Your mother told you it’s the polite thing to do. Your teacher taught you how to lay it out on the page. But what, exactly, is the right thing to say when writing condolence notes? We’ll take a look at some famous—and infamous—condolence letters written by presidents, authors, and celebrities to see how we can avoid the pitfalls and rise to the occasion with sincerity and panache when reaching out to others when a loved one dies.

Writing obituaries used to be about letting people know the death occurred, a list of life accomplishments, then where to send flowers. But obituary writers have taken a turn in recent years, using this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to paint a true picture of who this person was, what gifts and foibles they brought to the key relationships in their lives, and much more. We’ll study the craft of writing death notices by the book—and how to break the rules.

This course will combine lecture with class discussions.