The Erma Bombeck Writers' Workshop

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!"


Mark Your Calendar
Erma Bombeck Writers' Workshop

Erma Bombeck Writers' Workshop

The Writer magazine has called the biennial Erma Bombeck Writers' Workshop the best writing conference in Ohio and "THE conference for humor writers."

Our next workshop is slated for March 30 - April 1, 2028. Subscribe to our monthly e-newsletter to receive workshop information and learn about other events.

Erma Bombeck Writers' Workshop

Additional Erma Events link-arrow link-arrow

Explore more events and competitions, including Erma Home Schooling and the Erma Bombeck Writing Competition.



When humor goes, there goes civilization.
Erma Bombeck

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This was not a hostage situation. She hadn’t seized the television through force, intimidation or international treaty. She simply picked up the remote and changed the channel. Apparently, that is all it takes to reveal what kind of man you really are.
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University of Dayton students from any major with a passion for writing are encouraged to apply for the English department’s annual You Can Write! Creative Writing Retreat.