The Erma Bombeck Writers' Workshop has been dubbed the "Woodstock of Humor" and a "utopia" for writers — one "that only appears every other year, out of the mist, on the edge of the Great Miami River in Dayton, Ohio (like Brigadoon)."
The workshop's mission is simple: to encourage and inspire writers in the same way that celebrated columnist and author Erma Bombeck '49 found encouragement and inspiration at the University of Dayton.
Its mantra is timeless: "You can write!"
This collection is an archive of the Erma Bombeck Writers' Workshop blog, which delivers news about the workshop, information for writers, profiles of Humor Writer of the Month honorees, and writing by participants and faculty of the workshop.
View the latest entries on the blog website.
Note: Publication of a piece on the Erma Bombeck Writers' Workshop blog does not constitute endorsement by the workshop or the University of Dayton. Opinions expressed in the pieces are those of the authors, not the University or the workshop.
Submissions from 2018
2018 Christmas letter from the Zezimas, Jerry Zezima
New Book: Menopause Ain't No Joke, Erma Bombeck Writers' Workshop
Seeking Great Teachers Who Inspire Great Writing, Erma Bombeck Writers' Workshop
Profile: Bob Eckstein, Erma Bombeck Writers' Workshop
Erma Champions Show Their Love: 25K in 25 Days Campaign Tops $37,000, Erma Bombeck Writers' Workshop
Haters gonna hate, Lydia Oxenhamn
Finding your tribe, T. Faye Griffin
You can, right?, Jim Hands
Laughter is a nurse's best medicine, Jerry Zezima
Paying the love forward, Daniela Gitlin
Books — the best gifts to give, Erma Bombeck Writers' Workshop
Close call, Rachael Dyer
In defense of Thanksgiving, Jase Graves
Let's bury the hatchet (but not in each other), Rose Lyn Jacob
Hot yoga, Keith Stewart
New book: More Traveler's Diarrhea, Erma Bombeck Writers' Workshop
Attendee's Takeaway: 'The Victory Is in Writing It.', Hillary Ibarra
Literary journal or comic book villain?, Paul Lander
The world needs more Erma Bombecks, Amy McVay Abbott
Paying it forward on #GivingTuesday, Erma Bombeck Writers' Workshop
Painter's helper is off the wall, Jerry Zezima
Confessions of a suburban housewife, Tracy Beckerman
New Book: Thank You, God: From Kids Around the World, Erma Bombeck Writers' Workshop
Batman in my belfry, Kaye Curren
Y'all were a big help, Lee St. John
Starting small and going big, Molly Campbell
A tribute to teachers, Jase Graves
A little deadline pressure: 25K in 25 days, Erma Bombeck Writers' Workshop
Profile: Lee Gaitan, Erma Bombeck Writers' Workshop
Blame It on the Cortex, Sarah Press Dickerson
Writer's frustration, Maggie Millus
It's just a little lie, Leah Moore
Out to lunch at Victoria's Secret, Jerry Zezima
New book: Lite Whines and Laughter, Erma Bombeck Writers' Workshop
New book: The Pink Steering Wheel Chronicles: A Love Story, Erma Bombeck Writers' Workshop
New Book: The Widows, Erma Bombeck Writers' Workshop
Who edited my bucket list?, Laurie O'Connor Stephans
Top shelf, Cindy Argiento
Dot's the car for Poppie, Jerry Zezima
I don't want to be a Smart Phone zombie, Allia Zobel Nolan
13 Reasons Why I Miss Being Pregnant, Sarah Press Dickerson
Speaker of the hows, John Branning
New book: 15 Reasons Why: Men Are For Now, Cats Are Forever, Erma Bombeck Writers' Workshop
Eskewpades eschews parades, Steve Eskew
Uber mom, Bonnie Jean Feldkamp
Did you know I have a book coming out?, Elly Lonon
Friday night lite: adventures in accidental fandom, Jase Graves
Out of the creative closet, Erma Bombeck Writers' Workshop
Profile: Lisa Smith Molinari, Erma Bombeck Writers' Workshop
I don't like your kids, Jon Ziegler
New book: You Do You!, Erma Bombeck Writers' Workshop
Overnight success, Erma Bombeck Writers' Workshop
New book: Are You Still Kidding Me?, Erma Bombeck Writers' Workshop
Doing Laundry with B.F. Skinner, Sarah Press Dickerson
New book: Nini and Poppie's Excellent Adventures, Erma Bombeck Writers' Workshop
The 10 commandments of writing, Fredrick Marion
New book: Frozen Dinners, Erma Bombeck Writers' Workshop
Teen times, volume two, Donna Fentanes
A Connecticut Yankee in Ireland, Allia Zobel Nolan
A victim's guide to swimming pool ownership, Jase Graves
Cute cousin combo, Jerry Zezima
An Unexpected Gift, Sarah Press Dickerson
Profile: Karen Chee, Erma Bombeck Writers' Workshop
Encore!, Erma Bombeck Writers' Workshop
Teen times, volume one, Donna Fentanes
A letter from a 3-year-old, Anne Bardsley
The last of the first, Trixie Boggs Ruch
Albu "Quirky", Hillary Ibarra
Why are you wearing that hideous shirt? (And other questions strangers don't ask), Jan Wilberg
Goodbye, Maggie May, Jerry Zezima
The mommy on the bus cries wah wah wah, Becca Carnahan
Clichés — Let’s throw them under the bus, Ann Green
Laughing out loud with the Sandy Bottoms Book Club, Kelly L. McKenzie
A visit from the tooth fairy, Jerry Zezima
Cockamamie Memoirs from a Hot Southern Mess, Erma Bombeck Writers' Workshop
A run-of-the-mill scatterbrained hair dyer, Steve Eskew
Dressed down, Jan Wilberg
Profile: Curtis Honeycutt, Erma Bombeck Writers' Workshop
Flush with misadventure, Erma Bombeck Writers' Workshop
A mashup of Ellen Degeneres and Erma Bombeck, Erma Bombeck Writers' Workshop
Bonjour, French doors, Jerry Zezima
Don't Tell Your Little Friends About This!, Hillary Ibarra
Winner, winner, summertime dinner, Amy Mullins and Beth Bartlett
New format, same laughs, Erma Bombeck Writers' Workshop
Silly chili, "Graet" ice cream and a wobble in the Queen City, Jase Graves
Intelligent Design not smart enough to get into high school, Myron Kukla
Out on a limb, Jerry Zezima
A message from my closet, Marcia Kester Doyle
New book: About My Mother, Erma Bombeck Writers' Workshop
Fake news about shelter dogs, Dave Jaffe
Reliving the magic, Teri Rizvi
Profile: Dave Jaffe, Erma Bombeck Writers' Workshop
And Now … The Swimsuit Competition, Mary Kay Jordan Fleming
Seven certainties of summer vacation, Bonnie Jean Feldkamp
I'm just a mom, not a supervillain, Erika Watts
Nothing but the tooth, Jerry Zezima
Try using a nicer tone, Tracy Buckner
How to catch a bat in your house and stay married, Becca Carnahan
Surviving childhood role models, Myron Kukla
A brush with greatness, Erma Bombeck Writers' Workshop
