How Do You Tell the Story of a Life?
Join us this Monday, May 4 for a live conversation with New York Times staff writer Michael Rosenwald on the art of writing obituaries.
In the 2005 romantic comedy Rumor Has It, Jennifer Aniston’s lead character is stuck—in life, love and work. Her uninspiring, dead-end job? Obituary writer at The New York Times. I remember seeing a clip of the film at the time and thinking, “are you kidding me? That is a dream job!” I have never understood why people think of obituary writing as morbid or dull. What could be more dramatic, human and inspiring than telling distinguished life stories? Probably the best obit writing out there is at the Times, where each story is basically a fascinating mini-biography.
For our next Open Book live video conversation, Lee Gutkind will be chatting with Michael Rosenwald, a staff writer on the obituary desk at The New York Times. Lee will talk with Michael about the craft of obituary writing—how he decides what to include, what to leave out, and how this work shapes the way we think about narrative, memory, and meaning. This should be a fascinating conversation for anyone working on profiles or really any type of detail-rich nonfiction writing.
I hope you’ll join us on Monday, May 4 at 1pm ET.
This conversation will be held live on Zoom. (Passcode: 382657)
Lee asked Michael to pick three particular obits that demonstrate great storytelling and we’ll be discussing these during the live session. Gift links below so you can check them all out.
Amanda Feilding, Eccentric Countess Who Backed Psychedelic Meds, Dies at 82: She was ridiculed for drilling a hole in her skull to increase blood flow. But her foundation’s research into the therapeutic use of counterculture drugs proved visionary.
Hessy Levinsons Taft, Jewish Baby on Cover of Nazi Magazine, Dies at 91 Without her parents’ knowledge, her portrait was entered as a prank in a contest in 1935 to represent the ideal Aryan infant — and she won.
Jay J. Armes, Private Eye With a Superhero Story, Dies at 92: With steel hooks for hands and a flamboyant personality, Mr. Armes captured the attention, and scrutiny, of reporters across the nation.
PS: If you’re as obsessed with this last one as we are, don’t miss our own Narratively Deep Dive on Jay J. Armes: America’s Most Flamboyant Private Eye and the 8,000-Mile Manhunt.
See you Monday!
Before you head into the weekend, don’t forget to head over to the Narratively Academy chat to share your #WeeklyWin.