Humorists and storytellers who won’t be making the creative pilgrimage to the 2026 Erma Bombeck Writers’ Workshop at the University of Dayton can still experience its magic from the comfort of home.
Erma Home Schooling brings the heart and humor of the Erma Bombeck Writers’ Workshop to your screen. Participants can enjoy livestreams of all five keynote talks and four exclusive humor-writing workshops, thoughtfully designed for the virtual experience. Registration for the online sessions opens at noon (EST) Dec. 5 at the early bird rate of $175 by March 9, or $199 after that date. Register here.
Like workshop attendees, Erma Home Schooling participants will learn the craft of humor writing — from finding your comedic voice to mastering timing, structure and tone. They’ll discover how to use humor to connect, heal and help readers laugh at life’s everyday, universal moments. Writers can access the livestreamed keynotes and special sessions during the workshop March 26-28, or listen to the recordings later at their convenience. The recordings will be available for at least one year.
The 2026 Erma Bombeck Writers Workshop will feature keynote speakers Kelly Corrigan, Ann Garvin, Sona Movsesian, Steven Rowley and John Searles — writers whose work spans memoir, fiction, humor and media.
Erma Home Schooling Workshop sessions include:
• “How to Write Funny” with Wendi Aarons
• “The Power of Humor in Memoir” with Patricia Wynn Brown
• “Funny Because It’s True” with Brandon Follick
• “Knock Three Times: The Three-Beat Technique Writers Use to Create Magic” with Lori Jakiela
Widely known as “a writer’s Woodstock,” the Erma Bombeck Writers’ Workshop honors the legacy of Erma Bombeck, the great humorist and columnist who graduated with a degree in English from the University of Dayton in 1949. The workshop celebrates humor and human connection through storytelling. It welcomes writers of all experience levels who seek to improve their craft and build community.
Registration for the in-person workshop opened Nov. 5, and was sold out within 33 hours. A waitlist is available for hopeful humorists and storytellers still looking to attend.