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Max Pross, an Emmy Award-winning producer and writer known for The Simpsons, Seinfeld and Late Night with David Letterman, and Susan Pohlman, a memoirist who writes with grace and vulnerability, will serve as finalist judges for the 2022 Erma Bombeck Writing Competition.

Kathy Kinney and Cindy Ratzlaff (the inspirational duo behind Queen of Your Own Life) will keynote the 7 p.m. awards presentation on March 23 at the Woodbourne Library, 6060 Far Hills Ave.

The writing competition, held every two years in conjunction with the Erma Bombeck Writers' Workshop at the University of Dayton, pays tribute to hometown writer Erma Bombeck, one of the greatest humorists of the 20^th century. The next contest opens Nov. 30, with previously unpublished 450-word entries in humor and human interest categories accepted until Jan. 4.

Four winners will receive $1,000 and a free registration to the Erma Bombeck Writers' Workshop, slated for March 24-26. Writers receiving honorable mentions will be awarded $100 prizes. Winning entries will be posted online and in the workshop's program.

Pross, who will judge the finalist humor essays, is a Primetime Emmy Award-winning producer and writer known for The Simpsons, Seinfeld and Late Night with David Letterman. He has been nominated for a Primetime Emmy 10 times and twice for Writers Guild of America, USA. Together with writing team partner Tom Gammill, he also has written for Saturday Night Live, It's Garry Shandling's Show, The Wonder Years and Monk.

Pohlman, who will judge the finalist human interest essays, has written two travel memoirs: Halfway to Each Other: How a Year in Italy Brought Our Family Home and A Time to Seek: Meaning, Purpose, and Spirituality at Midlife. She’s the founder and director of The Phoenix Writers Network as well as a freelance writer, editor, writing coach and workshop facilitator. Her essays have been published in a variety of online and print magazines and journals, including The Washington Times, Family Digest, The Family, Raising Arizona Kids, Guideposts Magazine, Homelife Magazine, AZ Parenting, The Review Review, Tiferet Journal and Goodhousekeeping.com. Susan has served as Writer-in-Residence for the State Arizona Library and has taught creative writing at Arizona State University’s Emeritus College.

"Erma Bombeck, America’s favorite humorist, was also a Centerville neighbor and patron of the library. That so many giants of the writing industry are willing to lend their talent to ensuring the success of the writing competition and workshop is a testament to her legacy.” said Debe Dockins, coordinator of the competition at the Washington-Centerville Public Library.

In 2020, 559 writers from 10 countries, 48 states and the District of Columbia entered previously unpublished essays in humor and human interest categories — roughly 251,550 words. The nearly 50 preliminary judges included nationally known authors, columnists, sitcom writers and stand-up comedians. Prolific authors Bill Bryson and Jess Montgomery served as the finalist judges for the humor and human interest categories, respectively.

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