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Within five minutes after registration opened for the April 4-6, 2024, Erma Bombeck Writers’ Workshop at the University of Dayton, 100 writers rushed to sign up. Within 72 hours, the waitlist kicked on for the popular biennial event that attracts more than 350 writers from all over the country and a few spots from around the world.

It’s not too late for writers to experience the workshop’s special blend of joy and laughter, support and inspiration. For those who won’t be able to make the creative pilgrimage to Bombeck’s alma mater, organizers are offering “Erma Home Schooling.” The package includes five keynotes live-streamed from the in-person workshop as well as four exclusive workshops.

The keynotes: 

Anna Quindlen, novelist and Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist whose work has appeared on fiction, nonfiction and self-help bestseller lists 

Zibby Owens, author of three books; creator and host of the daily podcast Moms Don’t Have Time to Read Books; and founder and CEO of Zibby Media. Vulture dubbed her "NYC's Most Powerful Book-fluencer. 

Beth Lapides, creator, host and executive producer of Uncabaret, which she has shepherded through more than 25 years of weekly live shows, TV, CDs, streaming and touring. The Los Angeles Times calls her the “godmother of alternative comedy.”

Jacquelyn Mitchard, New York Times bestselling author of 23 novels for adults and teenagers. Her first novel, The Deep End of the Ocean, was the inaugural Oprah’s Book Club selection; it was adapted into a film starring Michelle Pfeiffer.

Wade Rouse, USA Today and Publishers Weekly bestselling author of five memoirs and 12 novels. He writes fiction under his grandmother’s name, Viola Shipman, to honor the Ozarks seamstress whose sacrifices changed his family’s life. Writer’s Digest named him “The #2 Writer, Dead or Alive, We’d Like to Have Drinks With” (he was sandwiched between Ernest Hemingway and Hunter Thompson).

The workshops:

“Humor Your Readers Can Visualize: How to Make Writing Funnier” by Mark Shatz, author of Comedy Writing Secrets, and New Yorker cartoonist and author Bob Eckstein.

“Memoir: Putting Life Into Words” by memoirist Susan Pohlman, founder and director of the Phoenix Writers Network.

“Hybrid Publish or Self Publish?” by nationally renowned publishing expert Jane Friedman, author of The Business of Being a Writer.

Find Your Readers: The Ultimate Book Marketing Workshop + Exclusive Component (How to Run an Instagram Book Tour) by Eva Lesko Natiello, bestselling author and book marketing and publishing consultant who led global communications at Estee Lauder.

While the package does not include the workshops facilitated at the in-person conference, it offers a mixture of craft, publishing and marketing sessions that will help writers take their writing to the next level and find an audience for their work.

The early bird fee is $199 before March 8. The cost is $225 after March 8. Writers can access the live-streamed keynotes and special sessions April 4-6, or listen to the recordings later at their convenience. 

Learn more about the program and schedule here. Register here. For more information, email erma@udayton.edu.