Schedule
Schedule is subject to change. (Please note that all times listed here are EDT. However, when attendees log into the workshop on Crowdcast, the times will reflect their local time. All sessions will be recorded and available immediately afterwards for viewing at attendees' convenience. The recordings will be available for at least a year.) View or download the program.
7 p.m.
Virtual Erma Bombeck Writing Competition Awards Ceremony, featuring keynote speaker Betsy Bombeck. Sponsored by the Washington-Centerville Public Library.
Free and open to the public. To watch a replay, click here.
Erma's Got Talent: The Stand-Up Auditions
7-9 p.m. (EST)
Erma’s Got Talent, loosely formatted along the lines of America’s Got Talent, will offer 12 randomly selected contestants the opportunity to perform two minutes of their original stand-up material in front of three celebrity judges — acclaimed comedians Brian Kiley, Wendy Liebman and Leighann Lord. Nancy Berk will serve as emcee.
The winning contestant and runners up will be eligible to perform on the virtual stage on Attendee Stand-Up Comedy Night at 9 p.m., Friday, Oct. 30. Other performers will be selected randomly after the auditions.
Entertaining and educational, Erma's Got Talent is an instructional opportunity for participants as well as the audience. The judges will highlight the strengths and weaknesses of performance/material and offer expert suggestions.
Free and open to the public, but only registered attendees are eligible to perform. Because the demand for this stand-up opportunity is high, performers will not be eligible for the random drawing of Stand-Up Night participants.
To view the replay, click here.
6 p.m. — Virtual networking cocktail hour hosted by Kathy Kinney and Cindy Ratzlaff
7 p.m. — Opening night kick-off with emcee Patricia Wynn Brown
Recognition, Nickie's Prize for Humor Writing winners
Fireside chat with keynoters Peggy and Mike Rowe
9 to 10:15 a.m. — concurrent sessions
Satire Starter Pack — Riane Konc
Profitable Authorship — Quit Your Day Job — Rebecca Regnier
Ask The Agents — Panel featuring Stacey Graham, Sam Hiyate and Paula Munier, moderated by Jessica Strawser
Using Humor to Weather the Pandemic — Tracy Beckerman
Pitching During a Pandemic Without Getting Ghosted — Estelle Erasmus
Break
10:30-11:45 a.m. — concurrent sessions
Welcome to the Writers’ Room — Joel Madison
Finding the Funny in Your Story — Annabelle Gurwitch
Sweet and Salty: Writing the Food Memoir — Diana Abu-Jaber
Eight Reasons You Need a Blog and E-newsletter — and Eight Tips for Quickly Making Them Work For You — Jess Montgomery
Book Publishing Paths: What's New? What's Old? What's Right for You? — Moderated by Dr. Nancy Berk, featuring Jim Azevedo and David Braughler
Lunch Break
1-2 p.m.
Wendy Liebman keynote
Q&A
2:15-3:30 p.m. — concurrent sessions
Personal Essays Gone Wild — Susan Pohlman
Humor Writing: Punch Up Your Prose — Dan Zevin
Tools & Tips to Get More Eyes on Your Words: It Doesn’t Matter How Good Your Writing Is if Nobody Sees It — Kim Bongiorno
The How-To of National Syndication — Lisa Glowinski
Intro to Ebook Self-Publishing: How to Publish, Distribute and Sell Your Ebook — Jim Azevedo
3:45-5 p.m. — concurrent sessions
How to Uncover Your Own Voice and Get It Down on Paper — Kathy Kinney and Cindy Ratzlaff
Family — The Ties That Bind…and Gag! — Moderated by Lian Dolan, featuring Tracy Beckerman, Bruce Ferber and Leighann Lord
Surprise and Delight Your Readers on Every Page — Jessica Strawser
Writing Stories That Matter — Lee Martin
How to Tell Your Story — Margot Leitman
Dinner Break
7 p.m.-8:15 p.m.
Annabelle Gurwitch keynote
Q&A
9-11 p.m.
Attendee Stand-Up Comedy Night With Brian Kiley
9-10 a.m.
Sophfronia Scott keynote: "The Hunt for Big Mojo"
Q&A
Break
10:15-11:30 a.m. — concurrent sessions
Wooing Your Muse: Rediscovering Inspiration and Jumpstarting Your Writing — Katrina Kittle
How to Brand Yourself, Build a Platform, Balance a Personal Life and Create a Bestseller, Without Killing Your Spouse, Alienating Your Friends or Running Screaming into the Night — Cindy Ratzlaff
Beginning to Bloom: Opening Up to Poetry — Barbara Fant
Write a Page Turner: An Agent’s Secrets to Creating Stories Readers Can’t Put Down — Paula Munier
How to Get Published Successfully — Arielle Eckstut and David Henry Sterry
Lunch Break
1 p.m.-2 p.m.
Mike Reiss keynote: “Finding the Funny in Terrible Times”
Q&A
Break
2:30-4 p.m.
Pitchapalooza
Arielle Eckstut and David Henry Sterry
4 p.m.
Wrap-up with Emcee Patricia Wynn Brown