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The two inaugural recipients of the DC Stanfa Memorial Writers' Award want to take their writing to the next level — and look to find support and encouragement at the Erma Bombeck Writers' Workshop.

"I relish the act of pondering, with laptop on knees, and watching as my thoughts take form, making myself laugh or cry. I adore sharing my craft with others and making them feel the way I feel," says Celeste Conner, of Dothan, Alabama, whose family has struggled to make ends meet after a health crisis.

"I've long wanted the Erma Bombeck Writers' Workshop to be my next step. I want to talk writing with people who write. I want to encourage them and be encouraged by them," she says. "I will glean guidance as I hunt and peck my way through my writing adventures."

For Michelle Saleh, of Kirkland, Washington, the award is a "kindly helping hand" that will help her receive "independent, honest feedback" on her writing.

"My writer friends encourage me to write. They write book-length stories, the thought of which intimidates me. I write snippets of everyday life, MY life," says Saleh, a stay-at-home single mother on a fixed income.

The DC Stanfa Memorial Writers' Award covers registration, travel and hotel expenses for two writers who demonstrate financial need and would benefit from the encouragement Erma Bombeck received when her University of Dayton English professor told her three magic words: “You can write!”

The award is named after DC Stanfa, a writer, humorist and long-time attendee who died unexpectedly in January 2021. The fund was started with generous gifts from her husband, Tom Schonecker, and daughter, Cori Hedrick, and bolstered by additional private support from family, friends and workshop attendees.

The selection committee also chose Holly Rutchik, a recently widowed mother of five children, for a complimentary in-person registration and awarded a select number of virtual package registrations to applicants who need financial help. The virtual package includes the five keynote talks and Pitchapalooza.

"The reviewers were impressed by the strong financial cases made by writers and their desire to nurture their writing lives," said Teri Rizvi, founder and director of the Erma Bombeck Writers' Workshop. "We're so grateful for the generous support of DC's family, friends and the Erma writing community who made these awards possible. This is such a tight-knit community where writers can find encouragement and support, no matter where they are on their writing journey."

The Erma Bombeck Writers' Workshop is slated for Oct. 20-22 at the University of Dayton, Bombeck's alma mater. For information about the program or to register, click here.

To help grow the DC Stanfa Memorial Writers' Award fund, online gifts can be made here: https://givenow.udayton.edu (for Designation select "Other" and type DC Stanfa Memorial Writers' Award in the text box that appears).