“Obits, Philadelphia Style” is the theme of the Society of Professional Obituary Writers (SPOW) 2010 Convention in Philadelphia, Pa., April 22-24, 2010.

The event will start with a kickoff dinner beginning at 6 p.m. Thursday, April 22, at Le Virtù restaurant at 1927 E. Passyunk Ave., Philadelphia.

Professional development sessions will be held beginning at 9 a.m. Friday, April 23, and Saturday, April 24, at The Philadelphia Inquirer building at 400 N. Broad St., Philadelphia.

Jim Nicholson, the retired award-winning Daily News reporter who became a rock star among obit writers by writing about the extraordinary lives of ordinary people, will be the keynote speaker. He takes the stage Saturday morning.

Irv Randolph, managing editor of The Philadelphia Tribune, will speak on Friday about his paper’s history as America’s oldest and the Greater Philadelphia region’s largest newspaper serving the African-American community.

The convention’s Friday roundtable on diversity will focus on handling obituaries for African Americans.

Obituary writers and other local journalists from Philadelphia will discuss their news outfit’s policies regarding obituaries on Friday. They will share their favorite obits and anecdotes about their experiences on the death beat, as well as offer practical tips on obit writing.

Departing slightly from the theme, Tom Schecker and Barry Nelson, authors of "Mr. Ed: Dead: And Other Obituaries of the Most Famous People Who Never Lived," will discuss the use of obituaries as a satiric device on Saturday morning.

Presentation of the 2010 SPOW Awards for obituary writing will be made at the Friday awards luncheon beginning at noon.

To register for the convention, pay SPOW membership dues and/or "Contact the Host," visit http://obitwriters2010.eventbrite.com.