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We're bringing to life a book filled with funny coming-of-age essays from 40 women humorists.

More than 100 writers answered the call for submissions for a proposed humor anthology, edited by prolific writer Allia Zobel Nolan and a team from the University of Dayton's Erma Bombeck Writers' Workshop.

Tentatively titled Laugh Out Loud: 40 Women Humorists Celebrate Then and Now…Before We Forget, the book will feature a mixture of Zobel Nolan's essays and "fall-on-the-floor-and-roll-around-in-stitches" humorous, eclectic contributions from these talented writers:

Amy McVay Abbott

Elaine Ambrose

Karen G. Anderson

Karla Araujo

Leslie Bamford

Tracy Roberts Buckner

Jennifer Byrne

Michelle Poston Combs

Kaye Curren

Fritzy Dean

Lori B. Duff

Janene Dutt

Cindy Eastman

Janie Emaus

Christy Heitger-Ewing

Bonnie Jean Feldkamp

Sharon Gerger

Tassie Hewitt Haney

Georgia A. Hubley

Carolyn Anderson Jones

Sharon M. Kennedy

Sherri Kuhn

Sandy Lingo

Lisa Marlin

Kelly L. McKenzie

Amy Mullis

Alice Muschany

Risa Nye

Anne Elise O'Connor

Lucia Paul

Yvonne Ransel

Lorraine Ray

Joanne Salemink

Amy Hartl Sherman

Barbara L. Smith

DC Stanfa

Sherry Stanfa-Stanley

Janine V. Talbot

Denise Denton Thiery

Pamela Wright

"Wow, it sure is great to hear those three little words, 'You can write!,' and that certainly applied to the more than 100 submissions we received for our EBWW humor anthology," said Zobel Nolan, a former senior editor at Reader's Digest who has published close to 200 books. "To a one, the submissions were all sterling. Of course, that made our job harder. But in the end, the team chose those essays that best spoke to the themes of aging and 'the way we were' with originality and clarity. These are unique essays that painted a visual portrait of those particular time frames - essays that made the reader shake her head in agreement and/or laugh until her sides hurt."

The book is one of two new initiatives launched by the workshop this year. More than 400 writers competed for "A Hotel Room of One's Own: The Erma Bombeck | Anna Lefler Humorist-in-Residence Program."

"It's our mission to encourage and support writers," said Teri Rizvi, founder and director. "This book provides a creative avenue for some very funny, gifted writers."