2022 Bombeck Workshop Faculty Annabelle Gurwitch
Annabelle Gurwitch is an actress, activist and author of five books including the New York Times bestseller and Thurber Prize finalist, I See You Made an Effort. She’s written for The New Yorker, The New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Wall Street Journal, LA Magazine and Hadassah, among other publications. Her latest collection of essays, You’re Leaving When?, was a Good Morning America Must Read Book of the Month, and Kirkus Reviews called it “Erma Bombeck meets Dorothy Parker in this topical and often laugh-out-loud funny take on our modern malaise.”
Annabelle was the longtime cohost of Dinner & a Movie on TBS and a regular commentator on NPR. She's performed on the Moth Mainstage, at Carolines on Broadway and at arts centers around the country. Her acting credits include Seinfeld, Murphy Brown, Boston Legal and Dexter and, once in while, she returns to acting, playing a rabbi on Better Things on FX or a therapist for an FBI agent in Michael Bay’s upcoming Ambulance.
She's been featured in Time Magazine’s annual “10 Ideas That Are Changing the World” issue. Her Los Angeles Times op-ed (included in her latest collection of essays) about hosting a housing insecure couple in her home was recognized with a 2020 Los Angeles Press Club Excellence in Journalism Award. She's been profiled everywhere from The New York Times, Washington Post, O Magazine and Prevention to NPR. Her media appearances include Good Morning America, Real Time, CBS Early Morning, The Today Show, Oprah and PBS Newshour.
She's taught essay writing and storytelling at The School of The New York Times, Miami Dade Community College, Thurber House, George Washington University, Maine Media College and the Erma Bombeck Writers’ Workshop, where she keynoted in 2020.
Annabelle thought she'd be empty nesting by now; instead, she lives in Los Angeles with her cat and child — a college graduate of the COVID class of 2020.
She co-hosts the Tiny Victories podcast on the Maximum Fun Podcast Network, which Vulture called a “bright spot of light and laughter in 2020.”
Annabelle is currently adapting You're Leaving When? for HBO.