2012 Bombeck Workshop faculty: Tracy Beckerman

The workshop for humor writing, human interest writing, networking and getting published

Tracy Beckerman writes the syndicated humor column “Lost in Suburbia,” which is carried by more than 400 newspapers nationally. Combined with her blog by the same name, “Lost in Suburbia” reaches up to 10 million readers weekly. She has made numerous TV and radio appearances speaking about motherhood and life in the ’burbs, including The Today Show on NBC, the CBS Early Show, LX New York, and Better TV, and was featured in a story about Erma Bombeck for CBS Sunday Morning. She was recently selected as America’s Top Blogger by The Balancing Act on Lifetime Television and appears on the show regularly. She is also author of the book Rebel without a Minivan: Observations on Life in the ’Burbs and a really fun mom.

Reflections of Erma

Humor writer of the month

Jerry Zezima

Jerry Zezima is the very model of a modern, middle-aged man — except that he’s now won four awards for humorous writing from the National Society of Newspaper Columnists. He laughs at the absurdities of life in his humor column for his hometown paper, The Stamford Advocate. His column is syndicated by McClatchy-Tribune and has run in newspapers across the country and around the world. A collection of his columns appears in his book, Leave It to Boomer: A Look at Life, Love and Parenthood by the Very Model of the Modern Middle-Age Man.

See past winners

If you'd like to be considered as our featured writer (or you read someone who should be), send an e-mail with a brief bio and a link to your Web site.

Who's publishing what?

I’ll take a wife

Lisa Smith Molinari, an 18-year Navy spouse, mother of three and humor columnist, published an article, “I Want a Wife, Too” in the May issue of Military Spouse magazine. Check out her blog for her weekly column that’s also published in the Indiana Gazette and on the Stars and Stripes Military Moms website.

Unwavering loyalty

W. Bruce Cameron, part of the 2012 EBWW faculty, has published A Dog’s Journey, a sequel to the New York Times‘ best-selling novel A Dog’s Purpose. Bruce has always loved dogs, which he concedes puts him in a “unique category with maybe two or three billion people.”

A real mother

Just in time for Mother’s Day, Denise Malloy has released a book, A Real Mother: stumbling through motherhood. A columnist for the Bozeman Daily Chronicle, she quips her bio reads like a bad joke: “After working as a lifeguard, a Peace Corps volunteer, a middle school teacher, a switchboard operator and finally, an attorney (but don’t hold that against her), she is uniquely qualified to do absolutely nothing. That is why she writes.”

Got your trophy husband?

Lisa Tognola’s parody ad for a “Hunk of the Month” club (made of “medical grade plastic … as close as you’ll get to the real thing”) is included in the new Valentine’s Day anthology My Funny Valentine. The compilation’s editors came to her, she said.

“Since creating my blog last summer, I’ve benefited from increased exposure online. The co-author of My Funny Valentine spotted my work and suggested I submit a Valentine’s Day themed piece for consideration in her book,” she said.

The collection was released Nov. 30.

Submit information about your publications Read more.