News archive
2010
THE HUMAN SIDE OF RAILROADING
Two Michigan librarians are cataloging their collection of truly awful, but real, library titles with very funny results.
NOW THAT'S OLD SCHOOL
In a brief but hilarious video making the rounds on YouTube, a college student brought a typewriter and terrific comic timing to class.
A YEAR TO FORGET
Daniel Kurtzman counts down the dumbest political quotes of 2009.
MACHINE-GENERATED HUMOR?
Think the robots won't take over? One NSF grant to get them writing humor drew raised eyebrows from political commentators. Read it for yourself (PDF format).
'FOR SALE: BABY SHOES, NEVER WORN' (BUT FUNNIER)
Smith Magazine's ongoing compilation of six-word memoirs is a study in economy of language.
HEY HEY HEY
Philadelphia will bestow its prestigious Marian Anderson Award on Bill Cosby in April. Earlier this year, he won the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor.
SURGERY, STUNTS & CHUTZPAH
You don't want to be the doctor of Saralee Perel's husband. In a column offered us as a reprint, she shows why.
A FUNNY TWEET THE NEW HAIKU?
2009
'THE DIRTY SUBJECT OF MAKING MONEY'
At the National Society of Newspaper Columnists' annual convention in June, Dave Lieber had some frank advice for columnists: Change your DNA from columnist to information entrepreneur. The abridged version of his remarks is an eye-opening must-read for current and aspiring columnists.
GOVERNOR'S A BALL
Also at its annual conference, the NSNC awarded former Alaska governor Sarah Palin its annual Sitting Duck Award. "This is our way of saying thanks for the low-hanging fruit," said NSNC President and Pittsburgh Post-Gazette columnist Samantha Bennett, according to the NSNC's Web site. Former Illinois governor Rob Blagojevich was runner up.
ODE TO LAUGHTER
"YES, WE CAN" REPLACED BY "YES, WEEKEND"?
In a boring political season, a German humorist is livening up the election season with proposals to replace the federal eagle with a federal bunny and rebuild the Berlin Wall.
THE POLITICS OF 'MOMMYBLOGGING'
"It really bothers me that it’s been nearly 50 years since Erma Bombeck knocked Donna Reed off of her pedestal and still we can’t just write our normal lives without someone turning us into a target market for PR pros and misogynist pundits," writes Dawn Friedman in a review of a recent issue of Ms. Magazine on her blog "This Woman's Work."
LAKE WOBEGON CRIME BLOTTER
A not-funny item: Thieves broke into 2008 keynote speaker Garrison Keillor's bookstore, Common Good Books in St. Paul, Minn., in the midle of the night, stealing several thousand dollars.
MORE RADIO DAYS
I didn't dodge the tough questions when Funny Sundays host Nettie Hartsock interviewed me about the workshop on Blog Talk Radio.
LITHUANIAN ZOMBIES
Green Apple Books & Music in San Francisco is pitting the Kindle vs. the book in a series of amusingly low-budget videos. Round 6: Which can match wits with the Lithuanian zombies?
ANOTHER BLOG-TO-BOOK
READ FOR YOUR HEALTH
New research out of Britain says that reading lowers stress substantially more than listening to music, walking or a cup of tea.
MORE NSNC WINNERS
Last month, I overlooked two very funny NSNC winners with Bombeck ties. The "eloquently irritable" Pat Coakley took first prize in the Blog Column category of the NSNC's annual column-writing awards for her blog "Single for a Reason." Judy Gruen placed third in the online category for humor writing for her column in the Jewlarious department of Aish.com. Congratulations, Pat and Judy. Well deserved.
TWEET TWEET
We have a Twitter feed. Follow the workshop at twitter.com/ebww, and be sure to tweet your favorite humor and publications my way.
NEXT ERMA BOMBECK WRITING COMPETITION TO BE HELD IN 2010
The Washington-Centerville Public Library will hold its writer’s competition every other year to coincide with UD’s Erma Bombeck Writer’s Workshop. Past winning essays and competition details are available here.
SECRET TO TWITTER? HUMOR
Funny people thrive on Twitter, so much so that HarperCollins plans a book for October called Twitter Wit. If you have a Twitter account, you can stay updated on its development and offer your own 140-character witticisms.
DIPPING A TOE IN THE TWITTERVERSE
NATIONAL SOCIETY OF NEWSPAPER COLUMNISTS CONFERENCE NEARS
The registration deadline quickly approaches for the NSNC's annual conference. The conference runs June 25-28 in Ventura, Calif. Speakers include W. Bruce Cameron, Suzette Standring and Dave Lieber.
DIGITAL BOOK CLUBS?
Electronic book readers are poised for an upgrade that includes the ability to access social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter, says Wired.
PAYING HER DUES
Struggling writers dream of the day they can stop waiting tables. Or, in Wanda Sykes' case, working as a purchasing agent buying hammers one day and spy equipment the next for the super-secret National Security Agency.
OY VEY
New York Magazine speculates that the end of Jewish humor is nigh.
6,000 COLUMNS LATER
New Orleans Times-Picayune columnist Angus Lind hangs up his keyboard after 39 years.
BA-DA-BING
When Microsoft released its Google competitor Bing, it didn't think to give Fortune humor columnist Stanley Bing the courtesy of a heads up. He uses his blog to express his "moderate outrage."
GETTING THEM IN THE DOOR
Publishers Weekly announced "National Bookselling Day" Nov. 7 to increase traffic to bookstores.
ACADEMIC ERMA
The Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at San Jose State University will offer a 2-hour class on Erma's life and writing Aug. 3.
NEXT ERMA BOMBECK WRITING COMPETITION TO BE HELD IN 2010
The Washington-Centerville Public Library will hold its writer’s competition every other year to coincide with UD’s Erma Bombeck Writer’s Workshop. Past winning essays and competition details are available here.
NEW MEMBERS WELCOME
National Society of Newspaper Columnists announced it has opened membership beyond its traditional base to include "freelancers, self-syndicated or independent writers, or writers published on the Internet in any medium as online columnists or in blogs". A sign of the times, its annual conference -- June 25-28 in Ventura, Calif., -- will have a stonger workshop component focusing on "how-to" sessions to help writers "thrive and survive" in lean times. Conference details here.
MAKE 'EM LAUGH
PBS's new six-hour documentary, broadcast in three parts, looks at the history of American comedy in the 20th century -- funny people talking about what's funny and why.
HUMOR AND HEARTBREAK
Comedy Central named Robert Schimmel one of its best 100 comics. He needed a sense of humor to stay sane through divorce, cancer and the death of child. He writes about it in his new book, Cancer on $5 a Day: How Humor Got Me Through the Toughest Journey of My Life. Hear the NPR story here.
KUDOS
ERMA'S BIOGRAPHER GOING GREEN
Lynn Colwell, who wrote the authorized biography of Erma Bombeck, has co-written a new book with her daughter, Corey Colwell-Lipson, Celebrate Green!, to help readers make smarter choices so they can make "a better world for their grandchildren, great grandchildren, great-great grandchildren. You get the idea."
BOMBECK RAISES KIDNEY HEALTH AWARENESS
Andy Bombeck, son of Erma, was among the 26 Arizona transplant recipient athletes at the National Kidney Foundation’s 2008 U.S. Transplant Games -- and medaled in tennis. Read more here.
YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO WRITE WELL
THE YEAR THAT WAS
Just before Christmas, JibJab presented its year in review. It's still hilarious.
LATE, BUT STILL TIMELY
Humorist Roy Blunt, Jr., president of the Author's Guild, urged members to go a book-buying splurge for the holidays. They can use the support in January too.
NEXT ERMA BOMBECK WRITING COMPETITION TO BE HELD IN 2010
The Washington-Centerville Public Library will hold its writer’s competition every other year to coincide with UD’s Erma Bombeck Writer’s Workshop. Past winning essays and competition details are available here.
2008
AND THE WINNERS ARE
National Society of Newspaper Columnists announced the Will Rogers Writing Contest winners:
First place: Wyoming author Richard J. Maturi for his essay, "Dateline: Point Barrow," a commentary on the current political season.
Second place: Joel Fry of Wichita, Kan., who submitted a series of briefs written in the form of "Will Rogers Telegrams."
Third place: Jeannie Cale of Pryor, Okla., who channeled Rogers to report on the Democratic and Republican parties' conventions.
MORE WINNERS
LIGHT A CANDLE BY CURSING THE DARKNESS
TUNE IN TOMORROW
BUT WILL IT PLAY IN THE POCONOS?
Jeffrey Gurian was part of the writing team at a recent Friars’ Club celebrity roast for charity. He gives a peek behind the curtain.
ROOKIE MISTAKES
Self-publishing authors often make them; self-publishing veteran Judy Cullins offers five to avoid.
NOW BOARDING...
In his new book Globejotting, Dave Fox provides a tutorial on documenting far-flung journeys without distracting yourself from the travel experiences themselves.
WHO, ME?
Who would use a column for personal gain? Jeff Kramer explains.
WHAT CAN’T SHE DO?
Tina Fey was everywhere this fall. But according to the Chicago Tribune, “she has shrugged off her growing stardom with typical self-deprecation.” Read here.
WIN FRIENDS, INFLUENCE PEOPLE
In October, This American Life explored stories of climbing to be No. 1. The show, broadcast on 500 public radio stations weekly, also accepts submissions.
NEXT ERMA BOMBECK WRITING COMPETITION TO BE HELD IN 2010
The Washington-Centerville Public Library announced it will hold its writer’s competition every other year to coincide with UD’s Erma Bombeck Writer’s Workshop. Past winning essays and competition details are available here.
NSNC ANNOUNCES NEWSPAPER
COLUMN CONTEST WINNERS
Humor awards for 2008 included:
Humor (circulation 100,000+)
1st Place - Lynn Yaeger - The Village Voice
2nd Place - Bill Ervolino - The Record
3rd Place - Brian O'Connor - The Detroit News
Humor (circulation <100,000)
1st Place - Robert Simpson - The Polk County Pulse
2nd Place - Saralee Perel - Cape Cod Times
3rd Place - Mary Bufe - Webster-Kirkwood Times
Online (all circulations)
1st Place - Alan Paul - The Wall Street Journal Online
2nd Place - Joel Schwartzberg - The Star-Ledger
3rd Place - Robert Gilbert - Gilbert Communications
PEREL'S DREAM
Saralee Perel had a dream about accepting her award from the National Society of Newspaper Columnists. Read more.
WE KNOW NOTHING
WRITER TAKES SERIOUS LOOK
AT HISTORY OF HUMOR
A recent study by researchers at the University of Wolverhampton in England found that the oldest recorded joke was from 1900 BC in Sumeria, now southern Iraq. It's about female flatulence, showing toilet humor has always been popular. Read more.
I wish you could have come to New Orleans for a once in a lifetime experience. Over 50 members of the National Society of Newspaper Columnists went in search of continuing stories as part of our annual meeting, “New Orleans, We Have Not Forgotten” on June 20-21, 2008. Read more.
BENCHLEY HUMOR AWARD
PAT PAULSEN FOR PRESIDENT
Dr. Joel Goodman, founder and director of The HUMOR Project, Inc has agreed to serve as New York State campaign manager for Pat Paulsen.. Read more.
THURBER PRIZE FINALISTS: A former writer and producer for "The Simpsons," a former writer for "Saturday Night Live" and a former president of the Harvard Lampoon are finalists for the Thurber Prize for American Humor, a $5,000 award. Read more.
HOW DUMB ARE YOU? The forthcoming book How Dumb Are You? The Great American Stupidity Quiz (National Lampoon Press: October 7) is loaded with questions every mildly-educated American should be able to answer -- but often can't. Read more.
WATCH GARRISON KEILLOR'S
OPENING SPEECH
Watch portions of Garrison Keillor's opening
speech at the 2008 Erma Bombeck Writers'
Workshop.
Garrison talks about...
Garrison Keillor quote:
"When some people sit down to write humor, they adopt a giddy tone of voice, a whooping or comic warble, so that the reader will know it’s funny. It’s the writing equivalent of a clown suit. This does not wear well. Humor needs to come in under cover of darkness, in disguise, and surprise people. You don’t want to get that gdoing , gdoing , gdoing sound in your writing. It makes the reader feel sorry for you."
BOMBECK WORKSHOP ATTENDEE
STAND-UP COMEDY VIDEO
Watch ten minutes of great stand-up by attendees of the 2008 Erma Bombeck Writers' Workshiop. Watch it now.
GETTING PUMPED UP
The Hair Theater Cheer Chicks got workshop attendees going through their unique brand of pep rally. Watch it now.
NATIONAL LAMPOON TAKES A "FRAT CHANCE"
National Lampoon, Inc., the most widely recognized brand in comedy, has acquired the college comedy script “Frat Chance” from the founder/creator of DrunkUniversity.com, Read more.
WRITER'S DIGEST EDITOR
REPORTS ON IAN FRAZIER
"[Humor] is something that you really can’t hit by aiming at it. It’s not like you can go out and get the facts and report them and now here’s a humor piece with the facts." Read more.
BEING AN AUTHOR IN HOLLYWOOD
Trying to make a living writing books is difficult, so a word of advice to anyone who’s planning a move to Los Angeles: Stay right where you are. Read more.
Stories about the 2008 Erma Bombeck Writers' Workshop
WRITTEN BY A BOMBECK...
SEVEN THINGS I LEARNED AT MY
GRANDMOTHER'S WRITERS' WORKSHOP
Eleven-year-old Eva Bombeck, Erma's granddaughter, writes about her first experience at the workshop and reveals which speakers she thought were "hilarious." Read more.
WRITTEN BY FACULTY...
USA TODAY: I'm here today to talk to
you about...oh, dear! by Craig Wilson
Participants at the Erma Bombeck Writers' Workshop at the University of Dayton, her alma mater, carried notepads. Some appeared to be taking down my every word. A few scribbled so furiously, I was tempted to stop my talk and ask them to read back what I had just said since I didn't have a clue what I had just said. Read more.
UNEXPECTED BENEFITS
by Carolyn Howard Johnson
Because unexpected benefits are, well . . . unexpected, I'll tell you about one in particular that came about when I was speaking at the Erma Bombeck Writers' Workshop this spring. Read more.
FROM NEWSPAPERS...
DAYTON DAILY NEWS: GIVING
WAY TO YOUNGER GENERATION by Mary McCarty
Eleven-year-old Eva Louise Bombeck — Matt's daughter — is an aspiring writer. (The middle name is the same as her celebrated grandmother's.) Michael Bombeck, not quite 2, ran around like he owned the place. Read more.
BRAIN DROPPINGS by Ron Rollins
Speaking of smart guys, if you ever get a chance to catch Garrison Keillor on one of his visits to the area, take it. Thursday night, April 3, he opened the University of Dayton’s Erma Bombeck Writer’s Workshop with his dry growing-up-Minnesotan stories that hilariously mix understatement and overstatement. Read more.
FLYER NEWS: DREAM COMES TRUE by Amy Tiedge
Luckily for me, I was awarded one of 19 student scholarships from the National Alumni Association to attend the workshop. During the weekend, I attended sessions like “The Renegade Writer’s Guide to Breaking into Magazines,” “Book Proposals and Literary Agents” and “How to Survive and Thrive Through the Creative Process.” Read more.
FROM MEDIA WEB SITES...
EDITOR & PUBLISHER: Garrison Keillor on
Writing and Erma Bombeck
"My advice to writers is to get out," said the radio host, author, and Tribune Media Services columnist. "Writing is an obsessive activity. Walk for two or three miles everyday -- rapidly if necessary -- and get out and look at the world. When writing loses touch with the beautiful surface of the world, it loses its way." Read more.
NATIONAL SOCEIETY OF NEWSPAPER COLUMNISTS: Fresh from the Bombeck Workshop
Talk about a great conference! The Erma Bombeck Writers’ Workshop featured almost 30 experts with advice on writing, publication, promotion, networking and staying inspired. About 325 humor and general interest writers attended the two-day conference held at the University of Dayton on April 3-5, 2008. Read more.
ST. LOUIS WRITERS' GUILD by Mary Menke
Hey, I just got back (okay, I got back Sunday) from the Erma Bombeck Humor Writers Workshop in Dayton, Ohio and I’d like to share some of the things I learned. Read more.
WRITTEN BY ATTENDEES...
MISERABLE ENOUGH?
by Sally Sheklow
The great humorist stood on the stage in his trademark red sneakers, red socks and matching red tie, and extolled the importance of an unhappy childhood for good humor writing. Read more.
TALES FROM THE CONFERENCE
by Danny Gallagher
Since I waited too long to get a direct flight, I had to catch three puddle jumpers from Dallas to Kansas City to Hades and then to Dayton.Read more.
IS CAMEL MILK THE NEXT BIG THING?
By Lara Bricker
So there I was on the way to the Erma Bombeck Humor Writing Conference last week in Ohio. I had hopped a taxi from the airport and was chatting with the little foreign cab driver. Eventually the conversation turned to what I wrote about. Well, I told him, I just had a book published called "How Do You Milk a Moose Anyway?" Read more.
TREND HUNTER MAGAZINE
by Rosa Capacola
I thoroughly enjoyed this event, which is near and dear to my heart, as I practically grew up reading Erma Bombeck, who left us too soon on April 22, 1996. I can’t help thinking how much she would have enjoyed all of the wonderful tributes given to her by the attendees and event speakers this year. Read more.
I MADE OUT WITH GARRISON KEILLOR
by Kelly Epperson
When it was my moment, I handed my camera over and had someone snap a photo. “Right here,” I pointed to my cheek. (I’d had a couple glasses of red.) Read more.
WRITER TRIES TO AVOID REALITY
by Stephanie Fellenstein
I felt like I was back in college. Days centered on me. Heading out in shorts in the definitely chilly, but sunny, spring air just because it was the first time in months the temperature actually rose above 50. Read more.
I'M FUNNY HOW?
by Michael Mackie
Last week I had the opportunity to visit the 2008 Erma Bombeck Writer’s Workshop in lovely Dayton, Ohio. Good thing …because my job mandates me to write things that are clever and catchy. Read more.
DEAR ERMA
by Lynda Zielinski
I’m not giving up though. I know you got discouraged too, even stopped writing that first year in college. It took one special man, someone you admired and respected, to come forward and say those three magic words. No, not those. The important words: You can write. Read more.
DENA HARRIS' BLOG
Just back from the 2008 Erma Bombeck Writer's Conference in Dayton, my old stomping grounds. It was cold and gray when I arrived but the dirt was brown, as earth is supposed to be (not this red clay stuff forced upon us in North Carolina). Laughed a lot, made new friends, and even managed to learn a thing or two despite my best intentions to only drink wine, eat free desserts, and take guilt free long, hot showers. Read more.
HUMORIST'S GHOST INSPIRES LAUGHS IN DAYTON by Lois Swagerty
Overall, the conference was worth its price in laughs.And as for ending up Erma, a girl could do worse. Read more.
PAT COAKLEY'S BLOG
I heard Pulitzer Prize winning speakers, expert professional speakers–all over the past several days and this spontaneous comment–this is what I remember most. Read more.
GINGER TRUITT'S BLOG
The highlight of my evening, and I'm sure the highlight of this trip, was meeting Garrison Keillor! Read more.
PHOTOS...
VIDEO...
FIND YOUR VOICE
Humorist Garrison Keillor shared his advice on how to be a successful writer at the 2008 Erma Bombeck Writers' Workshop. Read and watch video clip.
STAND-UP COMEDY NIGHT!
Watch ten minutes of clips from attendee stand-up comedy at the 2008 Erma Bombeck Writers' Workshop. Watch it now.
INVOCATIONS...
Many attendees requested copies of the prayers given before each night's dinner. Here they are!
FEBRUARY/MARCH 2008
GOODMAN WINS LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD
Ellen Goodman, Pulitzer Prize winning columnist from the Boston Globe, is the 2008 recipient of the Ernie Pyle Lifetime Achievement Award of the National Society of Newspaper Columnists. Read more.
THE DIGBY REPORT
Comedian Horace Digby has some great interviews with top humorists. Here are just a few:
HOW-TO BOOK FOR COLUMNISTS
Suzette Martinez Standring's new book, The Art of Column Writing, is just published. It includes "Insider Secrets from Art Buchwald, Dave Barry, Arianna Huffington, Pete Hamill, and Other Great Columnists." Read more.
WAYOUT TV
Damon Wayans is betting people will fire up their computers to watch videos about an African American leprechaun pimp, a thieving airport security guard and an adulterous Burger King. Read more.
CLEAN COMEDY
Teresa Roberts Logan imports clean headline comedy acts from around the country. Read more.
WRITERS' STRIKE LEADS TO BURST OF TV SHOWS FOR THE WEB
Striking writers have created dozens of professional-grade shows for the Web. An extended strike could bring hundreds more. Yes, hundreds. Read more.
HOW STAND-UP IN THE 1970s CHANGED AMERICA
In the rock ’n’ roll 1970s, a new breed of comic, inspired by the fearless Lenny Bruce, made telling jokes an art form. Richard Zoglin gives a backstage view of the time, when a group of brilliant comedians ruled the industry and changed it. Read more.
NEW ONLINE SHOW FOR COLUMNIST RAY HANANIA
Self-syndicated columnist Ray Hanania, who's been doing online TV interviews for about two years, is producing a new show. Read more.
COMEDY WRITERS STRIKE A NERVE
Writers from Comedy Central’s “The Daily Show” and “The Colbert Report” hosted a debate on Capitol Hill…No, really, they did.. Read more.
NOVEMBER 2007
COMEDY BY THE NUMBERS
There's a lot of books out there claiming that they contain the secret to being funny, but only the authors of Comedy by the Numbers actually know how to crack a joke. Read more.
THE ONION GOES GLOBAL
The Onion releases its second book, Our Dumb World. Read more.
COMEDY FANTASY CAMP
Would you like to spend two days as a sitcom writer?. Read more.
CLEANING UP IN COMEDY
Teresa Roberts Logan is a 'clean comedian' who hosts a monthly Clean Comedy Night. Read more.
COMPETITIVE STREAK HELPS "30 ROCK" SURVIVE
A year ago few people would have bet Tina Fey’s show, “30 Rock,” would last an entire season, let alone take the best-comedy award at the Emmys. Read more.
WILL ROGERS WINNER
Peggy Sanders , a farm-ranch wife and writer from Oral, S.D., won first place in the 2007 Will Rogers Writing Contest. Read more.
OCTOBER 2007
DAVE BARRY ON DIGBY REPORT
Dave Barry appeared on The Horace J. Digby Report to discuss humor, writing, Art Buchwald, International Talk Like a Pirate Day, Harry Potter, Peter Pan, sex change operations, Dave Barry's History of the New Millennium (So Far), why it is perfectly legal for you to mail cash directly to Dave Barry, Dave's snappy answers to listeners' questions and much much more. Listen now.
BLURBOLOGY 101
John Hershey shares how to promote your writing through shameless name dropping. Read more.
THE SECRET LIFE OF WRITERS
Ernie Witham, who teaches at the Santa Barbara Writers Conference, had his students write a column as a group. Here it is.
JOE KEENAN WINS THURBER PRIZE
Joe Keenan, the Emmy winner and former executive producer for Frasier, has won the 2007 Thurber Prize for American Humor for his novel, My Lucky Star. Read more.
NEW NATIONAL LAMPOON SPOOF
Kevin Dillon (Entourage) is starring in National Lampoon's 301: The Legend of Awesomest Maximus Wallace Leonidas, a spoof of swords and sandals movies 300, Troy, Gladiator, and Braveheart. Read more.
WEB CHANGES HOW COMEDY IS WRITTEN
The Web has changed the way comedy is written, says John O'Farrell, by empowering unknown writers to collaborate wiki-style with established names. Read more.
THE LOVE BOAT
Thirty years ago this fall, ''The Love Boat'' set sail. In this oral history, the Pacific Princess crew fondly recall their decade on a TV classic. Read more.
TINA FEY IS ON TOP
How did Tina Fey go from a recent college graduate who moved to Chicago in 1992 to do improv to the reigning queen of TV comedy? Read more.
AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2007
CAN YOU LEARN TO BE FUNNY?
Suzette Martinez Standring goes over the Barry basics. Read more.
OPEN THE BOX
Lynn Colwell's client recognized how tuned out he had been to life. Suddenly, it became clear to him that he had been keeping writing in a separate box. He began to merge it with his life. Read more.
THURBER PRIZE FINALISTS ANNOUCED
Here's a funny one: Bob Newhart, Joe Keenan and Merrill Markoe are the finalists for the annual Thurber Prize for American Humor. Read more.
WHITEHOUSE HOPEFULS TURN UP THE HUMOR
Did you hear the one about the presidential candidates trying to be funny? Read more.
NEW YORK UNDERGROUND COMEDY FESTIVAL GOES GLOBAL
The 2007 New York Underground Comedy Festival will take place September 28th through October 7th in all five New York boroughs; Australia; Ireland, South Africa, and China (at the only comedy club in the nation of 1.4 billion people). For the first time in the festival’s five-year history, the entire world will be able to watch NYUCF comedy shows via real-time updates on New Media Comedy’s Web site. Read more.
GIVING SITCOMS A FIGHTING CHANCE
For decades, multi-cam comedies have been a prime-time staple as much for their hit-making potential as for the relatively cheap production costs, but the shows, filmed before live studio audiences, have fallen out of fashion. Read more.
UNLIKELY BOOK HITS #1 ON HUMOR BESTSELLER LIST IN CANADA
How did an unknown writer and unknown publisher team up to reach #1? Quality, tenacity, and originality. The book appeals to a broad audience and has a unique, welcome approach. Read more.
WELCOME BACK, POTTER
What do you get when you cross "Welcome Back, Kotter" and "Harry Potter?". Watch the video.
JUNE/JULY 2007
MAKE 'EM LAUGH
The director of Bruce Almighty—and now its sequel, Evan Almighty—says laughter is theologically good medicine and making comedies is a high calling. Read more.
MY BOOK DEAL RUINED MY LIFE
For those who think they have a book inside them just waiting to be written—and, really, isn’t that pretty much everyone?—landing a book contract would be like winning the lottery. Dreams would come true; doors would open. Anything could happen. Read more.
LAYOFFS INSPIRE PRE-DIGITAL SATIRE
Dave Astor provides "a look back to a time when journalists allegedly used mashed potatoes, paper cups, and phonograph records in strange ways." Read more.
POLITICIANS WORK TO WIN WITH LAUGHS
Some people are naturally funny. And some politicians are a lot like people. Read more.
BOOKSELLERS TRADE PAPER FOR
FILM TO PUT AUTHOR ON TOUR
As with many bookstores, Powell's is heavily invested in author appearances to generate sales and -- even more important -- to build and maintain a community of readers. Yet many authors don't do full-fledged book tours, whether by choice or for lack of publisher support. Read more.
FROM SCHOOL HANDOUT TO CHAPTER BOOK SERIES
How a chemistry professor became a children's book author. Read more.
ER STANDS FOR ETERNITY ROOM
Jerry Zezima's column creates confusion on Martha Vinyard. Read more.
WRITER-PERFORMERS STAGE BALANCING ACTS
After more than 30 years on "Saturday Night Live" and its numerous movie spinoffs, perhaps no producer alive has more experience with comedy writer-actors than Lorne Michaels, who is working with Fey on "30 Rock." Read more.
"KNOCKED UP" DIRECTOR AND
HIS ACTRESS WIFE GET CREATIVE
Judd Apatow is the hottest comedy writer/director/producer in Hollywood, with one major movie success under his belt (“The 40-Year-Old Virgin”) and a second (“Knocked Up”) expected to hold its own against the summer sequels. His wife of 10 years, Leslie Mann, has been toying with a career as a comic actress (“Big Daddy,” “George of the Jungle,” “The 40-Year-Old Virgin”) while raising two children, 9 and 4, but her career should kick into high gear with a breakthrough role in her husband’s new film. Read more.
MAY 2007
WHAT MAKES A BEST SELLER?
“It’s an accidental profession, most of the time,” said William Strachan, editor in chief at Carroll & Graf Publishers. “If you had the key, you’d be very wealthy. Nobody has the key.” Read more.
VARIETY REPORTS "COMEDY WRITERS WANT WGA SUPPORT"
About three dozen writers on six Comedy Central skeins have asked to be repped by Writers Guild of America and are seeking a network-wide deal that would cover all future programming. Read more.
REINHARDT'S NEW BOOK INCLUDES CHAPTER ABOUT BOMBECK WORKSHOP
Susan Reinhardt, who gave a keynote address at the 2006 Erma Bombeck Writers' Workshop, included a chapter about her experience in her new book, Don't Sleep With A Bubba: Unless Your Eggs Are In Wheelchairs. The Chicago Sun-Times says the book is "Like hanging out with your bluntest, most mischievous friend, the one who never fails to crack you up." Read more.
SITCOMS ARE DEAD! LONG LIVE SITCOMS!
A recent study showed that the average American television-watching household increased its comedy watching to four and a half hours a week this season, up from less than four hours in the 1993/4 television season. Read more.
MAN vs. CHILD
Intrepid science fiction author and podcaster, Tee Morris, takes on a two-year-old to teach you how to survive. The short video is a spoof of the Discovery Channel's show Man vs. Wild. Watch it.
A WINNER IN MY BOOK
Fourteen-year-old Caroline Beauregard Shinkle didn't win this year's Erma Bombeck Writing Competition but she's not letting that get her down. She's finishing a novel and a screenplay, and looking for an agent. Her essay, Last in Translation, struck a chord with me because I've spent a lot of time on Cape Cod. Read more.
THE SECRET LIFE OF MIKE MYERS
Mike Myers swears he has been keeping busy. And he understands that he has got a lot of convincing to do. Read more.
NATIONAL LAMPOON LAUNCHES ONLINE VIDEO NETWORK
The National Lampoon Video Network joins the National Lampoon Humor Network, the most-trafficked humor sites on the Internet, as key tentpoles of National Lampoon’s online and digital media strategies. Read more.
COMEDIANS GONE WISE
Slightly serious sayings from stand-up's biggest stars. Read more.
MARCH 2007
YOU TUBE CELEBRITIES
Shmuel Tennenhaus, an aspiring comedy writer who gained a modest following on YouTube for his droll question-and- answer clips and other spots featuring his grandmother "Bubby," is being wooed by the site's competitors, including Metacafe, ManiaTV and others. Read more.
FUNNIEST FAKE NEWS ONLINE IS FROM NEW JERSEY
HUMOR ME
When it comes to being funny, Conan O'Brien can't help himself. Read more.
TV WRITER ALLEN RUCKER CONFRONTS DISABILITY WITH HUMOR
Award-winning television writer Allen Rucker's book, The Best Seat in the House: How I Woke Up One Tuesday and Was Paralyzed for Life, talks about his rare condition called transverse myelitis. Rucker describes how at age 51 he became paralyzed from the waist down in the course of an hour and a half. Read more.
COMEDY WRITERS ON SERIOUS TRACK
TV scribe Joe Keenan spent most of his career writing for multi-camera half-hour comedies -- and even exec-produced one of the most critically acclaimed shows of the past decade, "Frasier." But when CBS unceremoniously dumped his followup, the under-rated "Out of Practice," Keenan knew the writing was on the wall. Read more.
COMEDY ARTS FESTIVAL NAMES STEPHEN COLBERT AS PERSON OF THE YEAR
Three-time Emmy award recipient, Stephen Tyrone Colbert, was named Person of the Year at HBO's Comedy Arts Festival held March 2nd in Aspen. Read more.
"CAVEMEN" ADS EVOLVE INTO TV PILOT
Those Geico “cavemen” shouldn’t be so upset after all – they may get their own TV series. Read more.
FEB. 2007
STORIES ABOUT ART BUCHWALD...
Buchwald Announces Own Death In First 'NYT' Online Obit Video Read the story.
Buchwald's Farewell Column, Written to Be Released at Death Read more.
Dave Barry: "I'll Miss Art Buchwald's Calls and Friendship" Read more.
Read an excerpt from Art Buchwald's book, Too Soon to Say Goodbye. Read more.
Hear Readers Digest's touching recent interview with Art Buchwald. Read more.
A Life and Death Experience With Art Buchwald Read more.
OTHER NEWS...
GET YOUR COPY OF THE ERMA DOCUMENTARY
For a $100 donation to ThinkTV, you can get a DVD of the documentary, Erma Bombeck: A Legacy of Laugher. Read more.
WHEN IT COMES TO BEING FUNNY,
CONAN O'BRIEN CAN'T HELP HIMSELF
From the moment Conan O'Brien walks onto the set of his late-night talk show, it's clear he's a geek. Read more.
ERMA WRITING CONTEST
The due date for this year's Erma Bombeck Writing Competition is February 18, 2007. Read more.
JEWISH HUMOR PUSHES LIMITS ON STEROTYPES
In the last generation, Jewish humor has become part of mainstream American comedy, achieving an acceptance that allows some of the brightest stars, from Jon Stewart to Jerry Seinfeld, to be open about their identity in their work, something Milton Berle and others of his era were less inclined to do. Read more.
YEAR OF VONNEGUT
Indianapolis has declared 2007 "The Year of Vonnegut" in honor of native son Kurt Vonnegut, whose latest book was just released. Read more.
GOOGLE OPENS DIALOGUE WITH BOOK PUBLISHERS
To anyone who thinks digital content is a threat to the book-publishing market, Google wants to tell you two things: first, you're wrong; second, its Google Book Search product is the solution, not the problem. Read more.
HUMOR ARTICLE LEADS TO
CONVICTION OF 2 IN MOROCCO
A Moroccan court convicted a magazine editor and a reporter on charges of defamation for printing heard-on-the-street jokes about religion and politics. Read more.
WILL ROGERS WRITERS' WORKSHOP
Don't miss the fun in Oklahoma City, March 15-18, 2007 at the Renaissance Convention Center. Writers from 21 states have signed up and registrations are still being accepted. Read more.
DEC. 2006/JAN. 2007
BEHIND THE SCENES AT THE CAPTION CONTEST
Seated in a small cubicle 20 floors above Times Square, a 23-year-old Harvard graduate named Zachary Kanin sifts through submissions for The New Yorker's caption contest. Read more.
INTERESTING STATS
Fifty-nine percent of customers plan to purchase a specific book when entering a bookstore, according to the Book Industry Study Group. On average, a bookstore browser spends eight seconds looking at the front cover and 15 seconds looking at the back cover of a book. Read more.
THE BEST LAID PLANS
How often do we make plans, passionately engage in them, feel fired up, then are stopped dead in our tracks by some unforeseen circumstance? Life tends to get in the way of our plans. Read more.
TIME IS RUNNING OUT FOR OKLAHOMA CITY WORKSHOP REGISTRATION
Don’t get caught up in the end-of-year rush and miss out on savings for the Will Rogers Writers’ Workshop in Oklahoma City in March 2007. The earlybird registration deadline is December 31, 2006. You’ll get a $25 discount if you register by that date, and you can apply the savings to your Christmas shopping. Read more.
FOR AUTHORS, WRITING'S JUST HALF THE JOB
It's not enough to write a great book. Authors are now expected to play an active role in book marketing and promotion. In this brave new world of always-on media, scribes are expected to either pursue or make themselves available to every potential reader. Read more.
NSNC CONFERENCE OPEN FOR REGISTRATION
The 2007 National Society of Newspaper Columnists Conference is taking registrations. Speakers include Dave Barry, Bill O'Reilly, Clarence Page and Robin Givhan. Read more.
EXCOMMUNICATED FROM TV LAND
Danny Gallagher joined an elite and special group of people in the funnyhaha universe. He lost a TV deal. Read more.
BOMBECK BIOGRAPHY NOW IN E-BOOK FORMAT;
PROCEEDS SUPPORT WRITERS' WORKSHOP
HUMOROUS ADVICE ABOUT COLLEGE
As Chef said on “South Park,” “There’s a time and a place for everything. It’s called college.” Read more.
SEDARIS THROWS A GREAT PARTY
Playwright and comedienne Amy Sedaris has written the book, I Like You: Hospitality Under the Influence. In a recent interview she was asked, "What's your first hostess memory?" Her answer: "I was in seventh grade, and my mom let me invite all my friends over. I made Rock Cornish hens, wild rice and lemon tarts, served in the basement." Read more.
DAVE BARRY WRITES A CHRISTMAS STORY
The award-wining humor writer tackles the holidays in The Shepherd, the Angel and Walter,the Christmas Miracle Dog. Read an excerpt.
ACTORS, WRITERS SWITCH ROLES TO KEEP 'THE OFFICE' RUNNING
If the NBC comedy The Office the actors and writers are often the same people. Read more.
TAKING BACK CRACKED
Monty Sarhan, the corporate lawyer-turned Editor-in-Chief of the humor mag Cracked, on brilliantly written court decisions, Michael Ian Black, the over-ratedness of the Big Lebowski, and how he made The Funniest Magazine in History funny again. Read more.
NO JOKE
A reluctant comic discovers firsthand that doing stand-up is easy. For some people. Read more.
NOVEMBER 2006
WILL ROGERS CONTEST WINNERS
California freelance columnist George Waters captured the style of one of the most successful communicators of all time to become the top prize winner in the Will Rogers Writing Contest sponsored by the National Society of Newspaper Columnists. Read more.
INTERVIEWING DAVE BARRY
Virginia Armstrong shares her experience interviewing one of the greatest humor writers of all time. Read more.
MARQUETTE BANS DAVE BARRY QUOTE FROM OFFICE DOOR
"As Americans, we must always remember that we all have a common enemy, an enemy that is dangerous, powerful and relentless," the sign stated. "I refer, of course, to the federal government." Read more.
TURNING BOOK SIGNINGS INTO PROFIT CENTERS
To offset tour costs, events become more elaborate. Read more.
STRAIGHT OUTTA LYNWOOD
In an interview with Mike Durrett, "Weird Al" Yankovic discusses the comic process. Read more.
FINDING YOUR INNER COMEDIAN
Five great tips for making people laugh. Read more.
ZWEIBEL GETS THURBER HUMOR PRIZE
Author and former "Saturday Night Live" writer wins. Read more.
WHAT THEY DON'T TEACH YOU AT COMEDY SCHOOL
The toughest crowd Jerry Seinfeld ever faced taught him the true meaning of stage fright. Read more.
NBC UNVEILS BROADBAND COMEDY CHANNEL
NBC Universal has launched a new comedy broadband channel, Dotcomedy, that will host original Web shows as well as video from TV programs including "Late Show with David Letterman," "Saturday Night Live," and "Late Night with Conan O'Brien." Read more.
FROM GILLIGAN TO THE STAGE
Sherwood Schwartz -- creator of hit TV shows 'Gilligans Island' and 'The Brady Bunch' -- trades sitcoms for stage. Read more.
OCTOBER 2006
A PEEK AT THE PEAK OF THE PUBLICITY SUMMIT
Erma Bombeck Writers' Workshop attendee, DC Stanfa, shares her experiences from the National Publicity Summit, where you can personally meet top journalists and producers face-to-face. Read more.
PASSION MAKES IT EASY
Lynn Colwell asks, "If your passion isn’t propelling you, what will?" Read more.
NOT ARTSY FARTSY
Can you find writing work through your state arts or humanities councils? C. Hope Clark shows how. Read more.
SOMETHING'S FUNNY ABOUT THIS ROUTINE
The one-liners flow with the java and jabs every Sunday as a regular gang of writers, musicians and stand-ups holds its weekly sit-down. Read more.
WHOSE PUNCHLINE IS IT ANYWAY?
From the historical humorists to the modern mirth-makers, comedy can turn the ordinary into the original and make the painful more palatable. Take this quiz to see if you know which wit is responsible for each quote. Read more.
THE FUNNY FACTOR
Why smart brains take humor seriously. Read more.
NAVIGATING THE QUAGMIRE OF
HUMOR & POLITICAL CORRECTNESS
Confused is how many people feel when it comes to the whole idea of political correctness and workplace humor. Read more.
SECRETS OF WRITING A KILLER JOKE
Need the nuts and bolts of how to write stand-up comedy material? Read more.
SEPTEMBER 2006
WILL ROGERS WRITING CONTEST ANNOUNCED
The National Society of Newspaper Columnists is sponsoring a Will Rogers Writing Contest, which is open to writers everywhere who are interested in the writings of Will Rogers, the philosopher-humorist whose words are still as alive as when he kept America laughing, and thinking, in the 1920s and ‘30s. Read more.
HUMOR WRITER LAUNCHES BOOK
CAMPAIGN FOR SOLDIERS
Sharie Derrickson, award-winning humor writer and author of No Bad Deed Goes Unpublished, is determined to bring laughter to U.S. Army 10th Mountain Division Soldiers serving in Afghanistan and Iraq. Read more.
BEST-SELLING AUTHORS FEATURED AT
DAYTON ’S PEN TO PAPER LITERARY SYMPOSIUM
Dan Poynter and Vickie Stringer will speak at the third annual Pen To Paper Literary Symposium on Friday, October 6 and Saturday, October 7, 2006. Read more.
ONLINE VIDEO AT THEONION.COM
Catching up with the online video craze, satirical newspaper and Web site the Onion has launched a Web video initiative.. Read more.
SECRETS TO GOAL SETTING
Prior to committing to any serious goal, we need to understand what going for it really means to us and whether we are willing to “pay the price.” Read more.
THE PERFECT PITCH
Sue Fagalde Lick shows how to make your 10-minute session with an agent or editor at a writers' workshop pay off. Read more.
HUNGRY HAMSTERS
Hungry Hamsters, a new comedy animation series, aims to take the multimedia stage by storm. Read more.
AMAZON SHORTS
A little more than a year ago, Amazon launched its "Amazon Shorts," which sells short stories for 49 cents. Kathe Gogolewski shares her experience with the program. Read more.
12 WAYS TO KEEP YOUR
NONFICTION BOOK IN THE NEWS
Sandra Beckwith shares some easy things you can do to generate continuing publicity for your book. Read more.
HOW PRINT ON DEMAND
WILL SAVE THE PUBLISHING INDUSTRY
Richard Curtis provides "another crackbrained prediction about the future of publishing." Read more.
10 TIPS I WISH SOMEONE HAD GIVEN ME
Patty Harder shares what she wishes she had known before she launched her freelance career. Read more.
AUGUST 2006
MYSPACE TARGETS COMEDY WORLD
After becoming a key tool for the discovery and promotion of music and film, MySpace is targeting the comedy world. Read more.
ERMA'S SECRETS
Sometimes, hard work is simply not enough. Read more.
2007 WILL ROGERS WRITERS' WORKSHOP
Writers can draw inspiration from an iconic figure of the past and learn ways to improve and market their work at the Will Rogers Writers’ Workshop, to be held in Oklahoma City, March 15-18, 2007. Read more.
ELISCU DEAD AT 81
Margery Eliscu, a columnist who delighted Maine newspaper readers each Sunday with her ability to find gentle humor in just about any situation, died after a long battle with cancer. Read more.
WOODY'S NOT HAPPY
For Woody Allen, making movies is therapeutic. Read more.
E-MAIL HUMOR LOST ON SOME
A study published earlier this year in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology found that the tone of an e-mail missive, whether it be straight or sarcastic, only came through accurately a little more than 50 percent of the time.
COMIC-CON 2006 A HUGE HIT
Comic-Con 2006 is over but its Web site is packed with interesting information, including an online version of Update magazine. Read more.
LAUGHING ALL THE WAY TO THE BANK
Britain's aspiring comics have a chance of adding fortune to fame at this year's Edinburgh Festival Fringe, after prize money for the world-famous comedy awards was doubled.. Read more.
ADS ON THE FRONT PAGE? BRING IT ON!
Joe Strupp writes, "Heck, why not just stick ads square on the front page, above the paper's names or tied in with a headline. You could have 'Bush (Baked Beans!) Declares Iraq War A Success' or 'Dow Jones (Pork Sausage!) Up Twenty Points.'" Read more.
JUNE 2006
IT'S NOT EASY BEING GREENY
Danny Gallagher interviewed ESPN host Mike Greenberg about his new book, Why My Wife Thinks I'm an Idiot: The Life and Times of a Sportscaster Dad. Read more.
WHAT WOULD HAPPEN IF?
Lynn Colwell believes that when we are stuck in any area of our lives, whether writing-related or not, negativity envelopes us. We’re like flies in a spider web. All our kicking and screaming only serves to tighten the noose. Read more.
NICHOLAS WINS FUNNIEST MOM IN AMERICA
Rubi Nicholas has been selected as the winner of Nick at Nite's Search for the Funniest Mom in America 2. She will have the opportunity to develop her own show for the network. Read more.
CELEBRATING BELOVED BILKO
Fifty years ago, American television viewers fell in love with Sergeant Bilko, a sneaky character who cheated his fellow noncommissioned officers, roiled the brass and conned his underlings at Fort Baxter in Kansas. Read more.
BENCHLEY FINALISTS ANNOUNCED
Ten finalists for the Robert Benchley Society Award for Humor have been announced. This year’s judge is Dave Barry. Read more.
DINNER WITH THE BOMBECKS
Susan Konig writes about her experience with Erma’s family last March. Read more.
HOW TO WRITE THIS COLUMN
Darrin Crescenzi, columnist for Oregon State's Daily Barometer, gives some advice to his successor, including: "Jokes about college students living off of Top Ramen get funnier and funnier with each successive telling." Read more.
THE HUMORIST AT HOME
Humorist B. Elwin Sherman says, “Only two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity, and I’m not sure about the former.” Read more.
PROFESSOR PROVIDES HUMOR RESOURCES
Don Nilsen, Arizona State University professor and historian for the International Society for Humor Studies, has an incredible array of humor resources -- from the history of British humor to lists of satirical Web sites. Read more.
AUTHOR INVESTMENT YIELDS LARGER PAYOFF
Publishers Weekly outlines a study comparing sales of books marketed only by publishers and books with outside help. Read more.
FAKE NEWS?
A new Web site offers full page fake news stories customized for yourself or friends. Read more.
WHAT IS ONLINE MARKETING?
Richard Hoy presents a six-part series on every aspect of Internet promotion. Read more.
MAY 2006
10 years after her death, Erma's popularity is still going strong...
ERMA BOMBECK'S HUMOR STILL LOVED A DECADE AFTER HER DEATH
by Jim Hannah, Associated Press
She kept homemakers in stitches with her writing on marriage, kids, dirty dishes and how to hang the toilet paper. Ten years after Erma Bombeck's death, her humor still has an audience. Read more.
ERMA BOMBECK: FROM COPYGIRL TO SUPER HUMOR COLUMNIST
Born in Dayton in 1927, Erma Bombeck began her writing career in junior high school writing columns in "The Owl," the newspaper for Emerson Junior High. Read more.
REMEMBERING ERMA BOMBECK
by Terry Marotta
It's 10 years now that Erma's been gone. The great humor columnist whose work once appeared in some 900 newspapers died the 22nd of April, 1996, and I for one have never stopped missing her. Read more.
More articles about the 2006 writers' workshop...
MY DAVE BARRY ENCOUNTERS: I AM NOT MAKING THIS UP
by Samantha Bennett, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
There I was, in Dayton, Ohio, eating my dessert, and my eyes were glued on the space across the room where the evening's guest of honor sat. There he is, I thought. I am in the same room with Dave Barry. I was so excited I could hardly chew. Read more.
OVERALL, A BARRY GOOD DAY
by Diana Estill
Because my credit card remained below its limit, I was lucky enough to grab a spot at the Erma Bombeck Writers’ Conference, in Dayton, Ohio. (The family will only need to cancel Christmas for one year.) Excitedly, I told the other women in my writers’ group that I was going to meet Dave Barry—THE Dave Barry, the famous syndicated humor columnist and author of more than 25 books. My fellow writers stared at me blankly before two members asked, “Dave who?” Read more.
STALKING CRAIG WILSON
by Andrea Langworthy
Three weeks since my return from the Erma Bombeck Writers' workshop, my feet have finally touched the ground. While in Dayton, Ohio, Erma's hometown, I hobnobbed with writers, from beginners to notables. The real reason I traveled over 700 miles from home, though, was the opportunity to attend a workshop led by my favorite columnist, Craig Wilson. Read more.
I'M SUCH A WETNORK!
by Kathryn Mahoney
No, that's not a typo in the title. Wetnork is a name used to refer to someone, namely me, who is put in a networking situation and fails miserably. Read more.
Other news...
START WHERE YOU ARE
Writing coach Lynn Colwell shares how to remove the roadblocks from your path to writing success. Read more.
GO TO COLLEGE TO LEARN COMEDY
Humber College (Toronto, Canada) offers a two-year program in "Comedy Writing and Performance." The program's faculty are all active members of the comedy industry, and an industry presentation for producers, directors, scouts and agents will be arranged for all of Humber's Comedy students. In fact, the first chair of the advisory board committee was the legendary Steve Allen. Present members include Mark Breslin (CEO, Yuk Yuk's), Rick Moranis, Joe Flaherty, Eugene Levy, Dave Thomas (all of SCTV), and George Shapiro (Executive Producer of Seinfeld). Mike Myers, Chevy Chase, Colin Mochrie, and Dave Foley have also participated in their programs. Read more.
THE SEVEN LAWS OF COMEDY WRITING
Dave Evans, who has been a panel judge for the Emmy Awards several years running and has numerous comedy writing credits including "The Bill Cosby Show," shares his best tips. Read more.
HUMOR COLUMN MARKETS
C. Hope Clark provides adivce and markets for humor writers. Read more.
PARTING WAYS WITH YOUR AGENT
Craig Mazin give tips for "when it's time to fire your agent." Read more.
JUDY GRUEN vs. J.K. ROWLING
J.K. Rowling spoke to 16,000 people at the Toronto Skydome. Judy Gruen spoke to 40 elderly Jewish women who kept interrupting to sing songs in Yiddish and to talk about their gallstones. Read more.
WRITING FOR VIDEO GAMES
When crafting a story for a videogame, remember the following: Originality sucks, exclamation points rule, and never outsource writing duties to a specialist writer. Those and other tips from videogame script writer Maurice Suckling. Read more.
APRIL 2006
2006 WORKSHOP RECAP
Getting to the workshop...
I'm headed for Dayton and I'm actually happy about it
by Gordon Kirkland, Orangeville Citizen
"One of the greatest honors in my career has been the invitation two years ago to join the faculty the Workshop, something that no other Canadian writer can lay claim to." Read more.
The only way to follow Dave Barry is riding on one wheel and throwing candy
by Susan Reinhardt, Asheville Citizen-Times
"The gig I am heading to is one I am probably not qualified to handle. Somehow, through too much wine and a crowd of rowdies, I ended up becoming one of the keynote speakers for the annual Erma Bombeck National Writers' Workshop in Dayton and am leaving today on a jet plane, though the ticket man couldn't understand my Southern and I couldn't understand his Burmese." Read more.
Stalking Dave Barry by Dave Fox
"I'm off this morning to the Erma Bombeck Writers' Workshop in Dayton, Ohio. Dave Barry is the keynote speaker. Dave Barry is my idol. He will be signing books after his talk tomorrow night. I am very afraid." Read more.
At the workshop...
An Erma Bombeck Writers' Workshop report by Ron Rollins, Dayton Daily News
"Writers workshops are many, but UD’s is one of the best around … attended mostly by people from outside the Dayton area, I met folks this weekend from Canada, California, New York and Oregon who attended." Read more.
Dave Barry in Dayton: He's still kinda funny! by Ron Rollins, Dayton Daily News
"Humorist Dave Barry kicked off the 2006 Erma Bombeck Writers’ Workshop at the University of Dayton Thursday evening by cluing in about 350 fellow scribblers on how to make people laugh — along with a bunch of other silly stuff." Read more.
Bombeck documentary shown at UD event by Bob Batz, Dayton Daily News
"Erma would have loved it. On Friday night, with Erma Bombeck's family looking on, the first TV documentary about the humorist was unveiled in her hometown." Read more.
Timeless humor by Teri Rizvi
"When 350 writers saw the premiere of the first documentary produced about Erma Bombeck's life, they were quick to applaud her legacy. 'On behalf of all the Erma wannabes, most of us feel we're not worthy to touch the fuzz on her house slippers,' one writer quipped as the Bombeck family and the audience erupted into laughter." Read more.
Writers give words of wisdom at workshop by Lauren Caggiano, Flyer News
"We all could use some help perfecting our writing. As Erma Bombeck said herself, 'And if you think it gets any easier for professional writers, you’re wrong.' The 2006 Erma Bombeck Writers’ Workshop was just the remedy for those suffering from a bout of writer’s block." Read more.
Back home again...
The Erma Bombecks of Podunk by Karyl Miller
"I just flew in from the Erma Bombeck Writers’ Workshop and boy, is my jaw tired. I’m sick of talking. I was out of practice. A writer is a hermit. Some days, the only sentence I utter is 'ExCUSE ME! I’m on the DO NOT CALL list!'" Read more.
At the Erma Bombeck workshop, I learned about goddesses, stalking and how hard to throw things
by Susan Reinhardt, Asheville Citizen-Times
"I waited, mingling with other writers and then held out my book to him. I had bought 'Boogers are My Beat,' thinking that would be right up my entertainment alley." Read more.
A good Barry trip to Dayton by Rick Steelhammer, The Charleston Gazette
"In the realm of the bush-league humor columnist, there’s nothing that gets the blood pumping like an expenses-paid trip to a conference in an exotic city, and the chance to meet a humor columnist superstar like Dave Barry. Okay, Dayton, Ohio, may not seem that exotic to many of you, but it holds many exciting and mysterious memories for me." Read more
My moment with Dave Barry by Linda Crow
"Oh my gosh--he’s flushing right now! I hear him flushing! Dave Barry! Flushing!" Read more.
Barry knows best by Judy Epstein
"I have just returned from a writing conference where Dave Barry, Pulitzer-Prize- winning colossus of the humor-writing field, gave a key piece of advice to all us wanna-bes: 'Sit down at your computer with a cup of coffee, first thing every morning, and don’t get up till 1,000 words have appeared on your computer screen.'” Read more.
No news is good news, right? by Jill Jacks-Tate
"I don’t typically venture too far from my cubs solo, but when the opportunity arose to attend the Erma Bombeck Writer’s Workshop in Dayton, Ohio, I sprang from the den like a lioness hot on the heels of an injured gazelle." Read more.
Excursions by Joy Richardson
"I’d laughed so hard by the time I’d shuttled from the airport to the Dayton Marriott Hotel, going home even then would have left me fulfilled. I was to attend the Erma Bombeck Writers’ Workshop at the University of Dayton." Read more.
How do you get there from here? by Terry Whalin
"The Erma Bombeck Writers’ Workshop at the University of Dayton was an exceptional conference. It has a maximum of 300 participants and is held every other year. This year’s conference sold out in a matter of weeks." Read more.
Other news...
THE GIFT OF LAVENDER by Lynn Colwell
Sometimes being a writer isn’t about writing at all. It’s about recognizing our humanity and what we need to be happy.
SAY GOODBYE TO PAPERBACKS
Say goodbye to hardcovers as well. BusinessWeek describes the new trend of books available on digital devices. Read more.
WANT TO BE A WRITER?
Inc. magazine explains how to become an author in five easy steps. Step 6? Cash your royalty checks and become a recluse. Read more.
AN INTERVIEW ABOUT AN INTERVIEW
LouAnn Edwards interviewed Lynn Colwell about her experience interviewing Erma Bombeck. Read more.
FAT TUESDAY AND ASH WEDNESDAY WITH ART BUCHWALD
President of the National Society of Newspaper Columnists, Suzette Standring, wrote a heartwarming and humorous column about visiting Buchwald in hospice. Read more.
MARCH 2006
2006 ERMA BOMBECK WRITING COMPETITION WINNERS ANNOUNCED
Congratulations to the winners of this year's writing competition!
Dayton-area winners
Humor: Amy Krug (Centerville, OH)
Honorable mention: Tess Evans (Centerville, OH)
Human interest: Donna Hrkman (Dayton, OH)
Honorable mention: Beth Tucker-Graves (Clayton, OH)
Jennifer Wagley (Dayton, OH)
Global winners
Humor: Jennifer Brown (Liberty, MO)
Honorable mention: Wendy Sang Kelly (Isle of Palms, SC)
Gabriella Papic (Toronto, Can.)
Human interest: Rita Lussier (Jamestown, RI)
Honorable mention: Dennis Roddy (Pittsburgh, PA)
Marcy O'Brien (Warren, PA)
Mary Fran Bontempo (Southampton, PA)
Bonnie Sivyer (Tonganoxie, KS)
LAUGHING TO THE END
Beloved columnist Art Buchwald talks about his life and his decision not to seek treatment for his kidney disease. Listen to the segment from The Diane Rheme Show on NPR.
THE MAN WITH TWO BRAINS
Steve Martin has made millions off of his wacky sense of humor and slapstick physical comedy, but there is a more serious side to him he’d like audiences to appreciate as well. Read more.
“NEWSPAPERS ARE DEAD”
That’s right. Directly from the mouth of Dave Barry himself. His answer: blogs and podcasts. Read more.
DAVE BARRY TO JUDGE 2006 ROBERT BENCHLEY SOCIETY AWARD FOR HUMOR
"We're looking for the next Robert Benchley," said David Trumbull, chairman of the Robert Benchley Society, "and Dave Barry, America's leading Humorist, has agreed to help." Read more.
NO ROOM FOR DELICATE EARS
General counsel Marshall M. Goldberg defends the "creative imperatives" of comedy writing and takes the court inside the sanctum sanctorum where he worked for 24 years on such series as "The Bob Newhart Show" and "It's Garry Shandling's Show." Read more.
WHAT TO WEAR?
Debra Garfinkle, author of Storky: How I Lost My Nickname and Won The Girl discusses what goes into her writing process, including what she likes to wear while writing. Read more.
DIGITAL BOOKS START A NEW CHAPTER
Lighter devices, better displays, and the iPod craze could make them best-sellers. Read more.
WRITERS BEWARE
Jim Barnes, editor of Independent Publisher, talks with the authors of The Street-Smart Writer: Self Defense Against Sharks and Scams in the Writing World. Read more.
WHY NEWS RELEASES FAIL
Publicist Paul Krupin explains how to write good news releases that will help market your work. After all, “one fatal error and it’s all over.” Read more.
FIRST-TIME AUTHORS
La Belle Lettre gives opportunities for debut authors to have their books reviewed and showcased on the Web. Read more.
FREELANCE ADVICE
Kelly James-Enger provides insights into gaining success in the freelance market. She also discusses her book Six-Figure Freelancing. Read more.
THE ROAD TO BECOMING A PUBLISHER
Michael W. Quinn explains how he went from cop to author and eventually self-publisher. He talks about the writing of his book and the many important decisions in getting it published. Read more.
SELF PROMOTE OR DISAPPEAR
Larry James offers a “Discourse on Puttin’ on the Blitz.” He also suggests strategies for marketing yourself and your book in nearly every way possible. Read more.
SELL MORE BOOKS
Fern Reiss, CEO of PublishingGame.com, discusses how to use e-mail and newsletters to win in the game of publishing. Read more.
FEB. 2006
YOGA FOR THE FUNNY BONE: AN INTERVIEW
WITH LEIGH ANNE JASHEWAY BRYANT
Leigh Anne Jasheway-Bryant has published 11 books. Which was the most difficult? "Every one was the most difficult to get published while I was in the process. But none were as difficult as the thirty-seven books that remained unpublished." Read more.
NEW COMEDY, OLD SITUATION
Is the traditional sitcom dead? "The split between alternative comedy and mainstream in the 80s that led to the dark comedy of the 90s and early 21st century is about to fade," says Graham Smith. Read more.
MARKET YOUR BOOK YOURSELF
Marketing your book can be a very difficult task, especially on a budget. But it's not impossible. Erik Deckers shares some great tips. Read more.
BOOK SALES UP
In 2005, the U.S. publishing industry received a much needed 9.3% increase in book sales. Read more.
IN THE PUBLIC EYE
Workshop keynoter Gordon Kirkland explains the importance of making public appearances to help sell your book and the necessity of attending book signings, writers’ conferences and conventions. Read more.
BROOKS WINS COMEDY AWARD
The Writers Guild of America East named James L. Brooks as the inaugural recipient of its Herb Sargent Award for Comedy Excellence. Read more.
eBAY LITERATURE
eBay auctions and their product descriptions have given rise to a new genre of self-publishing with everything from serial narratives to short-form one-liners. Read more.
SUCCESS IN BOOK MARKETING
Christine Martinello, author of The Momager Guide: Empowering Moms to Leave a Loving Legacy, describes her path to success in writing and in marketing her book. She'll be attending the 2006 Erma Bombeck Writers' Workshop. Read more.
TV DEBUT ADVICE
Jim Jaimeson writes about his television debut and offers many suggestions about how to make a good appearance on live TV. Read more.
GET OVER STAGE FRIGHT
AbsoluteWrite.com editor and author Jenna Glatzer talks about the negative effects of nervousness on writers and how to overcome them. Read more.
KILLER PRESS KITS
Create your own effective press kit to send to reviewers and others interested in your book. Read more.
FROM COLUMNIST TO BOOK AUTHOR
John Grogan went from a columnist at the Philadelphia Inquirer to best-selling author of Marley & Me. He discusses his approach to writing his book and the similarities to writing a newspaper column. Read more.
SELL YOUR BOOK TO LIBRARIES
The Independent Publishers Association gives advice for getting librarians to buy your book and provides a list of reviews that librarians most often rely on when looking for books to buy. Read more.
JAN. 2006
BARRY WON'T RESUME WEEKLY HUMOR COLUMN
An Editor & Publisher interview with Dave Barry discusses his decision to stop writing his weekly newspaper column. He also reveals why he's speaking at the 2006 Erma Bombeck Writers' Workshop: "Guilt, for one thing." Read more.
PERFECT PITCH: AN INTERVIEW WITH KATHARINE SANDS
Katharine Sands, a literary agent in New York City, recently wrote Making the Perfect Pitch: How to Catch a Literary Agent's Eye. She will be a faculty member at the 2006 Erma Bombeck Writers’ Workshop. Read more.
PURSUING THE CREATIVE LIFE: AN INTERVIEW WITH JOEL EISENBERG
Filmmaker, entrepreneur, and author Joel Eisenberg has survived as a wage slave to become a professional writer. He shares his experiences, along with a long list of contributors, in the first volume of Aunt Bessie’s How to Survive a Day Job While Pursuing the Creative Life. Read more.
CAN YOU AFFORD TO PUBLISH YOUR BOOK?
Sophronia Scott, former workshop faculty member, says "Once you are clear about what you want out of the publishing process, you can decide what route would be the most satisfying -- and profitable -- for you." Read more.
PAGE BACK IN DAYTON
Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist Clarence Page returns home to Dayton to headline two Martin Luther King, Jr. events Jan. 16-17. Read more.
EVERYTHING YOU WRITE HAS A MILLION USES
Danny Gallagher shares how a column became a theatrical production. Read more.
FOR RICHARD PRYOR, COMEDY WAS TRAGEDY
Miami Herald columnist and former workshop faculty member, Leonard Pitts Jr., writes "His comedy was shaped by his pain, fueled by his desperation, given life by his rage. It was authentic, it was naked, it was pure, it was unfailingly human." Read more.
HE WROTE THE BOOK ON COMEDY
Jim Mendrinos has penned The Complete Idiot's Guide to Comedy Writing. Read more.
SELL YOUR SCREENPLAY
An interview with script consultant Laurie Scheer provides insight on what producers are looking for and how to sell your screenplay to them. Read more.
A NEW LOOK AT PUBLISHING
The upstart publishing company Berrett-Koehler has come up with a new and more profitable approach to the business of publishing. Read more.
DEC. 2005
WORD PLAY
Language holds a key role in writing humor. In the December issue of Writer's Digest, Tim Bete provides six steps to help you find the perfect word to nail a punchline. Read more.
STEVE MARTIN WINS MARK TWAIN AWARD
JON STEWART WINS THURBER PRIZE FOR HUMOR
DAVE BARRY WINS CRONKITE AWARD
2006 Erma Bombeck Writers’ Workshop faculty member, Dave Barry, recently won the annual Walter Cronkite award for journalism. The key to his success has been keeping his sense of humor. Read more.
"DICK TRACY" COMIC STRIP CREATOR DIES
Michael Kilian, an award-winning reporter and columnist for the Chicago Tribune who wrote 24 books and the "Dick Tracy" comic strip during a long and colorful career, died on Oct. 26. Kilian won the United Press International's humor writing award in 1971. Read more.
NOVELIST TO WED MAIN CHARACTER
Judith Babs Lowery is set to marry Dash Urbane, the main character from her spy romance novel series, early next year. Her feelings for Dash have apparently grown during the series. Read more.
BBC CREATES COMEDY WRITING APPRENTICESHIPS
Every new comedy program on BBC Television will have a trainee writing position, following the creation of a £150,000 apprenticeship fund by the corporation. Read more.
DILBERT BLOG
Scott Adams has created a new blog with new postings nearly every day. Read more.
GET YOUR WORK CRITIQUED
E-mail your work or synopsis (up to 1000 words) to this professional book editor for an honest critique. Response time is two to three weeks. Read more.
THE SOLUTION TO SUBMSSION SETBACKS
How do you continue the seemingly endless cycle of submitting work and receiving criticism? C.J. Van Gieson suggests plain, old fashioned naiveté. Read more.
THE ZEN OF REJECTION
Magdalena Ball provides advice on the best way to deal with rejection letters: "Ask for help from a clued-in editor, gather in the criticism, and get back to work." Read more.
BEYOND THE BOOKSTORE
Mary Emma Allen offers 12 quick tips for promoting and selling your book outside the typical markets of bookstores. Read more.
THE MOST IMPORTANT ASSIGNMENT
An “author marketing questionnaire” allows you to tell your publisher the important ideas in your book, because after all, no one knows a book better than its author. Read more.
YOU CAN JUDGE A MAGAZINE BY ITS COVER
The Magazine Publishers of America have released a list of the top 40 magazine covers in the past 40 years. The comprehensive list includes everything from The New Yorker to ESPN: The Magazine. Read more.
PROTOONER IS BACK
ProTooner, a magazine for cartoonists is back, this time in electronic form. Visit their Web site for a free online sample issue.
NOV. 2005
OFFICE HUMOR: AN INTERVIEW WITH KEVIN REIFLER
Stooples: Office Tools for Hopeless Fools is a hilarious office catalog parody. Creator Kevin Reifler tells how the book came to be and gives advice to aspiring humor writers. Read more.
THE SCIENCE OF HUMOR
Scientist Igor Krishtafovich claims to have discovered the formula of laughter. Read more.
A WRITER’S REVELATIONS
An interview with Tim Bete in Independent Publisher magazine provides five revelations on the road to getting published and ten tips for building a great author Web site. Read more.
THE SECRET IS IN THE SAUCE
Terry Whalin shares a great blog post about how sitcom creator Phil Rosenthal and six top Hollywood writers are touring the country and giving a program called, “Everyone Loves Raymond– Inside the Writers’ Room – Secrets of a #1 Sitcom.” Read more.
THE ADVANTAGES OF SELF-PUBLISHING
With only six major publishers it can be difficult to sell your book. Industry experts at WritersDigest.com explain the many advantages of self-publishing your work. Read more.
FREELANCE FACTS
In 2004, a survey was given to a large group of freelance journalists. The results, posted at doresabanning.com, include tdemographics, their work and career paths, among other facts. Read more.
THE BEST MEDICINE
Comedy Cures is a national non-profit organization dedicated to bringing laughter to the sick. Their Web site includes information on how to get involved with the cause. The site also offers advice on using laughter to stay healthy. Read more.
MAKE SURE YOUR BOOK SELLS
Penny Sansevieri, writer for BookPitch.com, reveals secrets to ensuring your book's marketability and success. Read more.
LOST AND FOUND LITERATURE
Meredith Blum and Gordon Moore, owners of the Housing Works Bookstore Café in New York City, collect the unclaimed books from NYC Transit’s Lost Property Unit. This article describes some of their finds. Read more.
BIDDING WAR?
David Harris-Gershon has put his future earnings as a writer on the auction block. To the highest bidder goes 20 percent of his future earnings made directly from his writing ventures. Read more.
SEVEN-YEAR-OLD GETS BOOK CONTRACT
Seven-year-old Adora Svitak has written more than 330,000 words of stories, poems and essays in the past year. Her first book, Flying Fingers, was just released. Read more.
CHEESE, GROMIT, CHEESE!
The cheese-loving Wallace and his ever-faithful dog Gromit star in their first full-length feature film. Read more.
SELF-PROMOTION
Publishers won’t always promote your book for you, which means it’s up to you. Eleven published authors give advice on how to go about promoting your own work. Read more.
OCT. 2005
HELP THE VICTIMS OF KATRINA
Poets & Writers magazine has compiled a list of ways for writers to aid in the relief efforts for the victims of hurricane Katrina. Read more.
"WE PERSONALLY KNOW AT LEAST
30 FAMILIES WHO LOST EVERYTHING"
Kristen Twedt, a Mississippi columnist and Erma Bombeck Writers' Workshop attendee, discusses her state's post-Katrina damage and resilience. Read more.
HUMOR AFTER TRAGEDY
The Miami Herald recently interviewed Dave Barry. The topics discussed range from his theory of humor to himself as a “meta-booger humorist.” Barry will speak at the 2006 Erma Bombeck Writers' Workshop. Read more.
TEACHING HUMOR: AN INTERVIEW WITH MARK SHATZ
Comedy teacher, Mark Shatz, provides great advice, such as "never accept third-party checks." Read more.
CAMERON TO SPEAK ON CAMPUS
Award-winning author and columnist W. Bruce Cameron will speak at a free event at the University of Dayton at noon on Friday, Oct. 14, in room 141M in Virginia W. Kettering Residence Hall. Read more.
TAKING HIS HUMOR CAREER SERIOUSLY
Forget book tours: Your Web site is much more important when it comes to marketing yourself. Just ask this year's winner of WD's Best Writer's Web Site contest. Read more.
MAKING THEIR OWN BREAKS
Technology is helping aspiring writers, musicians, artists and filmmakers go from amateur to pro. Who needs an agent when you've got the net? Read more.
PROTECT YOUR WRITING
With this comprehensive literary law guide you can gain a full understanding of copyright, trademark, and contract laws. The website also includes links to legal articles and informational writing seminars. Read more.
BECOME A BEST-SELLING AUTHOR
Get tips from an anonymous “publishing giant” on how to turn your manuscript into a bestseller. Find information for writers of all kinds from freelance to screenwriters. Read more.
THE TRUTH ABOUT POD
WBJB Radio aired a seven part series on Print on Demand publishing. The series includes interviews with current and former employees of the top three on demand publishing houses. Read more.
THINK YOU’RE TOO BUSY TO WRITE?
Kate White, editor-in-chief of Cosmopolitan, gives advice on writing a book while juggling a full-time job, kids, and a generally crazy life. Read more.
BUY A FRIEND A BOOK WEEK
Started in July 2005, this new celebration of literature takes place four times every year, in the first weeks of January, April, July, and October. The website explains the benefits of participating, other than receiving a book yourself. Read more.
NEED A LAUGH?
Newsweek writer Marc Peyser previews this Fall’s new line up of sitcoms. Read more.
GOOGLE ANNOUNCES PLAN TO DESTROY
ALL INFORMATION IT CAN'T INDEX
PIONEER PRESS NAMES UD GRAD EDITOR
Thom Fladung, a University of Dayton graduate and speaker at the Erma Bombeck Writers' Workshop, is the new editor of the St. Paul Pioneer Press. Fladung was previously managing editor at the Detroit Free Press. Read more.
SEPT. 2005
HUMOR WRITER WINS BEST WEB SITE AWARD
Erma Bombeck Writers' Workshop director, Tim Bete, has won the grand prize in the 2005 Writer's Digest Best Writer's Web Site contest. Read more.
RAW NERVES: AN INTERVIEW WITH SARALEE PEREL
Psychoanalyst, novelist, and columnist Saralee Perel received the 2005 award for humor writing in newspapers with a circulation of less than 100,000. Her book, Raw Nerves, was the first POD (publish on demand) to ever make it to Book Sense. Read more.
NEED HELP? JUST ASK
Why is it that we don’t get what we want from other people? Is it fate? Are we undeserving? Is there something wrong with us? Lynn Colwell says the answer to all three questions is “no.” Read more.
HUMOR: THE COACH IS CLEAR
Having trouble getting that manuscript to where you want it? LouAnn Edwards knows how to help. Read more.
SATIRE HARD TO WRITE
Dave Barry once said that the biggest fault humor writers make is that they're not funny. Read more.
GET A COKE AND A NOVEL
In the past, vending machines have ended cravings for everything from candy to caffeine. Now, thanks to a chain of bookstores in Paris, vending machines can provide book lovers with reading material twenty-four hours a day. Read more.
THE ODDS OF GETTING A BOOK REVIEWED
Adam Langer says it can be easier to get into Harvard than to get a book reviewed. And he got it straight from the horse’s mouth. Read more.
HUMOR ON THE RUN
Edward Flaim explains how humor can “keep the handgun in its metaphorical holster.” Read more.
HAPPY TO BE REJECTED
Carol Skolnick explains why she was happy to get a “sorry” from the New Yorker. Read more.
GETTING BOOK BLURBS
Marcia Yudkin gives seven suggestions on how to get a blurb for your book. Read more.
WANT TO SELL A SCREENPLAY?
If you are considering writing a spec screenplay, many factors need to be considered. How should it be sold? To whom should it be sold? Is an agent necessary? Here are the answers. Read more.
THE 5 WORST MISTAKES A WRITER CAN MAKE
Most articles about the craft of writing warn new authors about the pitfalls one may face during the writing process. Lon Prater’s shows the mistakes made before the writing process even begins. Read more.
AUGUST 2005
NSNC WILL GIVE AWARD TO BUCHWALD
Art Buchwald will be the 2006 recipient of the National Society of Newspaper Columnists' Ernie Pyle Lifetime Achievement Award at the NSNC's conference next summer in Boston. Read more.
I NEVER ASPIRED TO BE A COLUMNIST
Carrie Metz-English didn't set out to be a columnist. But that's where she ended up. Read more.
SIX FIGURE FAKING IT
Could a red convertible be the key to successful writing? LouAnn Edwards thinks so. Read more.
THE ODDEST PROJECT IN THE HISTORY OF POETRY
The Omnificent English Dictionary In Limerick Form wants to have at least one limerick for each and every word in the English language. You can help. Read more.
BOB NEWHART'S LIFE AND CAREER
"I had to write to do my own comedy writing when I first started because I couldn't afford to pay anyone else," Newhart said. "Writing is still one of the loneliest jobs in the world, looking at that blank piece of paper. But once you get caught up in it, it's very rewarding." Read more.
NOW HEAR THIS
Nancy Cartwright, the voice of Bart Simpson and former Erma Bombeck Writers' Workshop faculty member, shares tips on breaking into the voice acting business. Read more.
AWARD FOR POSITIVE BENEFITS OF LAUGHTER
The Association for Applied and Therapeutic Humor (AATH) will present an award to the author of a book that best promotes the organization's mission "to advance the understanding and application of humor and laughter for their positive benefits." Read more.
ADVICE FOR AUTHORS
Marketing guru, Seth Godin, provides some unconventional wisdom, such as "book publishing is an organized hobby, not a business" and "blurbs don't sell books." Read more.
BESTSELLERS ARE A WOMAN'S WORLD, BABY
Male writers may soon become obsolete, according to a new study by POD publisher lulu.com. After conducting a study of the bestselling books of the past 50 years, the Website has boldly predicted that writing books will soon become a woman’s job. Read more.
USING FICTION TO SELL FICTION
The top results in a Google search for "Jayne Dennis" are a Web page with a photo of the B-list actress posing on a red carpet, and a fan site full of snapshots and gossip about Ms. Dennis's relationship with actor Keanu Reeves. The twist: Jayne Dennis doesn't exist -- not in the real world, at least. Read more.
CARTOON NETWORK LOOKING FOR ADVISORY TEAM MEMBERS
The Cartoon Network's new Tickle U Advisory Team! plans to spread the word to mothers and families about the power of humor and the importance of laughter. To help as an advisor, visit their Web site.
IN-FLIGHT MAGAZINE MARKETS
Kelly Lyrik shares tips and information about getting published in seven in-flight magazines. Read more.
JULY 2005
NSNC CONFERENCE COVERAGE
DO WHAT YOU LOVE
The problem for most of us is that we want our dreams to unfold in a particular way. We believe that we can create our desired reality if only we spend enough time and work hard enough at it. In our own minds, what keeps us from the dream is our day job. Read more.
TAKE STOCK IN YOURSELF
A London-based pop singer is raising funds to kick-start his career by selling shares in himself on internet auction site eBay. In just three days, Shayan has raised £9,000 from buyers in London, New York and Toronto. Read more.
SELLING ADS IN YOUR BOOK
Author Michael T. Owens is holding an eBay auction for a full-page ad in his latest novel, A Dream Come True. The advertisement will appear in every book printed between Sept. 2005 (when the book is released) and March 2006. “Unlike major best-selling authors, I don’t have a multi-million dollar marketing budget!” Owens wrote in his auction listing. Read more.
THE LIFE AND TIMES OF A COMIC NOVELLA
Gideon Defoe got sucked into a process that, despite the fact that it happens 125,000 times every year in Britain alone, remains one of the most glamorous and mythologized and -- even to those involved in it -- mysterious aspects of the contemporary culture industry. He had a book published. Oliver Burkeman follows the 18-month-long journey of one novel, from the author's flash of inspiration in a pub to the moment it hit the shelves. Read more.
WHO SAID HUMOR WRITERS AREN’T GOOD AT MATH?
Get out your calculators. Half a century of solemn advice about writing situation comedy for television has been condensed into a mathematical equation. Read more.
QUEST FOR BEST SELLER MEANS LOTS OF RETURNED BOOKS
With thoughts of scoring a blockbuster buzzing in their minds, publishers are shipping an ever-increasing number of books to stores. And stores are sending an ever-increasing number back. Read more.
HUMORIST STANDS TEST OF TIME
The work of Robert Benchley is as funny now as it was 80 years ago. Read more.
IT'S LIKE AMERICAN IDOL FOR COMICS
More than 7,000 New Yorker readers enter the magazine's Caption Contest each week. Read more.
KIRKLAND TO PRESENT HUMOR-WRITING SEMINAR
Former Erma Bombeck Writers’ Workshop faculty member Gordon Kirkland will be presenting “Writing Humor—Even on Days When You Don't Feel Funny,” at the Washington-Centerville Public Library in Centerville, Ohio on Saturday July 23 from 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Read more.
JUNE 2005
BOOK PUBLISHING GOES UP; BOOK SALES GO DOWN
Despite widespread agreement that too many books are crowding the marketplace, a record number of new titles came out in 2004, a recent study estimates. The Book Industry Study Group predicts better sales this year, however. Read more.
SHE WHO LAUGHS LAST
Christy Stratton was hired to write scripts for Fox's King of the Hill without actually interviewing for the job. Really. Read more.
A FUNNY THING HAPPENED ON THE WAY TO SCHOOL
Erma Bombeck Writers' Workshop faculty member Dr. Mark Shatz says classroom levity boosts student interest and participation. Read more.
AMAZON HOUSE?
What if Amazon.com, the country’s biggest online bookseller, started publishing short pieces they could post for sale in an iTunes-like way? It might just become a reality. Read more.
BRAD PITT LOVES YOUR BOOK
Celebrity endorsements may not cost a thing other than time, patience and persistence. Literary agent Penny Sansevieri tells how to get a famous face to promote your book. Read more.
NSNC GIVES LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD TO HAMILL
New York newspaperman Pete Hamill is the recipient of the 2005 Lifetime Achievement Award presented by the National Society of Newspaper Columnists. Read more.
SMALL-TIME PUBLISHERS ADD UP TO BIG BUSINESS
With the help of the Internet, independent publishers are generating sales worth billions. As these under-the-radar companies gain momentum, New York publishers are no longer the only gatekeepers to what gets into print. A recent report gives details. Read more.
GO AHEAD, PROCRASTINATE!
Is it possible that procrastination is simply one way to deal with the stresses in life? And if so, is it such a terrible habit? Read more.
DINE NOW, SIGN LATER
During what are being called “presell tours,” publishers are picking up the check for first dates between authors and booksellers. Malcolm Jones has the scoop on the latest weapon for publishers’ never-ending crusade to get readers buying books by lesser-known authors. Read more.
BOOK SENSE CROWNS “THE BOOKS OF 2005”
The Book Sense Book of the Year Awards represent those titles independent booksellers most enjoyed handselling during the past year. Check out which books topped their list. Read more.
KIRKLAND TO PRESENT SEMINAR
Former Erma Bombeck Writers’ Workshop faculty member Gordon Kirkland will present “Writing Humor -- Even on Days When You Don't Feel Funny,” at the Washington-Centerville Public Library in Centerville, Ohio on Saturday July 23 from 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. For more information contact Sue Shay: (937) 610-4419 or sshay@wcpl.lib.oh.us
MAY 2005
AN INTERVIEW WITH FUNNY LADY SUSAN REINHARDT
She rides a unicycle, secretly dreams of becoming a nurse, and is the author of the hysterical new book, “Not Tonight, Honey…Wait ‘til I’m a size 6.” Erma Bombeck Writers' Workshop director Tim Bete recently chatted with columnist Susan Reinhardt. Read more.
HUMORWRITERS.ORG WINS AWARD
The Erma Bombeck Writers' Workshop Web site was picked by Writer's Digest magazine as one of the “101 Best Web Sites for Writers." HumorWriters.org was included in the "niches" category and is featured in the May issue of Writer's Digest. The article says, "The Erma Bombeck Writers' Workshop page is stocked with articles and links for humor writers." Please nominate www.HumorWriters.org site for the “101 Best Sites of 2006” awards. Send your comments, along with our Web name and URL, to writersdig@fwpubs.com with "101 Sites" in the subject line.
ERMA INTRODUCED THE POPE
On Sept. 14, 1987, using her trademark wit, Erma Bombeck was given the honor of introducing Pope John Paul II when he visited Phoenix, Ariz. Read more.
FIRST LADY OF COMEDY?
Laura Bush wowed them at the White House Correspondents' Association dinner. Read more.
A BOOK’S BACK COVER: FIVE MISTAKES
AND HOW TO SOLVE THEM
An enticing back cover can hook potential buyers in a matter of moments. Book coach Judy Cullins reveals what information every back cover should—and shouldn’t—include. Read more.
WRITING HUMOR: FOR STARTERS, MAKE IT FUNNY
Just a friendly reminder from columnist Bob Welch, a judge for the 2005 Erma Bombeck Writing Competition. He talked with 2003 winner, Leigh Anne Jasheway-Bryant, who offers advice on how to turn humorous into hilarious. Read more.
2005 PULITZER PRIZE WINNERS ANNOUNCED
Check out who the jury deemed as America’s finest writers. Envision your name in their place next year. Read more.
AN INTERVIEW? PIECE OF CAKE!
For some writers the thought of interviewing a source is enough to make them retire their computer and flee the country. Freelancer Len Maxwell proves that with some careful planning, interviews can go surprisingly well. Read more.
SERIOUSLY FUNNY
Amid his random musings on humor writing, Cameron Koo divulges what he believes to be a humorist’s key to success.
COMEDY WRITER DAVE FREEMAN DIES
Veteran comedy writer Dave Freeman, who co-wrote The Benny Hill Show and worked on some of Britain’s best-loved sitcoms, has died at the age of 82. Read more.
HITCHHIKER'S GUIDE BECOMES MOVIE
Twenty-seven years ago, Douglas Adams wrote a BBC radio series about Arthur Dent, an Englishman who has barely gotten out of bed when Earth is destroyed by extraterrestrials to make way for an interstellar freeway. Read more.
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