Let's write an obit!
There really is no time like the present
Hello everyone!
I offer Obituary Writing Workshops to Sandwich Season’s paid subscribers—designed to help you get ahead of one of life’s inevitable tasks. For this workshop—June 16 and 23, 2025—you can focus on writing an obit for yourself or for a loved one.
Most past workshoppers have completed solid drafts, and one participant even expanded hers into a eulogy. Here’s a note I received after the last round:
“thank you, S, for prompting this project. It was so weirdly enlightening and revelatory. Unexpected & awesome!”
—Cinzia, Portland, Oregon
Truth is, Cinzia brought the “unexpected & awesome!” But hearing her say the experience was “weirdly enlightening and revelatory” was positively delightful!
How does the workshop work?
We meet for two sessions and draft the obit in between.
Session 1 (June 16, 2025) includes:
a brief background on obituaries
examples of several types of obits
on-the-spot pre-writing exercises to help you reflect on you/your loved one’s life and legacy
time for Q&A and discussion
an obit template to help you get started on the writing
Our goal is to generate ideas and material in Session 1 to use while crafting a draft obit to bring to Session 2.
Session 2 (June 23, 2025) features a conversation about how your writing went, questions you might have, what you learned about yourself or your loved one, and an opportunity to share a favorite section or sentence from your writing.
Each session lasts about an hour.
Why now?
Writing an obituary before someone passes gives an opportunity to gather information and reflect without the need to rush. You might even learn something new about yourself or your loved one!
A completed obit can be used in newspapers, online sites and memorial service programs. Plus it can be printed off as a keepsake for friends and family.
The details
When: 8 pm Central Time/6 pm Pacific Time (USA) on June 16 and 23, 2025.
Where: Online—I will send a Zoom link to registered participants.
NOTE: If you’re interested in taking this workshop in the future, please fill out this form, and I will be in touch!
Fee: Free to annual paid subscribers of Sandwich Season. Registration link is below. (You are welcome to join a second time.)
Others: When you sign up for an annual paid subscription ($50/year), the registration link will appear at the bottom of this post. BONUS: All paid subscribers will be entered in a drawing for one of two copies of my Japan memoir, The Same Moon (Camphor Press, 2020). The drawing will be June 18, 2025.
Why I offer this workshop
Professionally, I am a writer who has written everything from ad copy to a book-length memoir. Personally, I was born two weeks after my due date and have struggled with procrastination ever since.
When my mom entered hospice care in 2023, my dad and I drafted her obit. I found having it ready was such a relief! It freed me up to be more present for her last few months and to work on other things that needed attention.
Since then I went on to write my own obit, as did my dad. Now I’m eyeing other family members … you know who you are.
I would love to help you complete your obit project—whether it's for yourself or a loved one.
Questions?
Please contact me by replying to this email. Or …