Who's publishing what? archive
MARCH 2010
WORKSHOP FACULTY
PICKING THEIR OWN FRUIT
GROW A FLOWER
Karen Walrond, aka Chookooloonks, continues to work through her life list.
ROCK YOUR EXPERTISE
Sophfronia Scott explains how to make your expertise known.
BE THE BEATLES' NEW DRUMMER? NO THANKS
Danny Gallagher lists nine guys who turned their backs on greatness on spike.com.
WORKSHOP ATTENDEES
Amelia Sauter has discovered that when you study abnormal psychology, you realize all of your loved ones are certifiably nuts.
OTHER PUBLISHING NEWS
FEBRUARY 2010
WORKSHOP FACULTY
WHAT'S ON YOUR MIND?
“Ask me anything,” invites Karen Walrond, aka Chookooloonks.
BE FUNNY
Loretta LaRoche’s production company will present the first-ever Plymouth Rock Comedy Festival and Indy Comedy Short Film Contest in July, and you can enter. Details here.
COPING
Wade Rouse is using humor to cope with a death in the family.
BIGGEST LOSER
Wondering “who has the most awful political culture,” New York or Illinois, Gail Collins admits she’s unfairly overlooking other states. “I see you waving your hand, New Jersey.”
GOOD WORKS
Sales of Steve Doocy’s book Tales from the Dad Side have raised more than $25,000 for the Wounded Warriors project.
FRIENDLY ADVICE
Digital strategist Nettie Hartsock completes this sentence many times over: “If I were an author, I would…”
NEW BOOK
Jerry Zezima’s first book, Leave It to Boomer: A Look at Life, Love and Parenthood by the Very Model of the Modern Middle-Age Man is out. “Finally,” he says.
WORKSHOP ATTENDEES
Similarly early, Pamela Goldstein checks in on her progress with her 15 New Years resolutions.
Lisa Page Rosenberg bids adieu to The Democrat, her beloved car.
Joel Schwartzberg tells us “What Moms Already Know About Super Bowl Lingo”
OTHER PUBLISHING NEWS
Past Humor Writer of the Month Kathleen Norton revealed her family's dirty little secret in "Tinsel Addict: One Man's Story.''
Saralee Perel, has two stories in Chicken Soup for the Soul: True Love and will have two more in Chicken Soup for the Soul: Thanks Mom, out March 23. Her story "Decades of March Lunacy" will appear in the March issue of Funny Times. Find more Saralee here.
Keith Frohreich chucked life as a chain restaurant huckster to become a domestic god and tells the tale in his new book.
Past Humor Writer of the Month and current EB Writing Competition judge Brian Thompson has a new gig doing monthly commentary on WJCT in Jacksonville, Fla. Samples on his blog.
Stacey Hatton has launched a blog based on her experience as an RN. For laughs, try Nurse Mommy Laughs.
DECEMBER/JANUARY 2009/10
WORKSHOP FACULTY
LOVE IS BLIND, BUT ITS NOSE WORKS
Pulitzer Prize winner Connie Schultz, a 2008 keynoter, contemplates the holidays without Gracie.
A POET'S VOICE
Carolyn Howard-Johnson's chapbook, She Wore Emerald, co-written with Aussie Magdalena Ball, was named a finalist for poetry book by USA Book News.
THE BIG DIG
Jerry Zezima had no choice but to dig out during the Christmas snow that hit NYC. His daughter's flight to Paris depended on it.
WORKSHOP ATTENDEES
ARRIVEDERCI, 2009
Mama Mia's in Philly's Italian Market set up a shredder so people could purge the refuse of 2009 in their lives. Rose Valenta dropped by to see what got the treatment.
TROPHY WIFE?
Patricia McNamee Rosenberg found she went over the edge restoring her Chicagoland Victorian home. She'll attend her first Bombeck Workshop in April.
OTHER PUBLISHING NEWS
BUT WHY DOES HE HATE THEM?
Barry Parham, author of Why I Hate Straws, had two stories (this and this) named finalists in HumorPress.org's October/November contest.
NEW BLOG
OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2009
WORKSHOP FACULTY
LEGAL TROUBLE
Susan Reinhardt worries she's on a crime spree in her latest column for the Asheville Citizen-Times.
NEW DEADLINES
2003 Erma Bombeck Global Humor Writing winner Leigh Anne Jasheway-Bryant has become the humor columnist for the Register-Guard's new Dash magazine for women. Her latest writing advice, "Bumper-sticker Wisdom for Writers" appears in the August issue of The Writer.
FOLLOW-UP TO ALTMAN
In his "Post to the Host" column, Garrison Keillor reported earlier this week that he's working on a screenplay, "a fragile love story" that he hopes to complete by Labor Day.
YOU WRITE THE CAPTION
PAST WORKSHOP ATTENDEES
CAKE SCHMAKE
Kathy Shiels Tully's story about zipping, rappeling and screaming into her 50th birthday, "Tenney Mountain Zipline," was published in the August issue of New Hampshire To Do.
SOUP TIME
Several stories by syndicated columnist and novelist Saralee Perel are in current or scheduled Chicken Soup books, including "Thrive" (in Tough Times, Tough People), "Muddling Through" and "The Appointment" (in What I Learned From My Dog, Sept. 22) and "Eddie's Philosophy" (in What I Learned From My Cat, also Sept. 22).
BLOOD-SUCKING TEENS
SOUNDS GOOD
LouAnn Edwards' new audio book, Don't Make Me Laugh, Can't You See I'm in the Middle of a Crisis?, was recorded entirely in her home office and often involved bribing children not to flush toilets during recording hours. Listen yourself to hear how successful she was.
OTHER PUBLISHING NEWS
GOT ANY GOOD LAWYER JOKES?
A two-act play by attorney Lawrence Fox, author of The Confused Lawyer's Field Guide to the Courthouse, will be produced by the Pennsylvania Playhouse in Bethlehem, Penn., in the last week of August.
NEW BLOG
Sarah Maizes, a member of the our Yahoo discussion group who performed in the Los Angeles production of "Expressing Motherhood" Aug. 1 through Aug. 9, has a new blog, "Mommy Lite."
THE OPPOSITE OF A GREEN THUMB
TOO BUSY WITH LIFE TO JOB HUNT
AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2009
WORKSHOP FACULTY
LEGAL TROUBLE
Susan Reinhardt worries she's on a crime spree in her latest column for the Asheville Citizen-Times.
NEW DEADLINES
2003 Erma Bombeck Global Humor Writing winner Leigh Anne Jasheway-Bryant has become the humor columnist for the Register-Guard's new Dash magazine for women. Her latest writing advice, "Bumper-sticker Wisdom for Writers" appears in the August issue of The Writer.
FOLLOW-UP TO ALTMAN
In his "Post to the Host" column, Garrison Keillor reported earlier this week that he's working on a screenplay, "a fragile love story" that he hopes to complete by Labor Day.
YOU WRITE THE CAPTION
PAST WORKSHOP ATTENDEES
CAKE SCHMAKE
Kathy Shiels Tully's story about zipping, rappeling and screaming into her 50th birthday, "Tenney Mountain Zipline," was published in the August issue of New Hampshire To Do.
SOUP TIME
Several stories by syndicated columnist and novelist Saralee Perel are in current or scheduled Chicken Soup books, including "Thrive" (in Tough Times, Tough People), "Muddling Through" and "The Appointment" (in What I Learned From My Dog, Sept. 22) and "Eddie's Philosophy" (in What I Learned From My Cat, also Sept. 22).
BLOOD-SUCKING TEENS
SOUNDS GOOD
LouAnn Edwards' new audio book, Don't Make Me Laugh, Can't You See I'm in the Middle of a Crisis?, was recorded entirely in her home office and often involved bribing children not to flush toilets during recording hours. Listen yourself to hear how successful she was.
OTHER PUBLISHING NEWS
GOT ANY GOOD LAWYER JOKES?
A two-act play by attorney Lawrence Fox, author of The Confused Lawyer's Field Guide to the Courthouse, will be produced by the Pennsylvania Playhouse in Bethlehem, Penn., in the last week of August.
NEW BLOG
Sarah Maizes, a member of the our Yahoo discussion group who performed in the Los Angeles production of "Expressing Motherhood" Aug. 1 through Aug. 9, has a new blog, "Mommy Lite."
THE OPPOSITE OF A GREEN THUMB
TOO BUSY WITH LIFE TO JOB HUNT
JUNE 2009
WORKSHOP FACULTY
PADDLE TIME
Leigh Anne Jasheway-Bryant says we should stop collecting the little things that stress us out in her new book, How'd All These Ping Pong Balls Get in My Bag!? The Stressed-Out Woman's Guide to Letting Go with Laughter.
AGING GRACEFULLY
"There’s a lot to be said for growing older. For one, it sure beats the alternative," Judy Gruen wrote in an essay for her alma mater's alumni magazine, Northwestern. Her humor appears regularly in the aptly named Jewlarious section of Aish.com, Jewish Life magazine and MommaSaid.net. She also podcasts "Just Off My Noodle."
PAST WORKSHOP ATTENDEES
SOUP'S ON (SHELVES)
Award-winning nationally syndicated columnist, Saralee Perel, is in the soup again. Her story, "Thriving" is featured in the newest Chicken Soup for the Soul book, Tough Times, Tough People, on the stands May 25th. She has signed with agent, Bob Mecoy, for her first non-fiction book, Someone to Watch Over Me, a story based on her January Cape Cod Times column about her 13 year-old dog, Gracie. After Saralee's spinal cord injury, Gracie has found her purpose as the author's caregiver, protector and best friend. Saralee can be reached at sperel@saraleeperel or via her website.
DAD'S VIEW
Former Humor Writer of the Month Joel Schwartzberg published a new book, The 40-Year-Old-Version: Humoirs of a Divorced Dad, just in time for Father's Day. He is also a finalist in the National Association of Newspaper Columnists' column-writing contest.
LOOSE TOOTH
Caprice Thurlow took first place in the 2008 MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) writing contest with a piece titled "The Tooth Fairy Is on the Loose". She also started a blog and her first book, Married to the Material.
JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2009
WORKSHOP FACULTY
WELL SAID
Carolyn Howard-Johnson was the No. 1 most popular guest on AuthorsAccess.com podcasts for the year 2008, said Authors Access radio co-hosts, Victor R. Volkman and Irene Watson. Her poem "Death by Ferris Wheel" is published in the January 2009 issue of Pear Noir.
PAST WORKSHOP ATTENDEES
HOLIDAY HUMOR
Karen McQuestion hosted the in-laws for Thanksgiving and lived to tell the story in the Chicago Tribune.
A WRITER'S LIFE
Kelly Epperson talked about topping Bill Gates' IQ score and other highlights in the life a columnist in a Q&A with American Chronicle.
TACKLING TECHNOLOGY
Pat Snyder resolved to take the social networking plunge at the start of the new year. Now she's all aTwitter.
OTHER PUBLISHING NEWS
UNTHINKABLE
Norm Cowie has a humor story in Missing, an upcoming anthology of stories about missing people. All of the book's profits go to charity.
OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2008
WORKSHOP FACULTY
‘JUST LIKE ANY OTHER FEMALE HUMAN’
See Dave Konig as “Newsweek reporter Todd Graham” in an exclusive pre-election report filed by The Onion.
LAST CHANCE
Sophfronia Scott is doing one last run of The 21-Step Guide to Writing, Publishing & Marketing Your Book.
SAILING THE HIGH SEAS
The Guide to Pirate Parenting book trailer won the Reader's Entertainment TV Best Author Made Book Video for October. The book trailer was created by Tim Bete, Guide to Pirate Parenting's author. Bete’s story, “We Are Dragon-Slayers,” was selected for A Chicken Soup for the Soul “101 Best” Books. The story previously appeared in Chicken Soup for the Soul: Dads & Daughters.
PAST WORKSHOP ATTENDEES
MADE IN AMERICA?
UM, MY BOOK?
Tracy Beckerman was a good sport to do a piece for CBS’s The Early Show on “shopping your closet” (huh?). What they didn’t mention? Her new book, Rebel Without a Minivan. NBC was more on the ball when she appeared giving movie recommendations on The Today Show.
THE DIVINE MISS DEE
‘THE WORDS MAKE DELICIOUS SOUNDS’
GOP SOUP
Angie Klink’s “Watergate: the Warm Fuzzies” appears in Republican Soul, published by the original publisher of the Chicken Soup for the Soul series.
MORE SOUP
Award-winning author and nationally syndicated columnist Saralee Perel will have three stories in Chicken Soup for the Soul: My Resolution, due out in December. She’s also a new contributor to Funny Times.
FRIENDS CALL HER THE LITERARY ‘GRANDMA MOSES’
Christina Cahill was runner-up in the Ohio AARP’s essay-writing contest. You can read her essay “Second Chance,” here.
BELTWAY SPUD
Sherry Antonetti lives in Washington, D.C., but her posts on a discussion group caught an Idaho editor’s eye. Her (paying) weekly humor column in Idaho’s Island Park News launches Nov. 21.
AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2008
WORKSHOP FACULTY
CAROLYN WINS: Brian A. Klems, online managing editor at Writer's Digest, named award-winning author Carolyn Howard-Johnson's blog, Sharing with Writers to his magazine's 101 Best Websites in 2008.
PAST WORKSHOP ATTENDEES
MAHONEY INK: Kathryn Mahoney has a new parenting blog based on her “Cracked at Birth” humor column and book.
OTHER PUBLISHING NEWS...
A-LIST: Diane Ketcham's novel, The Vanishing A-list, took the silver medal in the 2008 Independent Publisher Book Awards mystery/suspense/thriller category. The A-list also was a finalist in The Next Generation INDY Book Awards.
JUNE/JULY 2008
WORKSHOP FACULTY
KITCHEN VIRGIN: Susan Reinhardt has published Dishing with the Kitchen Virgin, a collection of food stories, culinary missteps, and dining disasters. Susan’s columns appear in Gannett newspapers. She has also written features which have appeared in the Washington Post, London Daily Mirror, Newsday and other Tribune Media and Gannett publications.
LOTS OF IRONY: Judy Gruen's new book, The Women's Daily Irony Supplement, has won the Gold ForeWord Magazine Book of the Year Award for humor, as well as a Silver "IPPY" Award from Independent Publisher and a Bronze Award from the Benjamin Franklin Book Awards.
PAST WORKSHOP ATTENDEES
DAY JOB: Meridian Magazine Online published, "The Duffle Bag," a piece by Larry Day.
APRIL/MAY 2008
WORKSHOP FACULTY
FIRST COMES LOVE, THEN COMES MARRIAGE: Bruce Cameron has published 8 Simple Rules for Marrying My Daughter, the sequel to 8 Simple Rules for Dating My Teenage Daughter.
FRUGAL, NOT CHEAP: Carolyn Howard-Johnson's book, The Frugal Editor, was selected as the best publishing book of 2007 by Reader Views Annual Literary Awards.
PAST WORKSHOP ATTENDEES
FIRST PLACE: Norm Cowie's book, The Next Adventures of Guy ... more wackiness, came in first-place for Fantasy/SciFi in Preditors and Editor's Reader's Choice poll in January 2008. One of his short humor stories appeared in the anthology The Heat of the Moment, in which all 21 authors and the publisher are donating their royalties to the victims of the San Diego wildfires. The Heat of the Moment was also a top-ten finisher in the P&E poll.
LAWYER JOKES? Tami Kamin-Mayer has been hired as the Ohio correspondent for Legalnewsline.com. She recently interviewed comedian Jackie Mason and wrote a profile about him and his latest humor book, Schmucks.
STRANGE STORY: Norma Sundberg has published An Odd Fable, the story of a princess who solves a serious situation with a dilapidated drawbridge in the little round Kingdom of Odd.
NATIONAL PUBLICATION: LouAnn Edwards had an article published in Marriage Partnership Magazine.
OTHER PUBLISHING NEWS
SOUPS ON: Kathy Shiels Tully had an essay accepted by Chicken Soup for the Soul: Celebrating Brothers and Sisters. She saw the call for submissions in this newsletter.
FEBRUARY/MARCH 2008
WORKSHOP FACULTY
HJ & AMAZON: Carolyn Howard-Johnson is partnering with Amazon Shorts by publishing a book on writing book proposals.
PAST WORKSHOP ATTENDEES
STANDRING PODCAST: Suzette Standring talked about her new book, The Art of Column Writing, on the Beyond the Book Cast.
PEREL IN SOUP...AGAIN: Award-winning columnist/novelist, Saralee Perel, will have a story published in the upcoming book, Chicken Soup for the Soul: A Tribute to Mom.
FIRST NOVEL: Janet Kay Jensen's first novel, Don’t You Marry the Mormon Boys, was released by Cedar Fort Press.
OTHER PUBLISHING NEWS
BARONE ON BASS: Don Barone is now writing for ESPN Outdoors.
UMMM. CHOCOLATE: Linda Kaullen Perkins had a story published in Chicken Soup for the Chocolate Lover's Soul.
NOVEMBER 2007
WORKSHOP FACULTY
TEACHING HUMOR: Mark Shatz will help Wagner College students prepare for its new humor-writing contest by conducting a workshop, Humor Writing 101.The presentation will prepare students to compete for a $1,000 grand prize..
ONE BUSY LADY: Leigh Anne Jasheway Bryant has a new agent, a book coming out with Whole Person Associates called Are You Playing with Me? and a contract for a menopause humor gift book.
SPEAKING OF DEB: Deb DiSandro headed up a Speaker School for her speaker's organization and won Member of the Year.
PAST WORKSHOP ATTENDEES
LOVE SOUP: Award-winning columnist/novelist, Saralee Perel, will have two stories published in the upcoming book Chicken Soup for the Soul: Love Stories. The book will be in bookstores February 2008.
DOUBLE HEADER: Joanne Brokaw's slice of life column appears in Christian Voice Magazine, a national magazine for fans of southern Gospel music. She also has a regular column in ByLine Magazine.
WINDY CITY: Cheryl O'Donovan had a humor essay published in Chicago Parent magazine. She recently landed a column in the Pioneer Press (northwest suburbs/Chicago), called, "Van Mom Strikes Again." She's won a HumorPress placement twice (second and fourth places), and collaborated with Tom Wolferman on a humor book for the over-40 woman, The Estrogen Undeground.
LUCKY LARRY: Meridian Online Magazine published a humor piece by Larry Day. He also writes a regular column for his local newspaper.
OTHER PUBLISHING NEWS
ZANY TALE OF A 14-YEAR-OLD BRANIAC: "Bowl of Cherries," the debut novel from 90-year-old author Millard Kaufman, is full of twisted family dynamics, romantic obsessions and wholly improbable story line delivered in a deadpan voice simmering with mirth. Read more.
OCTOBER 2007
WORKSHOP FACULTY
GHOSTHUNTER: John Kachuba's new book, Ghosthunters: On the Trail of Mediums, Dowsers, Spirit Seekers and Other Investigators of America’s Paranormal World combines his case reports of actual hauntings, discussions with leading figures in the paranormal world, and stories about related subjects—buying ghosts on eBay, buying and selling haunted houses, ghost tourism—to present an intriguing and witty look at this interesting phenomena in American pop culture.
BOLTON AND DICKSON: Seasoned comedy writers Martha Bolton and Brad Dickson take an unconventional, refreshing look at the over-forty Race You To The Fountain of Youth. Instead of heaping on the pressure to exercise more, eat less, manage your time, and save all your money for retirement, Bolton and Dickson offer a take-it-easy approach to aging with chapters like: If Menopausal Women Ruled the World, How to Calculate Your Real Age and He Died of What?
PAST WORKSHOP ATTENDEES
SHOVEL IT: Gwen Petersen has published How To Shovel Manure and Other Life
Lessons for the Country Woman.
OTHER PUBLISHING NEWS
AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2007
WORKSHOP FACULTY
FROM TV TO PAPER: Sitcom writer Fred Rubin has been writing for the Studio City Sun.
BRYANT'S NEW BOOK: Leigh Anne Jasheway-Bryant has published, Life is Funny: A Riveting Tale of Comedy, Hairdressing, and Texas Politics.
MORE MOTHERHOOD: Susan Konig's new book,I Wear The Maternity Pants In This Family, was a Parade Magazine Pick-of-the-Week.
PAST WORKSHOP ATTENDEES
MONTVILLE WINS: Dan Montville was chosen as the 2007 Robert Benchley Society Humor Writing Competition winner.
TEA BAG WINNER: Tami Kamin-Meyer won the 2007 Bag Ladies Tea haiku contest. Her haiku will adorn the company’s Friendship Tea packages.
BIG APPLE: Lisa Friedman had a humor essay published in The New York Times. She credits the Bombeck Workshop with giving her the perseverance to keep writing.
FILM FESTIVAL WINNER: Jenn Dlugos was awarded a Script Recommendation from the Kids First! film festival for a feature-length screenplay she co-wrote with Andrea Henry, one of Nick at Nite's Funniest Mom finalists.
BY GEORGE, SHE'S PUBLISHED: Nancy George had an essay published in the Christian Science Monitor, a lead she got at the 2006 Bombeck Workshop.
WHERE AM I WEARING?: Kelsey Timmerman is going on a global quest to answer the question: Where am I wearing?
ON THE TABLE: DC Stanfa's The art Of Table Dancing:Escapades Of An Irreverent Woman, was recognized as one of the top-ten autobiographies at the 2007 New York Book Festival.
WHINE AND NOSES: Lisa Espinoza Johnson, author of Days of Whine and Noses, has added a blog to her new Web site.
OTHER PUBLISHING NEWS
SAWYER SPEAKS: Jeff Sawyer has a new blog.
ALWAYS A CYNIC: Norm Cowie has had many pieces published in Cynic Magazine, a lead he found in this newsletter.
SOUP'S ON: Pamela Christian had an essay published in Chicken Soup for the Wine Lover's Soul. She's working on a humor book for travelers.
JUNE/JULY 2007
WORKSHOP FACULTY
MILLER'S ELECTRIC: Karyl Miller has been painting utility boxes with her cartton characters. Read more.
GRUEN'S EVERYWHERE: Judy Gruen has pubished The Women's Daily Irony Supplement (Creative Minds Press). The book is a collection of nearly 60 essays on the torment of e-mail chain letters, women who won't eat carrots because of their high-carb-content, how to release your inner shopper, and much more. A quote from the book appeared on five million Starbucks cups (grande-sized). Her work is also appearing frequently in the "Jewlarious" column on Aish.com and in Skirt!, the Jewish Journal of Los Angeles.
PAST WORKSHOP ATTENDEES
FIRST PLACE: Editor Barbara Madden's teacher-produced newspaper won a Missouri State Teachers
Association's Professional Communication Award as the best teacher newsletter in the state. The newsletter has a circulation of more than 4000. Barbara credits mentoring at the 2004 Bombeck workshop as a key in developing her ability to edit..
BRENNAN IN CAPITAL: Angie Brennan had a humor piece about caller ID published in The Capital, an Annapolis, MD-based newspaper.
OTHER PUBLISHING NEWS
JOEL'S A STAR: Joel Schwartzberg, the Feb. 2007 Humor Writer of the Month, had an essay published in the Star-Ledger (NJ's largest newspaper) on Memorial Day.
COWIE'S GREAT REVIEW: Pop Syndicate calls Norm Cowie's book, The Adventures of Guy ... written by a guy (probably), "a great read."
MAY 2007
DON'T SLEEP WITH A BUBBA: Susan Reinhardt's new book is a collection of humor but also includes a dark decent into depression which led to a suicide attempt and stay in a psychiatric ward.
PAST WORKSHOP ATTENDEES
FAUX FILM: Sharyn Lonsdale is writing a humorous movie column for the twice-monthly Englewood Review in Florida, as her alter ego faded B movie queen and British miniseries darling, Amanda Glam.
LOST IN SUBURBIA: Tracy Beckerman's column has been picked up by Our Town News, a new newspaper in Alexandria, Virginia. Beckerman’s column is already carried by fifty newspapers in New Jersey and on two websites on the Internet, for a total circulation of 800,000 readers.
OTHER PUBLISHING NEWS
WATERS, WATERS EVERYWHERE: George Waters has been named a finalist in the Robert Benchley Humor Prize Competition. His weekly column, “On the Waters Front” has expanded into two more Southern California newspapers, the Inland Valley Daily Bulletin and the San Bernardino Sun.
CHANGE FOR THE BETTER: Jim Watkins has published Communicate to Change Lives, a book to help ministers, Sunday school teachers, missionaries, board members and parachurch workers to, well, change lives!
MATT NEEDS A JOB: Matt Ottinger was the Humor Writer of the Month in May 2005. Since then he broke out of
journalism to work in politics and then the candidate he was working for decided NOT to run for president. Now, he's unemployed, irritated and writing about it. Read more.
MARCH 2007
WORKSHOP FACULTY
YOGA FOR THE FUNNY BONE: Leigh Anne Jasheway-Bryant's book, Yoga for Your Funny Bone: Exercises to Strengthen Your Comedy Writing, won the 2007 Association for Applied and Therapeutic Humor (AATH) Award for the best nonfiction book written by, or edited by, a member of AATH that reflects and advances the understanding and application of humor and laughter for their positive benefits.
KIRKLAND TO RELEASE NEW COLLECTION: Canadian author, syndicated columnist, and entertainer Gordon Kirkland has completed his fifth collection of short humor. His material has made him a reader and audience favorite throughout Canada and the United States. The book will be published by AuthorHouse in the United States and launched June 1st at BookExpo-America in New York, where Kirkland will be one of the featured signing authors. The new book is tittled, I May Be Big, But I Didn’t Cause That Solar Eclipse.
REINHART AND STANFA AGAIN: Susan Reinhardt and DC Stanfa were featured authors at an event at a combination bookstore and beauty shop in Texas. The shop is called Pulpwood Queens.
PAST WORKSHOP ATTENDEES
LONSDALE GOES FREELANCE: Sharyn Lonsdale left her full-time staff writer and columnist job at the Herald-Tribune in Sarasota to pursue a freelance writing career. She has since had features published in Lee Magazine, Charlotte Life Magazine and on a Florida travel Web site. She is also a writer and the contributing editor for Childconnections magazine and continues to work as a correspondent, writing features, including first-person humor essays, and restaurant reviews for the Herald-Tribune.
HOUGHTON IN BELLA: Kristen Houghton has been published in Family Lobby Magazine and writes a column for BellaOnline Magazine.
PHILLIPS GETS REGULAR: Rachael Phillips has been promoted to "regular contributor" at Marriage Partnership magazine, published by Christianity Today. She was also a contributor to the Guideposts' anthologies, Miracles of Healing and Miracles and Children.
OTHER PUBLISHING NEWS
ULTIMATE GUIDE BOOK FOR NEW YORK SURVIVAL: Only in a city like New York will you find a step-by-step guide on how to pee on the city streets. A 40 Point Guide To Peeing In New York was written by Ray Tempus.
FEB. 2007
WORKSHOP FACULTY
CARTWRIGHT LEARNS TO DRIVE: Nancy Cartwright,the voice of Bart Simpson, was trained and tested for her NASCAR drivers license at Irwindale Raceway in Southern California. Nancy is the voice of Chip Kelly from the animated series, "The Kellys." She's also the show's executive producer.
STARS CONFESS TO KONIGS: Celebrities confess to Dave & Susan Konig on their hit radio show "Speak Now Or Forever Hold Your Peace!" Richard Simmons: "Did you know I'm Catholic? I've been a practicing Catholic since I was 15, I have a collection of baby Jesus figurines!" Tony Danza: "I'm still a little beat up about my talk show -- I just admitted that to you for the first time -- but starring in a Broadway musical is a nice band-aid. They're putting my picture up at Sardi's!" "Speak Now Or Forever Hold Your Peace!" airs Monday to Friday, 10 a.m. to noon EST, on The Catholic Channel Sirius 159. Listen to audio highlights.
LIEBER HAS NEW SITE: Dave Lieber's new Web site is up and running. The site includes his new video column.
PAST WORKSHOP ATTENDEES
GARFINKLE HITS TRIFECTA: Debby Garfinkle's humorous young adult novel, Storky: How I Lost My Nickname and Won the Girl, will be published in paperback by Penguin/Putnam in March. Her humorous young adult novel, Stuck in the '70s, will be published by Penguin/Putnam in May. And the first book of her trilogy, The Band, about the rocky romances and rising careers of five teenagers in a rock band, will be published by Penguin/Berkley in May.
GALLAGHER TAKES REDEYE: Danny Gallagher had two essays published in RedEye, an edition of the Chicago Tribune.
BROWN IN SOUP: Stephanie Ray Brown 's story, "Love has No Borders," was selected to be included in Chicken Soup for New Mom's Soul.
IN STITCHES: Kathy Wooton had her essay, "A Doctor's Guide to Your Loved One's Menopause," accepted by Stitches, the Canadian Journal of Medical Humor.
FOR THE BIRDS: Lynette Sheffield's book, They Still Drop Turkeys at KTWS in Bend , Oregon, was a finalist in the Humor category of the Best Books 2006 National Book Awards.
OTHER PUBLISHING NEWS
DEC. 2006/JAN. 2007
PAST WORKSHOP FACULTY
REINHARDT & STANFA: Susan Reinhardt recently wrote about workshop attendee DC Stanfa. "The entire diamond debate began when my friend DC Stanfa of Cincinnati finally got her much-awaited rock." Read the column.
LEIGH ANNE ROCKS ON: Leigh Anne Jasheway Bryant has a new radio program, Women Under the Influence of Laughter, which airs on KOPT 1600 AM (www.kopt.com). The purpose of the program is to let funny women talk about serious and not-so serious topics and is looking for call-in guests (especially if you've got a book to promote.) Leigh Anne has already Kate Clinton, Rita Rudner, and Michele Balan from Last Comic Standing and has Laurie Notaro and Paula Poundstone lined up. Contact her at lajfun@accidentalcomic.com. Leigh Anne also has a new blog.
PAST WORKSHOP ATTENDEES
I FOUND U: Angie Klink has published her second mascot children's book, I found U, which is about Indiana University. Klink is the author of the successful Purdue Pete Finds His Hammer, showcasing Purdue’s unofficial mascot Purdue Pete and Purdue University.
OTHER PUBLISHING NEWS
NOV. 2006
WORKSHOP FACULTY
NEW VIDEO COLUMN: Fort Worth Star-Telegram columnist Dave Lieber posted his first "Dave's Video Column."
PAST WORKSHOP ATTENDEES
KLINK COOKS: Angie Klink had her essay “Half Notes: Memories of a Fifty-Percent Sister” published in Chicken Soup for the Sister’s Soul 2.
DLUGOS WINS: Jenn Dlugos' feature screenplay, "A Muse Named Stephen King," won first place in the Rhode Island International film festival.
GLARDON ONSTAGE: Dave Glardon recently did six shows with Kevin Pollak at The Funny Bone (Newport,KY) and saw fellow workshop attendee DC Stanfa in the audience. DC was recently picked as "Author of the Month" at Wordshack.
LOST IN SUBURBIA: Tracy Beckerman's column has been picked up by another weekly newspaper, the Somerset Reporter.
OTHER PUBLISHING NEWS
THOSE CRAZY KIDS: Sally Edwards has published the illustrated humor book, You Know Your Kids Are Driving You Crazy When…
DON'T CHEW JESUS: Lighthearted and nostalgic, Don’t Chew Jesus! is a look back at Catholic nuns and the impact they had on millions of Americans.
OCT. 2006
WORKSHOP FACULTY
HAIR AIR: Pat Wynn Brown is performing "Inside the Parenting Salon: A Life and beauty makover" on Oct. 15 in Columbus, Ohio. She's performing "Love is in the Hair" on Nov. 5.
LIEBER WINS: Dave Lieber has won a Readers’ Choice award from The Fort Worth Weekly.
SPEAK NOW: Or Forever Hold Your Peace is a new daily Sirius Satellite Radio program with Dave and Susan Konig.
PAST WORKSHOP ATTENDEES
ASTOR ONLINE: Dave Astor's weekly "Montclairvoyant" humor column is now online.
OTHER PUBLISHING NEWS
STOP THE SHOW!: Brad Schreiber has published "A History of Insane Incidents and Absurd Accidents in the Theatre."
WALKER PENS BOOK: Lynn Bowen Walker has written Queen of the Castle: 52 Weeks of Encouragement for the Uninspired, Domestically Challenged or Just Plain Tired Homemaker. She was also published in the anthology, Humor for the Holidays.
SEPT. 2006
WORKSHOP FACULTY
PLUTO: Craig Wilson asks, "If the International Astronomical Union can downgrade Pluto to a 'dwarf planet,' as it did last week, then you have to ask: Who gets kicked out of the clubhouse next?"
PAST WORKSHOP ATTENDEES
KLINK HAS NEW BLOG: Angie Klink has started a blog, in which she discusses important topics such "deep-fried Twinkies."
OTHER PUBLISHING NEWS
HUMOR: The Humor of Humor: The Art and Techniques of Popular Comedy by Evan Esra compresses the vast panorama of the subject into a few basic building blocks of humor.
AUGUST 2006
WORKSHOP FACULTY
CAMERON WINS TWICE: W. Bruce Cameron, won the 2006 Robert Benchley Award and also the National Society of Newspaper Columnists award for best humor columnist in newspapers with a circulation greater than 100,000.
LYNN HOSTS NEW RADIO PROGRAM: Jodie Lynn is hosting "Inside Parenting Success," a once-per-week, hour-long radio program focusing on the best parenting experts who have written a book or created a product that will enhance life with kids.
KACHUBA WINS: John Kachuba’s "If the Manhattan Indians Had Been Accountants" was a winner in
PAST WORKSHOP ATTENDEES
SATIRICAL DOCUMENTARY: Maggie Van Ostrand will be a part of a documentary on emigration to be shown at next year’s Sundance Film Festival. After reading her article “Is Superman an Alien?” the filmmakers contacted Maggie to participate in the project.
DAY-TO-DAY ABSURDITY: Mary Hanna’s weekly column, "The Second Half," has been compiled into the collection You May Already Be a Wiener and Other Midlife Wake-Up Calls.
TALES FROM THE SOUTH: The third book from Cappy Hall Rearick is written with “warm love and humor.” Simply Southern Ease makes readers feel the spirit of the South as Rearick brings her audience into her hilarious home life.
QUIRKY AUTHOR: Thousand Islands Sun columnist Sharie Derrickson has compiled her zaniness into a new book, No Bad Deed Goes Unpublished.
OTHER PUBLISHING NEWS
AN UPLIFTING WORK: I'd Like to Buy a Bowel Please! is a series of contributions from ostomy patients that aids ill readers’ recoveries with the use of humor. The book was compiled by Brenda Elsagher.
BEHIND THE SCENES: Edited by Daryl G. Nickens, Doing It for the Money is a collection of pieces written by successful Hollywood screenwriters about their trials and tribulations in the industry.
PIG IN A TAXI: Moms, missionaries-to-be, and those who support missions will enjoy this inside look at family life on the mission field. Suzanne Crocker, author of Pig in a Taxi and Other African Adventures, grew up as a missionary kid in Central America.
JUNE 2006
WORKSHOP FACULTY
THE BOOK SISTAH: Sophfronia Scott provides advice on writing your book and getting it published.
MILLER REPORT: Karyl Miller recently launched a new Web site that includes a daily blog, cartoons and more.
PAST WORKSHOP ATTENDEES
TABLE DANCING: DC Stanfa will be signing her book, The Art of Table Dancing: Escapades of an Irreverent Woman, in Cincinnati, Ohio, later this month.
AMERICA’S FUNNIEST HUMOR: Noreen Braman has again been named as a finalist in the America’s Funniest Humor contest. Her story “Hearing Electronic Voices” will be published both in print and online at www.humorpress.com.
OFFBEAT FICTION: Dan St. Yves has published Nonsense and Stuff, a book poking fun at daily life.
OTHER PUBLISHING NEWS
MAXX COMEDY: This book about "The Funniest Kid in America" puts a humorous twist on issues of divorce, fitting in and following big ambitions.
777 GREAT CLEAN JOKES: A sparkling new collection of unsullied humor, ideal for any age and situation.
MARCH 2006
WORKSHOP FACULTY
PAST WORKSHOP ATTENDEES
DERRICKSON WINS: Sharie Derrickson won the First Place Humor Column award from the New York Press Association. Her column, North Country Quirk, can be read in the Thousand Islands Sun Newspaper.
OTHER PUBLISHING NEWS
STAY AT HOME MOMS: Alana Morales’ first book, Domestically Challenged, is a humorous guidebook for all moms who need help doing such outlandish things as finding time for themselves.
A MAN’S MAN’S BOOK: Jim Belushi’s first book, Real Men Don’t Apologize, takes on what it means to be a man. This candid book explores Belushi’s struggles in his career and his brother’s death while still making readers laugh.
EXPECTANT MOTHERS: Pregnancy’s Little Mysteries, by Harriet Zeifert, will help you deal with all the difficulties of pregnancy right down to complete strangers touching your stomach.
TRILLIN VERSES BUSH: Calvin Trillin’s sequel to Obliviously On He Sails manages to sum up entirely in rhymed verse President Bush’s second term in office. Heckuva Job is set for release on May 30.
APRIL 2006
WORKSHOP FACULTY
KIRKLAND DOES IT AGAIN: Canadian author, syndicated columnist and entertainer Gordon Kirkland has been named one of the five finalists for the 2006 Stephen Leacock Award For Humour for his third book When My Mind Wanders It Brings Back Souvenirs (2005, AuthorHouse). This is the third time he has been named a finalist for the award. His first book Justice Is Blind – And Her Dog Just Peed In My Cornflakes (1999, Harbour Publishing) and his second, Never Stand Behind A Loaded Horse (2004, Thistledown Press) both received the Leacock Award of Merit.
YOGA FOR YOUR FUNNY BONE: Leigh Anne Jasheway-Bryant's new book will stretch your writing to funny new places. You’ll laugh yourself silly with exercises like Bi-Polar Express, Faking It, Genre Deficit Disorder, I’m Not as Dumb as I Look, Separation Anxiety, and That’s So Formulaic. Read more.
PAST WORKSHOP ATTENDEES
FORMER ATTENDEE HITS THE BIG TIME: Patti Lawson is scheduled to appear in an interview in the May issue of O Magazine. During April, Patti will be doing signings of her new book, The Dog Diet, in Richmond, Va.; New York City; Ramsey, NJ and Hartford, CT.
OTHER PUBLISHING NEWS
MARCH 2006
WORKSHOP FACULTY
PAST WORKSHOP ATTENDEES
OVER THE HILL & LOVING IT: Humorist Noreen Braman has published I'm 50 -- Now What? -- a compilation of her 2005 blog chronicling her view of the world, as seen through her newly-50-year-old eyes.
BLARNEY BABE: Diane O'Brien Kelly has launched www.BlarneyBabe.com. She recently sold a short story to True Love magazine.
OTHER PUBLISHING NEWS
CORPORATE SURVIVAL: Is the corporate world stifling your creativity? Gordon MacKenzie provides some advice on how to avoid the mess of business’ bureaucratic procedure in Orbiting the Giant Hairball.
A VERY DAIRY CHRISTMAS: A heart-warming comedy about dysfunctional family life during the holiday season -- with cows.
NEW SCHULZ COLLECTION: March 28, 2006 marks the release of a new collection of Charles Schulz’s Peanuts comic strip. Peanuts All-Stars features all sports-related strips.
FEB. 2006
WORKSHOP FACULTY
KIRKLAND PENS FOURTH BOOK: Gordon Kirkland will release his latest book, I Think I’m Having One Of Those Decades (AuthorHouse), in March 2006, in conjunction with the Erma Bombeck Writer’s Workshop.
PAST WORKSHOP ATTENDEES
MONTO HITS AGAIN: Maria Monto's story, "An Old Wives' Tale," will appear in A Cup of Comfort for Expectant Mother, to be released by Adams Media in Spring 2006.
OTHER PUBLISHING NEWS
ZEZIMA IN NEW BOOK: Columnist Jerry Zezima is featured in a new book by Reader's Digest, called Laughter, the Best Medicine. Other humorists in the book include Dave Barry, Steve Martin, Rick Reilly and Mary Roach.
LITTLE MONSTERS: I Hate Other People’s Kids by Adrianne Frost is a handbook that can help us all deal with the precious little angels that we encounter.
JAN. 2006
WORKSHOP FACULTY
COLUMN WRITING WORKBOOK: So You Want to be a Columnist by Deb DiSandro is a tool for anyone considering column writing for a living. It offers suggestions on marketing and syndicating your column.
OTHER PUBLISHING NEWS
HELP FINDING AN AGENT: Author 101: Bestselling Secrets from Top Agents is the second book in the Author 101 series. It reveals what makes a good agent, what a good agent will and won’t do for you, and how to find the right type of agent.
DEC. 2005
WORKSHOP FACULTY
ON THE STAGE: Leigh Anne Jasheway-Bryant will have her first stage play produced. “Are We There Yet,” a humorous look at friendship, betrayal, and reincarnation, debuts in January 2006.
UNCOMMON WISDOM: Dave Lieber's article, "Create Buzz for yout self-published book," will be published in the Feb. issue of The Writer magazine.
WORKSHOP ATTENDEES
SMALL TOWN HUMOR: Margo Bates use personal experience as a basis for her book P.S. Don’t Tell Your Mother. The book traces the life of Nana Noonan, a local legend of Telkwa, British Columbia, population 852.
ALL ABOUT CATS: Cotton mice found doing the dead man’s float in the water dish. 5 a.m. wake-up calls. A “no-closed doors” policy. The cat declares war when put on a diet. All chronicled in Dena Harris’ Lessons in Stalking.
GALLAGHER'S WORK ADAPTED FOR THE STAGE: Danny Gallagher's “Spreading Some Christmas Jeers,” a much-needed review of those heartwarming holiday films, is being performed by the Shadowbox Cabaret in Columbus, Ohio.
ADVENTURES OF A COLLEGE MASCOT: This children’s’ book is about Purdue Pete, the mascot for Purdue University. Learn more about how Purdue alum Angie Klink wrote Purdue Pete Find His Hammer.
OTHER PUBLISHING NEWS
BLY PROVIDES FREELANCE ADVICE: Robert Bly's Getting Started as a Freelance Writer shows how to start, run, and build a freelance writing business doing whatever type of writing you prefer.
HARDLY ORDINARY: Amy Krouse Rosenthal has published Encyclopedia of an Ordinary Life. "I have not survived against all odds. I have not lived to tell. I have not witnessed the extraordinary. This is my story."
NOV. 2005
WORKSHOP FACULTY
THE KELLYS ARE BACK: Nancy Cartwright’s project, "The Kellys," has returned for a new season. This award-winning cartoon has an interactive Web site.
WORKSHOP ATTENDEES
ASTOR HAS FUNNY SIDE: Dave Astor, who writes the Syndicate World column for Editor & Publisher, also writes a humor column for the The Montclair (N.J.) Times. His column, "Montclairvoyant," uses a mock-advice format that discusses local issues with some national commentary and general nonsense thrown in.
BANG ON THE DRUM ALL DAY: Stooples: Office Tools for Hopeless Fools won’t get you out of work, but it will help you get some fun out of it. This fake office supply catalog parodies the American corporate workplace. Author Kevin Reifler is attending the 2006 Erma Bombeck Writers' Workshop.
BORRIS PENS BOOK: Cynthia Borris’s newest book, No More Bobs, is a “fun-filled” mystery about a single mom living in a very bizarre town.
CHICKEN SOUP: Maria Monto recently had a story published in the weekly syndicated Chicken Soup for the Soul newspaper column. The story will also appear in the 2006 release of Chicken Soup for the Motheers of Preschoolers Soul.
OTHER PUBLISHING NEWS
BEHIND THE FUR – SASQUATCH: Me Write Book: It Bigfoot Memoir sets the record straight about everyone’s favorite man-beast as we read about his struggles from the time of his childhood.
DON’T STARVE, ARTISTS: The Starving Artist’s Survival Guide is a support for the “pretentious poor” including advice on various day jobs and ramen noodle cooking tips. Just don’t go too hungry before it hits bookshelves on November 22.
AVOID CHANGING DIAPERS: In addition to the many dos and don’ts of baby care, David and Kelly Sopp’s Safe Baby Handling Tips comes with the Wheel of Responsibility. Give it a spin to see whether mom or dad has to do the dirty work.
FOUNDING FATHER & HUMORIST: Benjamin Franklin was not only a builder of a nation but also a master of comedy. In Benjamin Franklin’s Humor, author Paul M. Zall chronicles Franklin’s use of wit.
MAGAZINE WRITING ADVICE: This comprehensive guide offers many strategies necessary for writing magazine articles. The Magazine Writer's Handbook is for writers of all levels.
OCT. 2005
WORKSHOP FACULTY
WORKSHOP ATTENDEES
AWARD WINNER: Ohioan author Julie Clark Robinson has been named a finalist in the USA Book News Award Contest in the Self-Help category. Her book Live in the Moment gives suggestions, offers anecdotes, and uses humor to provide techniques for living life to its fullest.
OTHER PUBLISHING NEWS
ART COMEDY: Dominic Molon, Michael Rooks, Judith Olch Richards team up to put together a book of “situational comedy” in recent art.
GREAT HOUSEWARMING GIFT: Homeowner Haiku is a great gift for new homeowners. Sherry Karver and Jerry Ratch’s poetry and artwork sum up the process of buying and selling homes, as well as making a house your home.
SEPT. 2005
PAST WORKSHOP FACULTY
ALL STRESSED UP AND NOWHERE TO GO: Lori Borgman's latest book says, "Stress is like middle-age spread and crabgrass; you can tame it for awhile but eventually it sneaks right back up on you."
UMP PUBLISHES TWO NEW TITLES: Shirley Jump has published The Angel Craved Lobster (the third in her romantic comedies with recipes series) and The Marine’s Kiss (the last in her Silhouette Romance Mercy, Indiana series).
PAST WORKSHOP ATTENDEES
OTHER PUBLISHING NEWS
WRITING SECRETS REVEALED: Humorist and university professor Melvin Helitzer reveals secrets about humor writing. He discusses everything from the creative process to getting published.
AUGUST 2005
PAST WORKSHOP FACULTY
O'KEEFE PROVIDES RESOURCES: Steve O'Keefe offers handouts from the Internet marketing presentations he gave at the 2005 PMA Publisher's University.
PAST WORKSHOP ATTENDEES
CRACKED AT BIRTH: Kathryn Mahoney's book of humorous essays covers everything from giving birth to a kitchen, to surviving the slings and arrows of outrageous toddlers.
OTHER PUBLISHING NEWS
NEW VONNEGUT: A Man Without a Country is Kurt Vonnegut’s first major book in nearly a decade. It's a "hilariously funny and razor-sharp look at life."
JULY 2005
PAST WORKSHOP FACULTY
PAST WORKSHOP ATTENDEES
OTHER PUBLISHING NEWS
HELMS’ HUMOR ESSAYS WIN AWARDS: Dorothea Helms won the first ever Barbara Novak Award of Excellence for Humour and/or Personal Essay Writing by the Periodical Writers' Association of Canada for her work in The Globe and Mail. In June, she was also presented with an award for a humorous essay that tied for first place in the 3rd Annual Writing Contest sponsored by the Haliburton Highlands Writers' and Editors' Network and the Agnes Jamieson Gallery.
JUNE 2005
PAST WORKSHOP FACULTY
COCHRAN’S CARTOONS RECEIVE PRAISE: Tony Cochran, creator of the nationally syndicated comic strip “Agnes,” was among those honored this year by the Parents for Behaviorally Different Children.
PAST WORKSHOP ATTENDEES
COLUMNIST WITH A BOOK DEAL CAN’T HELP BUT SMILE: The Best of Smiley, a collection spanning two decades of Smiley Anders’ six-day-a-week columns from The Advocate in Baton Rouge, La., is available from AuthorHouse.
OTHER PUBLISHING NEWS
THE ALL-SPORTS MOM: Humor columnist and writer Paula Schmitt has published Living in a Locker Room: A Mom’s Tale of Survival in a Houseful of Boys.
SHOP 'TIL HE DROPS: Jerry Zezima’s essay, “Shop 'Til He Drops: Confessions of a Supermarket Dad," will appear in July’s issue of Family Circle. The article gives readers an insight into being the designated driver during a husband-wife food shopping spree: He drives the cart and she shops.
CHICK-LIT COMPILATION IS TRIPPIN’: Dena Dyer and Laurie Barker Copeland have published The Groovy Chicks' Road Trip to Peace. The book has been featured in CBA Marketplace, Christian Retailing, and will appear in an upcoming issue of Working Mother.
SUNDBERG’S POETRY GETS PUBLISHED: After Esther Leiper critiqued a poem in Writer’s Journal, Norma Sundberg replied by sending along one of her own poems with an accompanying letter. Now, both Sundberg’s poem and letter are published in Leiper’s May-June issue in the “Esther Comments On” column.
MAY 2005
PAST WORKSHOP FACULTY
KIRKLAND BRINGS
BETE IN THE NEWS: Los Angeles Times-Washington Post News Service, Gannett News, Scripps Howard and Beliefnet.comWire are featuring stories about Erma Bombeck Writers' Workshop director Tim Bete and his new book, In The Beginning...There Were No Diapers. The book has been covered in the Honolulu Advertiser, Florida Today, Minneapolis Star Tribune, Asheville Citizen-Times, Springfield News-Leader and Stamford Advocate, among other papers.
PAST WORKSHOP ATTENDEES
LAWSON LANDS BOOK DEAL: Patti Lawson's The Dog Diet, a book detailing how to lift your spirits, lighten your heart and shrink your waistline by focusing on the needs of another living creature, is set for publication in spring 2006.
PEREL’S BOOK RECEIVES HONOR: Saralee Perel's book, Raw Nerves, was picked as a Book Sense Notable for April. It's the first time a POD book has made it as a Book Sense.
OTHER PUBLISHING NEWS
DOC PENS STRANGE BUT TRUE TALES: Dr. Doug Farrango has published The Placebo Chronicles, stories of "the ridiculous, the silly, and the just plain weird cases doctors face."
APRIL 2005
PAST WORKSHOP FACULTY
HAIR THEATER HAS NEW WEB SITE: Pat Wynn Brown has a fantastic new Web site for her one-woman show.
KIRKLAND ADDED TO ARCHIVES: Gordon Kirkland’s column “All My Life’s a Circle,” based on the Harry Chapin song of the same title, was recently put into the Chapin archives and published in the newsletter “Circle.”
PAST WORKSHOP ATTENDEES
KAMIN-MEYER WRITES COLUMN FOR THE FEMALE SPORT ENTHUSIAST: Tami Kamin-Meyer writes “A Girl with a Pen,” a mesh of humor and commentary on the world of sports, at FemmeFan -- the sports zone for the female sports junkie.
SHORT DELIVERS THIRD BOOK IN SERIES: March 1 marked the official debut of the third book in Sharon Short’s “Stain-Busting” mystery series.
OTHER PUBLISHING NEWS
FARMER CONTRIBUTES TO ANTHOLOGY: Debbie Farmer will have two stories published in Chicken Soup for Every Mom's Soul to be released March 28.
QUEEN JAW JAW LAUNCHES NEW SITE: Georgia Richardson aka “Queen Jaw Jaw” has a Web page up and running.
SULTZBAUGH GOES GLOBAL: Kathryn Sulzbaugh’s first book, The M Club Manual: Missions, Memos, Mandates, Mottos and More is to be released in Australia in April. The humor book for "women of a certain age" was first published by Andrews McMeel Publishing in September 2004 to coincide with Universal Press Syndicate's new humor feature for women, The M Club.
MARCH 2005
PAST WORKSHOP FACULTY
WALL RETURNS WITH NOVEL: Humor columnist Paula Wall’s first book with Simon & Schuster, The Rock Orchard, is met with acclaim.
PAST WORKSHOP ATTENDEES
KEHLMEIER HAS SECOND ARTICLE PUBLISHED: Carol Kehlmeier had a humor article published in the Feb. issue of Senior Citizens Magazine.
OTHER PUBLISHING NEWS
FARMER IN THE MONITOR: Debbie Farmer, syndicated columnist and author of Don't Put Lipstick on the Cat, had her column, "A Third Grader's Valentine," published in the Christian Science Monitor in February.
GARFINKLE PUBLISHES STORKY: Debra Garfinkle's humorous novel for teens, "Storky: How I Lost My Nickname and Won the Girl," will be published by Putnam in April.
AWARD-WINNING HUMORIST LAUNCHES WEB SITE: Humorist, comedy writer and public speaker, Wendel Potter, has a new Web site.
CONNELLY CAPTURES SNIPPETS OF LIFE: Look for Claire Connelly’s Blue Hair and City Bound, a collection of humorous articles about memorable life experiences.
HEIN FEATURED ON FRONT PAGE: An excerpt from Lori Hein’s "Ribbons of Highway: A Mother-Child Journey Across America" was the front-page feature in the Traveling Today department of iParenting.com. Book proceeds will go to tsunami relief.
FOOTHILLS PUBLISHING RELEASES BOOK OF POETRY: Hanging out with Loose Words, the new book of poetry by actress and playwright Mary Rose Betten is available now.
POLITICALLY INCORRECT VIEW ON BEING A HUSBAND: In his first book, K.J. de Beau comments on the pitfalls of holy matrimony. Buffalo Wings and Beer for the Married Man’s Soul is now available through AuthorHouse.
FEB. 2005
PAST WORKSHOP FACULTY
PAST WORKSHOP ATTENDEES
DEATH IN THE CARDS: Sharon Short's new book will be published March 1 by Avon Books.
OTHER PUBLISHING NEWS
JAN. 2005
PAST WORKSHOP FACULTY
AUTOGRAPHED GRUEN: Autographed copies of Judy Gruen's award-winning books, Carpool Tunnel Syndrome and Till We Eat Again, can now be ordered from her Web site.
PAST WORKSHOP ATTENDEES
SUNDBERG INCLUDED IN ANTHOLOGY: Norma Sundberg children's story, An Odd Fable, was included in "Beyond Time and Space," a new book from Linden Hill Books.
OTHER PUBLISHING NEWS
SINGER PUBLISHES 14 HOURS: Jen Singer has published 14 Hours 'Til Bedtime. Mothers who have put their careers on hold to spend their days scraping peanut butter off the cat will find much needed humor and an overdue pat on the back. A portion of the book’s proceeds will be donated to the Endometriosis Association.
KOOY'S NEW BLOG: Cathy Kooy has created a new blog, Alter Ego Therapy -- the last frontier for gutsy women.
RAMJEWAN LANDS FIRST ARTICLE: Stephen Ramjewan first published article, “He Was There," is in the January issue of the Canadian Messenger of the Sacred Heart.
HINCK SIGNS TWO-BOOK DEAL: Sharon Hinck has will publish The Secret Life of Becky Miller, Supermom and its sequel with Bethany House.
DEC. 2004
PAST WORKSHOP FACULTY
ZEVIN IS FINALIST: Dan Zevin's book, The Day I Turned Uncool, was a finalist for the 2004 Thurber Prize for American Humor. The winner was Christopher Buckley's book, No Way to Treat a First Lady.
PAST WORKSHOP ATTENDEES
LAUGH FULL: Ron Culberson has published Is Your Glass Laugh Full? (Gilbert Belle Press).
LOUDEN TAKES FIRST: Kathy Louden won first place in the humorous speech contest for the Toastmasters Chicago Northwest Division. She also had her first humor article published, in the Nov. 14 San Francisco Chronicle.
ANDERSON WINS -- AGAIN: Dickie Anderson, columnist, essayist and speaker, has won her second Florida Writer’s Association Royal Palm Award for her third book Porch Plenitude -- Feeling Good Every Day.
PEREL PENS RAW NERVES: Syndicated columnist, Saralee Perel, has published Raw Nerves, a humorous suspense thriller.
OTHER PUBLISHING NEWS
QUEEN JAW JAW ADDS BLOG: Georgia Richardson (a.k.a., Queen Jaw Jaw) has a new blog, All Things Royal.
ZUFA PUBLISHES BOOK: Sophia Zufa has published Why God Has gray Hair.
KING OF THE MILD FRONTIER: Chris Crutcher has published an "ill-advised autobiography."
CULLEN SHARES LAZY ADVICE: Bernie Cullen has published The Lazy Person's Guide to Life.
NOV. 2004
PAST WORKSHOP FACULTY
KIRKLAND PUBLISHES COMEDY CD: Gordon Kirkland’s first comedy CD, "I’m Big For My Age,” will be released on November 15.
LYNN ON eDIETS.COM: Internationally syndicated family/health columnist Jodie Lynn has joined eDiets.com.
PAST WORKSHOP ATTENDEES
GLARDON PLACES IN STAND-UP CONTEST: Dave Glardon took second-place at the Funniest Person in Cincinnati contest.
LIEBER BEST IN TARRANT COUNTY: Fort Worth Star-Telegram columnist Dave Lieber was picked as the best columnist in the Fort Worth Weekly's 2004 Best of Tarrant County contest.
KIMERER WRITES CONFESSIONS: Patty Kimerer writes "bringin' on the heartburn -- the true confessions of a hair band mom."
ROBINSON PUBLISHES BOOK: Julie Clark Robinson has published "Live In The Moment" through Beyond Words Publishing.
VAN OSTRAND NOW IN THREE COUNTRIES: Maggie Van Ostrand's column now runs in Mexico, the United States and Canada.
GUY WINS CONTEST: Deborah Guy won the Toastmasters District 40, Area 23 Humorous Speech Contest with her essay "Queen of My Castle."
KELLY GETS FIRST ACCEPTANCE: Diane O'Brien Kelly had her first magazine article published in Northwest Family News.
ANDERSON PUBLISHES THIRD: Dickie Anderson, columnist, essayist and speaker has released her third book, "Porch Plenitude: Enjoy Everyday." The third book follows her first two and is a collection of essays taken from her popular weekly columns in the Fernandina Beach News-Leader.
DLUGOS WINS COMEDY AWARD: Jenn Dlugos won a stand-up comedy competition at the MGM Grand and was named Most Promising Comic.
OTHER PUBLISHING NEWS
DYER PUBLISHES GRACE FOR THE RACE: Dena Dyer has published "Grace for the Race: Meditations for Busy Moms" through Barbour Publishing.
ALLAN PENS DRAFTED: Rich Allan has published "Drafted,” coming of age comedy about a college student who is illegally drafted and thrown into the U.S. Army.
OCT. 2004
RAISING COURAGEOUS KIDS: University of Dayton graduate Chuck Smith's book was recently reviewed in Family Circle magazine.
KACHUBA VISITS OLD HAUNTS: Writers' workshop faculty member, John Kachuba, is on tour with his new book, "Ghosthunting Ohio." Kachuba is also the author of "How to Write Funny."
HOHLBAUM IN PREGNANCY MAGAZINE: Christine Louise Hohlbaum was quoted in the Oct. 2004 issue of Pregnancy Magazine.
BEYOND TIME AND PLACE: One of Norma Sundberg's children's stories was published in a book by Linden Hill Books.
O'DONNELL HAS NEW SITE: Newspaper columnist, Sharon O'Donnell, has a new Web site.
SEPT. 2004
GLARDON POSTS STAND-UP CLIPS: Columnist and stand-up comic, Dave Glardon, has posted audio and video clips of his act on his Web site.
KOVSKY PUBLISHES "SOME NOVEL MONEY" David Kovsky answers the question, "If we already test cosmetics and recreational pharmaceuticals on animals then why don't we just chain a bunch of monkeys to typewriters and let them create our literature for us too?"
BLUMENTHAL PENS SECOND NOVEL: St. Martin’s Press published “Millard Fillmore, Mon Amour” this month. John Blumenthal's first book was "What's Wrong With Dorfman?"
COCHRAN ON "WAIT, WAIT..." Tony Cochran, syndicated cartoonist of the comic strip Agnes and Erma Bombeck Writers' Workshop faculty member, was recently on the NPR quiz show, "Wait Wait…Don’t Tell Me!" To listen to the show, visit their site and and click on the "Not my job" link.
BRUCE IS BACK: Bruce Cameron's "How to Remodel a Man" will be published Sept. 15 by St. Martin's Press.
AUGUST 2004
HOLMES SELLS 100,000 COPIES: Wayne Holmes, who attended the 2004 Erma Bombeck Writers' Workshop, recently sold 100,000 copies of his book, "The Heart of a Mother," to the MOPS organization (Mothers of Pre-Schoolers). Read more.
MADDEN IS ON THE AIR: Barbara Madden is now a commentator on Mississippi Public Radio. Read more.
KIRKLAND LAUNCHES NEW CD: Gordon Kirkland's "Write For Your Life" is a humorous and inspiring half hour recorded live at the Florida First Coast Writers' Festival. Read more.
LYNN SIGNS ON WITH TOP SITE: BabyCenter.com, the most popular baby and pregnancy Web site, has enlisted the help of nationally syndicated parenting expert, Jodie Lynn. Read more.
JULY 2004
CHRISS PENS GUARDIAN ANGEL: Jim Chriss' thriller asks the question, "What is your president doing tonight?" Chriss is a graduate of the University of Dayton. Read more.
LYNN APPEARS IN BLUE SUIT MOM: Syndicated columnist, Jodie Lynn, was interviewed about her column in Blue Suit Mom magazine. Read more.
REARICK'S STORY MADE INTO FILM: Cappy Hall Rearick's story, "Gloryjean, the Butterbean Queen" was selected by Armstrong State College in Savannah, GA, to be made into a film. Cappy wrote the adaptation. "Gloryjean" is the last story in Cappy's book, "Simply Southern." Read more.
VAN OSTRAND HAS NEW COLUMN: Maggie Van Ostrand, who currently writes "A Balloon In Cactus" for the Pine Mountain Pioneer, has a new column called "Mountain Profiles." It will appear in The Mountain Enterprise (Frazier Park, CA), which she says has a circulation considerably larger than her hips. Read more.
BIBI'S LESSONS: Donna Riddlebarger tells the story of an adventuress who decides to find a new home where her dreams can come true. Read more.
JUNE 2004
2000 ONLINE RESOURCES FOR WRITERS: This guide will help you find genre resources, market guides, grants, experts, book promotion resources, self-publishing tools, and more. Read more.
CHICKEN SOUP FOR THE FISHERMAN'S SOUL: New anthology includes stories by George H.W. Bush and Patrick F. McManus. Read more.
BALES PENS "RANK STRANGERS": Recent college grad, Mark Bales, publishes his first novel. Read more.
GENERATION EXHAUSTED: Shelley Divnich Haggert publishes "Thirty Stories For Thirty-Somethings." Read more.
EATS, SHOOTS & LEAVES: A very funny book about punctuation. Read more.
2004 ONLINE MARKETS FOR WRITERS: Book comes with a $250 Paid & Published Guarantee. Read more.
MAY 2004
THEY LIED! TRUE TALES OF PREGNANCY, CHILDBIRTH and BREASTFEEDING: A compilation of stories, including a few by attendees of the Erma Bombeck Writers' Workshop. Read more.
TWEDT APPEARS ON MISSISSIPPI PUBLIC RADIO: Mississippi Public Broadcasting has recently recorded columns by Hattiesburg American columnist and freelance writer Kristen Twedt for broadcast during the Morning Edition, Day to Day and All Things Considered segments on Mississippi Public Radio. Read more.
MISADVENTURES OF MOMS AND DISASTERS OF DADS: Edited by Kerri Charette, this collection includes 59 funny, moving and entertaining pieces -- several from attendees of the Erma Bombeck Writers' Workshop. Read more.
SECRETS OF SYNDICATION: Jodie Lynn, who spoke at the 2004 writers' workshop, has published "Syndication Secrets: 10 Must-Do, Tried and True Rules In Getting Syndicated." Read more.
GREATEST EULOGIES OF OUR TIME: Cyrus Copeland has compiled the greatest eulogies, which includes Phil Donahue's eulogy of Erma Bombeck. Read more.
HOHLBAUM PUBLISHES "AMERICAN HOUSEWIFE ABROAD" Christine Louise Hohlbaum's serialized fiction, "American Housewife Abroad" is available online. Read more.
MOORE CREATES NEW WEB SITE: Shana Moore has launched Caffeinated Ponderings. Read more.
DC STANFA HAS NEW SITE: DC Stanfa, author of "Goosed by Gravity," has launched a new Web site. Read more.
SHAPUTIS PENS SECOND BOOK: Kathleen Shaputis has published "The Crowded Nest Syndrome: Surviving the Return of Adult Children." Her first book was "Grandma Online: A Grandmother’s Guide to the Internet." Read more.
BECOMING A PUBLISHED WRITER Tim Bete, director of the Erma Bombeck Writers' Workshop, is a contributor to "Become a published writer." Read more.
DC STANFA HAS NEW WEB SITE DC Stanfa, author of "Goosed by Gravity: The Hazards of Growing Up," has a new Web site. Read more.
ERNIE'S WORLD Ernie Witham's book, "Ernie's World," is based on his syndicated column. Read more.
FLYING FOR PEANUTS Author Marty Thompson has published "Flying for Peanuts: The ABCs of Flying Southwest Airlines." Read more.
HUMOROUS MYSTERY WINS HONORS Kathryn Lively's "Saints Preserve Us," won the Florida Writers Association Royal Palm Award for Best Mystery. Read more.
SCHREIBER PUBLISHES "WHAT ARE YOU LAUGHING AT?" Brad Schreiber has written the definitive book on how to write funny. In it he compares writing screenplays with fiction and non-fiction in all forms. Read more.
WILSON PENS "BOTH SIDES NOW" Connie (Corcoran) Wilson's humorous look at life is now available online through 1stBooks. Read more.
THE TRUTH ABOUT COWS AND OTHER FARM ANIMALS Leigh Rubin, creator of the Rubes cartoon, forays into the fantastical and fanciful world of farm animals. Read more.
Copyright 2009, University of Dayton
