Erma Bombeck Writers' Workshop

Anne Lamott is the author of more than 20 books, including the New York Times bestsellers Help, Thanks, Wow; Dusk, Night, Dawn; Traveling Mercies; and Bird by Bird, as well as seven novels. She is known for her deeply personal, introspective and often humorous writing.

Her upcoming book, Good Writing (a collaboration with her husband Neal Allen), will be published in 2026.

“I try to write the books I would love to come upon, that are honest, concerned with real lives, human hearts, spiritual transformation, families, secrets, wonder, craziness — and that can make me laugh. When I am reading a book like this, I feel rich and profoundly relieved to be in the presence of someone who will share the truth with me, and throw the lights on a little, and I try to write these kinds of books. Books, for me, are medicine,” says Lamott, who is also a columnist for The Washington Post.

A recipient of a Guggenheim Fellowship and an inductee to the California Hall of Fame, she teaches at writing conferences across the country.

Steve Almond is the author of 12 books, including Truth is the Arrow, Mercy is the Bow: A DIY Manual for the Construction of Stories and The New York Times bestsellers Candyfreak and Against Football. His latest novel, All the Secrets of the World, is in development at 20th Century Fox television. He is the recipient of a 2022 NEA grant, and his work has appeared in Best American Short Stories, Best American Mysteries and The New York Times Magazine. Over the past decade, he's taught hundreds of online classes for creative writing centers such as Hugo House, Denver Lighthouse, the Loft and Writing Collaborative.

Polly Campbell is the author of You, Recharged: How to Beat Fatigue (Mostly), Amp Up Your Energy (Usually), and Enjoy Life Again, (Always) and three other books. She hosts the "Simply Write w/Polly" and "Polly Campbell, Simply Said" podcasts and writes two companion columns on Substack. In addition, she writes a blog for Psychology Today, and her work has appeared in scores of online and print publications.

She’s presented sessions at the Writer’s Digest annual conference, delivered motivational keynotes at United Way events and other nonprofits, provided trainings for corporate clients and teacher in-service programs, and taught a variety of writing classes and workshops for continuing education programs, studios and bookstores throughout the United States.

Bonnie Jean Feldkamp's award-winning syndicated columns are distributed in newspapers across the United States via Creators Syndicate. Her writing ties personal experience to current events to help readers empathize, relate and care. She’s been writing, publishing and mentoring writers for more than 20 years.

Feldkamp is the former community engagement and opinion editor for the Pulitzer Prize-winning Louisville Courier Journal as well as the former media director for the National Society of Newspaper Columnists. Her TEDx Talk “Contempt Versus Connection in Online Communication” aims to encourage productive discourse and foster commentary with compassion. She has taught workshops at the Writer's Digest annual conference, Erma Bombeck Writers' Workshop and various universities.

Tara Karr Roberts is a novelist, freelance writer, science writer and newspaper columnist. Her debut novel, Wild and Distant Seas, was published by Norton in 2024. It was the Barnes & Noble January 2024 Discover Pick, received starred reviews from Publishers Weekly and Booklist, and was honored with the Pacific Northwest Book Award. Tara has received the Idaho Press Club Award for best columnist three times for her work in the Pacific Northwest Inlander. For five years, she taught writing at the University of Idaho.

She is a lifelong Idahoan who grew up along the Pend Oreille River and now lives in Moscow, Idaho, with her husband, sons and weird poodle. 

Writing funny doesn’t mean sacrificing depth. On the contrary, for most writers, the comic impulse is inextricably linked to tragedy. It’s not a conscious effort to entertain the reader so much as an unconscious effort to face some tragic moment or realization. In this fast-paced and informal class, suitable for both fiction and nonfiction writers, we’ll look at the work of Lorrie Moore, George Saunders and others in an effort to activate your comic impulse and break hearts while doing it.

Instructor: Steve Almond

In the way a parent talks to their friends differently than their kids — even when commiserating about peewee leagues and household chores — your writer’s voice should and will shift and change on the page, depending on the topic and audience you are writing for. Still, it’s a signature of sorts and should always sound true and authentic to the writer. So how do you cultivate your authentic writer’s voice and shape it on the page no matter the topic or audience? We’ll talk about it and cover tone, phrasing, language and more in this dynamic session.

Instructor: Polly Campbell

Writing personal essay or memoir requires courage. Outside opinions and fear of criticism can bog you down. Self care should be built into your writing routine, especially when you’re writing hard truths. In this session, you’ll learn how to use writing prompts to clear the self-doubt cobwebs and social media static. Together we’ll drill down to the story you are so brave to write by getting granular about who you are writing for and why it’s important. Learn how to deny the haters access to your heart and take care of yourself so you can take care of your manuscript.

Instructor: Bonnie Jean Feldkamp

“Bird by bird, buddy. Just take it bird by bird.” Anne Lamott’s work frequently highlights aspects of the natural world. Another one of her gems: “Anyone who wants to can be surprised by the beauty or pain of the natural world, of the human mind and heart, and can try to capture just that — the details, the nuance, what is.” In this workshop, we’ll immerse ourselves in the connection between the natural environment and our own creativity, finding inspiration in the abundant sights, sounds and sensations of nature. With imaginative prompts, we’ll begin to develop personal narratives infused with these elements, finding parallels between our lives and the patterns that exist in the great outdoors.

Instructor: Kimberly Lee

A story comes to life in the specifics: the little details a writer can use to make a reader laugh in surprise or nod in understanding. In this session, you'll practice amping up your writing with fantastic words, examples, anecdotes, metaphors and more, and discuss how to shape them into sentences, lists and paragraphs that pack a punch. Learn how to make your work stand out by getting rid of vagueness and cliches so you can tell a story that no one else can.

Instructor: Tara Karr Roberts

Simply click on the link in your confirmation email, “You have been registered for "The Virtual Erma 2025: Stories of Our Lives Featuring Anne Lamott." This is your virtual pass of entry for the keynotes, workshop sessions — and the live chat. 

Please note that you can also sign in at any time with the email address you used to register by visiting our event on Crowdcast. In addition, you will receive an email 10 minutes before each session begins with a link. 

You can join from any mobile device or computer. Android users are able to join events directly from a browser — no download required. Those with an iOS device like iPad or iPhone can attend events from a browser or the Crowdcast app. It's highly recommended that attendees use Google Chrome as your browser. If you're unable to use Chrome, consider another Chromium-based browser like Brave, Opera or Edge.

If you experience technical difficulties during any of the sessions, please refresh your browser. If you're still having issues, send us an email at erma@udayton.edu. We ask that the chat bar be used for discussion about the sessions, not isolated technical issues.

Recordings will be available immediately after every session, so even if you miss something, you can return and watch it at your convenience.

While all times are Eastern, when you're on Crowdcast, your local time will be shown for the various sessions.

If you have any questions about how the platform works, please review the "Don't Panic Checklist for Attendees."