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For 25 years, the Erma Bombeck Writers’ Workshop has honored the wit and wisdom of beloved humorist Erma Bombeck while offering a space where writers of all genres can refine their craft and find community, support, inspiration and encouragement.

Nationally renowned, the workshop has been dubbed the "Woodstock of Humor" and is considered a "utopia" for writers—one that "only appears every other year, out of the mist, on the edge of the Great Miami River in Dayton, Ohio (like Brigadoon)."

The workshop's mission remains steadfast: to inspire and uplift writers in the same way Erma Bombeck '49 found her own encouragement and inspiration at the University of Dayton when her English professor told her three simple words: “You can write!”

Over the years, the workshop has drawn icons from the worlds of writing and comedy as keynote speakers. Here's a glimpse of the key milestones in its extraordinary journey.

2000

• Sponsored by the National Alumni Association, the University of Dayton presented the inaugural Erma Bombeck Conference on Popular American Humor — a four-day celebration featuring the presentation of the Erma Bombeck papers, a keynote address by Pulitzer Prize-winning syndicated columnist Art Buchwald, writing workshops, an academic symposium and a writing competition in collaboration with the Washington-Centerville Public Library.
• ThinkTV produced and aired An Evening with Erma’s Friends, moderated by WHIO-TV anchor Donna Jordan and featuring Bill and Matt Bombeck, Aaron Priest, Lee Salam, John McMeel, D.L. Stewart and Liz Carpenter.

2002

• Talk show pioneer Phil Donahue returned to his hometown to deliver a public keynote at the Erma Bombeck Writers’ Workshop, drawing thousands to UD’s Fieldhouse.
• The Erma Bombeck Online Museum launched, and the University of Dayton’s child care center was officially dedicated as the Bombeck Family Learning Center.

2003

• An Ohio Bicentennial Historical Marker was installed outside St. Mary’s Hall at the University of Dayton in honor of Erma’s legacy.

2004

• UD alumnus Ralph Hamberg and his wife, Cindy, donated $100,000 to establish a workshop endowment in memory of her cousin, Brother Tom Price, S.M. — the beloved UD English professor who first told Erma three powerful words of encouragement: “You can write!”
• In collaboration with the workshop, 1^stBooks (now AuthorHouse) sponsored book proposal contest.

2006

• Erma Bombeck: Legacy of Laughter premiered on ThinkTV and was distributed nationally to public television stations.
• Workshop attendees created the world’s largest Mad Lib.
• Attendee Stand-Up Comedy Night was added to the workshop's line-up. Hosts over the years have included Dave Glardon, Sarah Maizes, Leighann Lord, Wendy Liebman, Brian Kiley and Jane Condon.

2010

• Erma Bombeck: The Mother of All Humorists, a special segment by Mo Rocca, aired on CBS Sunday Morning in celebration of Mother's Day. Filmed at the workshop, the segment drew inspiration from Tracy Beckerman, a New Jersey mommy blogger and attendee/faculty member, who went on to nationally syndicate her column and write books.

2012

• Bill, Betsy, Andy and Matt Bombeck shared their favorite columns during the workshop.

2014

• Arielle Eckstut and David Henry Sterry, aka “the Book Doctors,” brought Pitchapalooza, billed as “American Idol for books, only kinder and gentler,” to the workshop, and the high-spirited event becomes a signature event.
• Humorist Patricia Wynn Brown, “the mistress of mayhem,” became the workshop’s first emcee, a role she held for four workshops.

2015

• Mary Lou Quinlan performed her one-woman play The God Box: A Mother’s Story at the University of Dayton’s Boll Theatre, benefiting the workshop endowment fund. WHIO-TV anchor Cheryl McHenry hosted a talkback session with the actress and Betsy Bombeck, Erma's daughter, on closing night.

• The Bombeck family home at 162 Cushwa Dr. in Centerville, Ohio, was added to the National Register of Historic Places.

2016

• Erma Bombeck: At Wit’s End, starring Barbara Chisholm, was performed at the workshop, followed by a discussion with the Bombeck family and playwrights Allison and Margaret Engel.

• Thanks to a grant from Ohio Humanities, feminist scholar and humorist Gina Barreca presented “Erma 101,” a free, public session at the 2016 workshop.

2017

• The Erma Bombeck Humorist-in-Residence Program, A Hotel Room of One’s Own, launched with seed funding from Los Angeles humorist and author Anna Lefler.

2018

• Bill Bombeck bequeathed $460,000 to support both the workshop endowment and the Bombeck Family Learning Center. A video tribute aired at the workshop.
• The workshop collaborated with author Allia Zobel Nolan to publish Laugh Out Loud: 40 Women Humorists Celebrate Then and Now…Before We Forget, which became a finalist in the Indie Book Awards (humor category).

2020

• The workshop sponsored Nickie’s Prize for Humor Writing, an international competition celebrating stories about sisters and sisters of the heart. The initiative was underwritten by West coast editor Marcia Stewart in memory of her sister.
• In response to the global pandemic, the workshop transitioned to a virtual format, attracting nearly 700 writers and launching a platform for online programs. In the workshop’s first foray into live drawing, New Yorker cartoonist Liza Donnelly captured the keynote talks.
• Erma’s Got Talent, loosely formatted after America’s Got Talent, premiered with host Nancy Berk and celebrity judges Wendy Liebman, Leighann Lord and Brian Kiley. The free virtual program gave aspiring comedians the opportunity to audition for the workshop's Attendee Stand-Up Comedy Night.

2021

• The workshop published Sisters: Bonded by Love and Laughter, featuring winners of Nickie’s Prize along with contributions from New York Times’ bestselling authors. The book won first place in Writer’s Digest’s Self-Published Book Awards (memoir/life stories category). Co-edited by Marcia Stewart and Teri Rizvi.
• Family and friends of the late DC Stanfa started the DC Stanfa Memorial Writers’ Award to honor the longtime attendee and help writers with financial need attend the workshop.

2022

• The Erma Bombeck Collection: A Sneak Preview exhibit debuted in the University of Dayton’s Roesch Library.
• New Yorker cartoonist and author Bob Eckstein joined the workshop as artist-in-residence and produced live, on-the-spot drawings of sessions and keynote talks. Stand-up comic Leighann Lord, the “urban Erma,” stepped in as emcee, bringing a sharp wit and a gracious spirit to the role.

2024

• Beyond the Byline: Erma Bombeck’s Story, an interactive exhibit, premiered in the Stuart and Mimi Rose Gallery in the University of Dayton’s Roesch Library. Opening night speakers included feminist scholar and humorist Gina Barreca and Matt Bombeck, Erma's son.
• Erma Poet Laureate Barbara Fant performed an original poem, For Erma: when the real writers come back home, at the workshop.
• The University of Dayton's English Department established the annual You Can Write! Creative Writing Retreat, supported by alumni couple Liz and Jamie Ryan. 
• Workshop premiered the “Erma Made Me Do It!” video series, a collection of more than two dozen attendee reflections on how the workshop inspired them to pursue their writing dreams.

2025

• Kathy Kinney and Cindy Ratzlaff, aka “Queen of Your Own Life,” hosted Virtual Essay Cabaret, a free open mic night that was first offered at the 2024 workshop.
• The Erma Bombeck Writers’ Workshop celebrates its 25th anniversary. A documentary will premiere at the 2026 workshop.