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Erma Bombeck Writers' Workshop

Annabelle Gurwitch

Annabelle Gurwitch is a New York Times' bestselling author, comedic actress and activist.

Most recently, The New York Times published her essay about sending her child back to college after a stint in rehab and the Los Angeles Times featured her essay about opening her home to house at-risk youth experiencing homelessness.

A prolific writer, she takes a hilarious look at family in Wherever You Go, There They Are: Stories About My Family You Might Relate To. Her book, I See You Made an Effort: Compliments, Indignities, and Survival Stories From the Edge of 50, hit The New York Times' bestseller list and was named a Thurber Prize finalist. She also has penned You Say Tomato, I Say Shut Up (co-authored with Jeff Kahn) and Fired!, which was turned into a Showtime comedy special.

Her byline frequently appears in national outlets, including The New YorkerThe New York TimesThe Wall Street Journal, Los Angeles Times, McSweeney's, Real Simple, The Hollywood Reporter and others.

Annabelle gained a loyal following during her stint co-hosting the fan favorite Dinner and a Movie on TBS and years as a regular commentator on NPR. She was the news anchor on HBO's Not Necessarily the News and hosted three seasons of WA$TED on the Planet Green network.

Her acting credits include: Better Things, Seinfeld, Boston Legal, Dexter, The Shaggy Dog, Daddy Day Care and Melvin Goes to Dinner. She's a veteran of "many lauded and even more misguided" theatrical productions, including the world premiere of Donald Margulies' A Coney Island Christmas at The Geffen Playhouse and the West Coast premiere of Go Back to Where You Are by David Greenspan at The Odyssey. Her performances have earned her a place in Top Ten Performances of the Year in both The New York Times and the Los Angeles Times.

Annabelle's many media appearances include Real Time with Bill Maher, PBS NewsHour, The Today Show, CBS Early Show and Oprah.

She's a frequent speaker at book fests, writers' conferences and with The Moth. Annabelle teaches on the faculty of The School of The New York Times. She's currently working on a new solo show, If You Lived With Me, You'd Be Home By Now, based on her Los Angeles Times essay, and a new book, You’re Leaving When? Her latest book will be published March 2, 2021.