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.
Submissions from 2023
Martha and Me, Jerry Zezima
And They're Off!, January Gordon Ornellas
Finding My Father in My Dishwasher, Liz Alterman
Pulling Your Own Leg, Steve Eskew
House of the Rising Cost, Jerry Zezima
Growing a Beard, Dean Norman
Humor Writer of the Month: Linda Presto, Erma Bombeck Writers' Workshop
Air to a Fortune, Jerry Zezima
A Sod Story, Jerry Zezima
Five Little Tips, Carolyn Howard-Johnson
How to 'Un-Dorm' a College Student, Jase Graves
Home Is Where the Art Is, Jerry Zezima
Nothing But the Tooth, Jerry Zezima
A Wedding Gift, Dean Norman
Who's Publishing What: Vulnerabilia, Erma Bombeck Writers' Workshop
Prom Seasonal Allergies, Jase Graves
Humor Writers of the Month: Julie Dunlap and Sara Stotts, Erma Bombeck Writers' Workshop
Getting Trivial With Alexa, Jerry Zezima
A Mother's Day Gift Guide, Erma Bombeck Writers' Workshop
Who's Publishing What: Burnt Gloveboxes, Erma Bombeck Writers' Workshop
Hospice Care for Cars, Jase Graves
Bathroom Remodeling Is a Real Soap Opera, Jerry Zezima
Eat, Drink, and Be Married, Jerry Zezima
Urgent Calls From College, Jase Graves
Paradise Mountain, Dean Norman
A Grand Decade, Jerry Zezima
Humor Writer of the Month: Hilary Fitzgerald Campbell, Erma Bombeck Writers' Workshop
The Little Kitchen of Horrors, Jerry Zezima
Spring Broke, Jase Graves
The Great Egg Mystery, Jerry Zezima
If the Pants Fit, Wear Them, Jerry Zezima
Who's Publishing What: The Frugal Editor, Erma Bombeck Writers' Workshop
Ridiculous from One End to the Other, Renee Burns Lonner
An After-Dinner Cup of Coffee, Dean Norman
Coming Clean About Vacuums, Jerry Zezima
Mother Tucker, January Gordon Ornellas
Humor Writer of the Month: Beth Lapides, Erma Bombeck Writers' Workshop
The Empty Nesters, Jerry Zezima
Ruff Nights, January Gordon Ornellas
My Baby is 240 Months Old, Jase Graves
Those Are the Brakes, Jerry Zezima
Here's Looking at You, Pal, Jerry Zezima
I've Been Blinged, Steve Eskew
Valentine Gag Gifts for Sagging Girls and Drooping Boys, Steve Eskew
Dinner at the Castle, Dean Norman
In the Jurassic Dark, Jerry Zezima
Humor Writer of the Month: Amy Poeppel, Erma Bombeck Writers' Workshop
Zumba with Judy, Julie Klein
You Axed for It, Jerry Zezima
Hot for Hot Chocolate, Jase Graves
I Married a Cover Girl, Jerry Zezima
Welcome Home!, Teri Rizvi
Three Cheers for Two Crews, Jerry Zezima
First Winter Storm, Dean Norman
Escape from New York and Southwest Airlines, Jase Graves
Now Boarding (Everyone, But You), January Gordon Ornellas
Swing Batta, Garret Mathews
You've Still Got Mail, Jerry Zezima
Who's Publishing What: Easter Eggs and Matzo Balls, Erma Bombeck Writers' Workshop
Humor Writer of the Month: Michael Gerber, Erma Bombeck Writers' Workshop
Submissions from 2022
Get Out of Your Comfort Zone!, Erma Bombeck Writers' Workshop
Who's Publishing What: Heavenly Headbutts, Erma Bombeck Writers' Workshop
All Aboard the Polar Express, Jerry Zezima
Who's Publishing What: The Sweet Spot, Erma Bombeck Writers' Workshop
Aging Out or In: Musings on Ages and Stages, Renee Burns Lonner
The 2022 Zezima Family Christmas Letter, Jerry Zezima
Christmas Lights: A Judgmental Guide, Jase Graves
The Guy Who Told Us Mark Twain Was Funny, Dean Norman
We Did It!, Erma Bombeck Writers' Workshop
Peppermint Patty, January Gordon Ornellas
Hack to the Future, Jerry Zezima
The Great Gas Leak Incident, Neil Bucher
Who's Publishing What: The Little Encyclopedia of Jewish Culture, Erma Bombeck Writers' Workshop
Would You Like to Come Out and Play?, Leslie Miklosy
December, Beth Broderick
Humor Writer of the Month: Karen Chee, Erma Bombeck Writers' Workshop
Cause for Alarm, Jerry Zezima
How Sweet It Was, Jerry Zezima
Who ARE You?, January Gordon Ornellas
Erma Magic, Erma Bombeck Writers' Workshop
What's Up, Docs?, Erma Bombeck Writers' Workshop
Randy and the Impala Story (Or, Do Cars Have Souls?), Neil Bucher
Seize the Moment, Erma Bombeck Writers' Workshop
The Haunted Residency, Mary Oves
Write (But First, Dance), Kathy Shiels Tully
The Writers' Lost and Found, Renee Burns Lonner
I'm Scared and It Feels Good, Kim Weitkamp
Bouillon Appètit, Marie Lemond
Dear Erma, Jillian Van Hefty's
When You Look Like Your Passport Photo, It's Time to Go Home, Dorothy Rosby
Math Confusion, Jerry Zezima
Finding a Flower in the Desert, Amy Abbott
Erma Bombeck and Me, Celeste King Conner
The Gift of Time (and a Bathrobe), Teri Rizvi
Ginger's Smile, Ginger Claremohr
Who's Publishing What: Start More Than You Can Finish, Erma Bombeck Writers' Workshop
Sweetest Day, Dean Norman
Nearly nailed it! (Asian food edition), Jase Graves
Dayton, You Complete Me, Mary Oves
Humor Writer of the Month: John Branning, Erma Bombeck Writers' Workshop
