CG

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A New World for the Obituary: PODCASTS

We are breaking new ground for obituary readers !

1. Podcasts on iTunes ? Yes. Once the sole source of musical offerings, iTunes now offers our audio vignettes for obituaries of the day as well as those of historical significance. These podcasts tell the story of a life, the back stories and unknown facts, the connections to the time and, sometimes, the questions left unanswered.

Posted weekly.

2. Conversations with legendary obituarists. These podcasts offer personal conversations with some of the world's great obituary writers. We discuss the careers of these accomplished writers as well as the funny, sad, unusual or unmentionable--until now--components of their practice.

These conversations also will provide historical links to some of the late obit writers who served as mentors to today's writers and to whom we owe long overdue praise for their significant leadership.

This series of conversations should be a part of every library. It is a ground-breaking element of the history of the art of the obituary.

Posted bi-weekly or as completed.

The inaugural "Conversation with a Legendary Obituarist" welcomes the inimitable Kay Powell, recently retired Obituaries Editor, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Atlanta, Georgia. Powell is the recipient of many awards for community service and excellence in writing. In 2008, she was inducted into the International Association of Obituarists Hall of Fame. Carolyn Gilbert's conversation with Kay is now posted on http://www.obitpage.com/ podcast.