Bio
Hello, I’m Jen King & I am an Australian freelance obituary writer keen to demonstrate & celebrate the significance of obituaries in the news landscape.
I have written obituaries & features for the Guardian, the New York Times, ABC News, the Sydney Morning Herald & magazines Australian Geographic & Galah.
Mostly, I’m keen to illustrate that obituaries are about life & not about death at all. Contrary to popular belief, they are not morbid but rather, a peek into a person’s - usually fascinating - life story.
I truly believe that reading obituaries can provide illuminating insights into living bigger & more fulfilling lives.
Go on. Have a read & see what you think!
My love for obituaries came about following a long nursing career, listening to my patients tell me stories from ‘the old days’. One was a WW1 fighter pilot shot down behind enemy lines on the Western Front!
Now a journalist, those stories have become the foundation of my passion for obituary writing, a genre that offers the elements I enjoy most: researching, interviewing, history & narrative non-fiction. Best of all, I often make discoveries, sometimes about people I’ve never previously heard about, or I learn new information that enriches my life.
If you would like me to write an obituary for your news organisation, your company or institution, or simply for your family to keep as a memento of someone special, please get in touch!
And when I’m not writing obituaries & features, I’m a marriage & funeral celebrant & a volunteer with the NSW State Emergency Service.