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From thousands of entries from around the world, two books inspired by the Erma Bombeck Writers’ Workshop emerged as finalists in the 2022 International Book Awards sponsored by American Book Fest.

Sisters! Bonded by Love and Laughter received recognition in the humor/comedy/satire category, while One Heart with Courage: Essays and Stories (Braughler Books) was a finalist in the nonfiction: inspirational category. American Book Fest covers books from all sections of the publishing industry — mainstream, independent and self-published.

Royalties from both books benefit the workshop’s endowment fund, used to keep the nationally renowned event affordable for writers of all experience levels.

This is the second recognition in the last month for Sisters! The collection of humorous and heartwarming essays, edited by Marcia Stewart and Teri Rizvi, was named the best non-fiction book in the category of relationships and emerged as a finalist in the gift book category in The Next Generation Indie Book Awards Program, the world's largest international awards program for independent publishers and self-published authors.

Drue Wagner, an Austin-based illustrator, designed the book, which features over 50 hilarious (and true) stories from New York Times bestselling authors, Saturday Night Live legends, humor writers, podcasters and other creatives, as well as winners of Nickie’s Prize for Humor Writing, named after a beloved sister and aspiring humor writer who died in 2018 soon after being diagnosed with lung cancer.

Essayist and children’s book author Amy Ephron calls Sisters! “a tribute to the love, laughter and closeness of family that Erma Bombeck so brilliantly inhabited.”

One Heart with Courage by Teri Rizvi, founder and director of the Erma Bombeck Writers’ Workshop, explores universal themes of friendship, family and faith in a collection of essays that includes an inside look at her two-culture, two-religion marriage.

Novelist and television writer Bruce Ferber calls the book “a gift to us all. In gorgeous, but unassuming prose, Rizvi tells her unique story, showing us what it means to be a global citizen who values and respects other viewpoints and cultures. In a world polarized by hate-speak, her words are more important than ever. Instead of banning books from libraries, let's add this one.”

Sisters! and One Heart with Courage are available in paperback and on Kindle. This summer, One Heart with Courage will be released as an audiobook, narrated by Sheri Saginor.