Blogs
Reliving the magic
Cindy Ratzlaff and Kathy Kinney (aka, "The Queens") are superstars in our book for the way they empower writers.
In their "How to Uncover Your Own Voice and Get it Down on Paper" workshop this spring, writers knocked out humorous stories in seven minutes flat. Kathy's hysterical voice-overs in these short videos bring to life a series of absurd stories written by some talented attendees. (By the way, you may recognize Kathy's voice. She portrayed "Mimi" on the "The Drew Carey Show.")
"Coco La Fleur" by Raj Jaiswal
"Cheese is as Cheese Does" by Teri Foltz
"Bemidji's Breeze of Change" by John Serr
You can relive (or experience) other workshop moments by visiting the Erma YouTube channel, where we're sharing excerpts of keynote talks by Liza Donnelly, Karen Walrond, John Grogan and Monica Piper as well as humorous bits by comedian Wendy Liebman and a sampling of stand-ups by brave writers. Tori Chickering O'Connell, with back-up performer Elly Lonon, closed Attendee Stand-Up Comedy Night with "Still Smokes," a sing-along. It's one of those catchy tunes that is guaranteed to stick in your head.
- Teri Rizvi
Teri Rizvi is executive director of strategic communications at the University of Dayton, where she founded and directs the Erma Bombeck Writers' Workshop.