Want to learn from Pulitzer Prize and Emmy Award winners, authors, humorists, publishers, agents and social media experts?

Thanks to the generosity of the Alumni Association, University of Dayton students receive scholarships to attend the biennial Erma Bombeck Writers' Workshop for free.

Humorist Erma Bombeck '49 is one of America's most celebrated writers and one of the University of Dayton's most famous graduates. As a student, she first heard the magical words, "You can write!" from a University of Dayton English professor. That encouragement launched her career.

Over the years, the workshop has attracted such household names as humorist Dave Barry, talk show icon Phil Donahue, New York Times' columnist Gail Collins, Saturday Night Live writer Alan Zweibel, storyteller Garrison Keillor, comedian and alumnus Don Novello (aka Father Guido Sarducci) and actress Nancy Cartwright (the voice of Bart Simpson). The popular workshop attracts 350 writers from around the nation and always sells out.

Scholarship applications for the next workshop will be available in January 2020. Internships for academic credit are available for communication and English majors. For information, email erma@udayton.edu.