Blogs
The tribe of Erma
Virginia author Kimberly "Kimba" Dalferes says you can quote her on this: "Finding your tribe is life-affirming and feeds your soul."
Dalferes describes the 2016 Erma Bombeck Writers' Workshop in this way: "What happens when 350 people, predominantly women, truck in from all across the U.S. to spend three full days laughing (and a little crying), eating (mostly desserts) and baring their souls to each other? Magic. In a place called Dayton. That's not a punchline."
Humorist Wanda Argersinger blogs, "I have never attended any other conference where the attitude of the attendees actually infiltrates the air. You walk and breathe support, love, hope, admiration, curiosity and absolute acceptance of who you are. 'These are my people,' could be heard over and over again. 'This is where I was meant to be.'"
From storyteller Kathryn Mayer, who "found her funny" at the 2014 EBWW and returned a renewed writer: "I find inspiration. Peace. Excitement. Energy. Encouragement. Talent. It all happens here."
In all, nearly 60 writers tapped out literally thousands of words to capture three laugh-filled days of learning and networking at the University of Dayton, Erma's alma mater. These include essays from Lori Mansell, a long-retired school teacher who discovered it's never too late to write, a couple of University of Dayton students, journalists, authors, magazine writers and bloggers.
A special highlight: Keynoters Kathy Kinney and Cindy Ratzlaff are producing five video features of stories from their sprint writing workshop that encouraged writers to find their voices.
Here are links to newspaper and online stories, blogs and podcasts:
Amy Abbott: Afterglow
Amy Abbott: Erma Bombeck's Forever Legacy
Wanda M. Argersinger: A Legacy Like No Other
Anne Bardsley: Erma Summer Camp
Jennifer Belden: How Erma Helped Me Reclaim My Focus and Boot Dolores
Nancy Berk: Showbiz Analysis: Legendary Author Roy Blount Jr. Talks Creativity, Satire and Pie on Parade.com. Listen to podcast here.
Nancy Berk: Showbiz Analysis: The Drew Carey Show's Mimi Elevates Kathy Kinney to Queen of Her Own Life on Parade.com. Listen to podcast here.
Betsy Bitner: Together in a Spirit of Humor, Times Union in Albany, N.Y.
Valentine Brkich: Let the Sessions Begin!
Valentine Brkich: Welcome to No Man's Land
Patricia Wynn Brown: Ride 'em, cowgirl
Lisa Carpenter: 2016 Erma Bombeck Writers' Workshop: 13 Things I Loved Plus a Few Me-Loved-Nots
Helen Chibnik: Secret Passion (illustrated and recorded by Kathy Kinney and Cindy Ratzlaff)
Michelle Poston Combs: Like a Greased Watermelon
Michelle Poston Combs: Standing Up at Erma Bombeck 2016
Kimberly "Kimba" Dalferes: Can I Quote You on That?
Julie Danis: The Olga Stores: The Best Seamstress of Section A of the Block Association of EastWest Warsaw (illustrated and recorded by Kathy Kinney and Cindy Ratzlaff)
Lexie Digby: Erma's Essence
Lori B. Duff: Men, Women, and the Equality of Functional Pockets
Lori B. Duff: How to Fly Without a Driver's License in 27 Invasive Steps
Amy Eddings: She Who Laughs, Lives More Fully
Estelle Erasmus: Pearls of Advice from the Erma Bombeck Writers' Conference (#2016EBWW)
Christy Heitger-Ewing: Muted Joy: Learning to Live, Love and Laugh Again, Huffington Post
Bonnie Jean Feldkamp: MomWriter, Cincinnati Family Magazine
Sharon Tjaden-Glass: Walking Through the Fear
Rachel Grise: Erma Bombeck and the Marriott of Despair
Stacey Gustafson: Got My Funny Back at Erma Bombeck Writers' Workshop 2016
Stacey Gustafson: Quotable Quotes, featuring Alan Zweibel, Cathryn Michon, Joel Madison, Wendy Liebman, Leighann Lord, Kathy Kinney, Judy Carter and Jenny Lawson
Katie Hamlin: Ermafied
Lori Herlihy: Emulating Erma
Mary Hirsch: Life Without a Name Tag
Ann Hudock: 2016 Erma Bombeck Writers' Workshop and a Belated Thank You
Hillary Ibarra: Erma Bombeck Writers' Workshop
Natalie Kirland: Erma Bombeck Spirit Still Alive Through Writers' Workshop
Becky Koop: Whim to Revelation, My Erma Bombeck Workshop Legacy
Myron Kukla: Strange But True Tale
Kate Mahar: A Little Something About My Day Job
Lori Mansell: Queen for a Day
Lisa Marlin: Yes, Mr. Dickens, It Was the Best
Kathryn Mayer: Bathroom Stall to Center Stage: A Writer Finds Her Groove
Mary McCarty: Lesson from Bombeck Workshop: It's Never Too Late, Dayton Daily News
Kelly McKenzie: If Only I Had the Chance to Meet Erma
Julie Osborne: From Virgin to Queen
Gianetta Palmer: An Ode to the EBWW…2016 Version
Lisa R. Petty: Hermit at the Erma Bombeck Writers' Workshop
Susan Pohlman: When Erma Calls
Yvonne Ransel: My Happy Place
Teri Rizvi: Brigadoon for Writers
Julia Roberts: Great Advice From the Erma Bombeck Writers' Workshop
Julia Roberts: The Erma Gap
Julia Roberts: The Power of Erma Listen to podcast here.
Anne Saker: Erma Bombeck Lives on in Admiring Writers, Cincinnati Enquirer
Sheri Saretsky: Mother…Wife…Boss…But Writer?
Sharon Short: Authors to Offer Free Events Tied to Writers' Workshop, interview with Roy Blount Jr. and Gina Barreca, Dayton Daily News
Pam Sievers: When the Only Thing Left to Do is Write
Suzette Standring: Women: Stop Apologizing As a Preface to Comments, Huffington Post
Molly Stevens: Who Was Erma Bombeck and Why Does She Still Matter?, (Maine) Bangor Daily News
Becky Sydeski: 13 Things to Remember for the Erma Bombeck 2018 Conference
Janine Talbot: EBWW - A Cast of Characters
Janine Talbot: Can Great Minds Who Think Alike Survive Collaboration?
Annette Januzzi Wick: Erma Made Me Miss My Mom
Leah Vidal: Finding Human Interest in the Funny
Jan Wilberg: Three Days with a Name Tag
- Teri Rizvi
Teri Rizvi is the founder of the Erma Bombeck Writers' Worshop at the University of Dayton, where she serves as executive director of strategic communications.