**************************************************************
ERMA BOMBECK WRITERS' WORKSHOP NEWSLETTER
University of Dayton
July 2004
mailto:erma@udayton.edu
**************************************************************
I guess I can add award-winning poet to my resume. The March issue of Writer's Digest magazine asked readers to take three seldom-used words and write a haiku. Out of more than 500 entries, my entry was one of seven that received "honorable mention." My haiku was:
Putrid editor
Regurgitates my query
as if emetic
Can you tell I've received my share of rejection letters? You can read the other winners at http://tinyurl.com/2u5pt Now that I've conquered the haiku, I can move on to limericks.
In this issue of the newsletter, there are two fascinating stories about attendees of the Erma Bombeck Writers' Workshop who were contacted by a producer of a reality TV show and asked to send audition tapes. The stories highlight the importance of having a Web site if you're a writer. Details are below.
Keep writing!
Tim Bete
Humor columnist (http://www.TimBete.com) and director, Erma Bombeck Writers' Workshop (http://www.HumorWriters.org)
P.S. Feel free to forward this newsletter to all your writer friends.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
ATTENDEES ASKED TO AUDITION FOR REALITY TV SHOW
It’s not every day you get an invitation to audition as a TV host. And it wouldn't have happened if it weren't for the Erma Bombeck Writers' Workshop and a few writers with Web sites.
Who Wants to Be A TV Host? by Suzette Martinez Standring
See http://www.humorwriters.org/RealityShow.html
Quick! Throw a dinner party! by Marybeth Hicks
See http://www.humorwriters.org/HicksTVshow.html
Networking for the disinclined by Maggie Van Ostrand
See http://www.humorwriters.org/VanOstrandNetworking.html
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
NSNC EXPLORES RELATIONSHIP WITH BOMBECK WORKSHOP
The National Society of Newspaper Columnists is exploring the possibility of a partnership with the Erma Bombeck Writers’ Workshop and an affiliation with its sponsor, the University of Dayton. A proposal was approved at the NSNC general membership meeting on June 13, 2004 for the president to appoint a committee to enter into negotiations with workshop director Tim Bete and report the results at the 2005 Conference.
See http://tinyurl.com/22tyl
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
NSNC ANNOUNCES 2004 COLUMN CONTEST WINNERS
Winners of the 2004 column writing contest sponsored by the National Society of Newspaper Columnists were announced June 12 at the annual conference in New Orleans.
See http://www.humorwriters.org/NSNC2004Winners.html
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
FINDING A GOOD IDEA FOR YOUR BOOK
The journey of a thousand manuscripts pages (or even 150) begins with a single idea. Here's how to find one.
See http://www.humorwriters.org/BlyGoodIdea.html
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
CO-OPERATIVE BOOK PROMOTION
Book promotion is expensive. Dan Poynter shows you how to save money while increasing your sales.
See http://www.humorwriters.org/PoynterCoOp.html
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
IT'S A MIRACLE!
When aspiring writers tell Lynn Colwell they lack time to write, she poses “The Miracle Question."
See http://www.humorwriters.org/ColwellMiracle.html
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
ERMA BOMBECK'S WAY
Directionally-challenged Barbara Madden shares the one thing all writers have in common.
See http://www.barbaramadden.com/Page.html
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
CAMERON CORNER
Alex Cameron served as pronouncer of the Scripps National Spelling Bee for more than two decades. Cameron, who taught English at the University of Dayton from 1964 until his death in February 2003, is commemorated in a corner of
Roesch Library dedicated in his memory and filled with his books.
See http://www.humorwriters.org/CameronCorner.html
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
HOW TO WIN WRITING CONTESTS
Pamela White offers advice and resources to writers who would like to sort out fact from fiction in the world of writing contests.
See http://tinyurl.com/2f49t
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
GOING FOR THE BIG LAUGH
To Chris Brethwaite, writing funny greeting cards is a lot like magic.
See http://tinyurl.com/29lp2
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
ERNIE PYLE'S BIOGRAPHER
James Tobin is the author of a biography of World War II correspondent Ernie Pyle. He recently appeared on Fresh Air
radio.
See http://tinyurl.com/2r37k
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
TOP CARTOON HONOR FOR 'LUANN' CREATOR
"Luann" creator Greg Evans won the Reuben Award as cartoonist of the year.
See http://tinyurl.com/2xlkg
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
WHO'S PUBLISHING WHAT?
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. See http://www.jimchriss.com
LYNN APPEARS IN BLUE SUIT MOM: Syndicated columnist, Jodie Lynn, was interviewed about her column in Blue Suit Mom magazine. See http://www.parenttoparent.com/news/syndmoms.html
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." See http://www.simplysoutherncappy.com
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. See http://www.balloonincactus.com
BIBI'S LESSONS: Donna Riddlebarger tells the story of an adventuress who decides to find a new home where her dreams can come true. See http://tinyurl.com/35nsw
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
HUMOR WRITER OF THE MONTH: KIMBERLY RIPLEY
Kimberly Ripley is a full-time freelance writer and published author. In addition to Freelancing Later in Life,
she is the author of Breathe Deeply, This Too Shall Pass, a book of thirty tales of trials and tribulations examining
the humorous aspects of parenting teens. See http://www.humorisrelative.com/story-0001.html
If you'd like to be considered as our featured writer, send an e-mail with a link to one of your columns to: mailto:bete@udayton.edu
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
WRITER'S DIGEST BOOK GIVEAWAY
Each month we give away a book on writing to a few subscribers to this newsletter. If you're subscribed, you're entered to win! This issue's winners are:
* Ernie Witham from Santa Barbara, CA
* Karen O'Keefe from Gaithersburg, MD
Each has won a copy of "Write from Life: Turning Your Personal Experiences into Compelling Stories" by Meg Files.
They've also won an Erma Bombeck Writers' Workshop mouse pad.
Thanks to Writer's Digest for providing the books for our giveaway. To learn more about the book we gave away this
month, see http://tinyurl.com/2qwfg
Stay tuned! You could be one of next issue's winners!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
MARKETS, CONTESTS AND MORE
-----------------------------------------------
SOUTHERN HUMOR: Reopening negotiations with the North -- one laugh at a time. See http://www.southernhumorists.com
-----------------------------------------------
HUMOR PRIZE: The 2004 Mona Schreiber Prize for Humorous Fiction and Non-Fiction is accepting submissions. See
http://www.brashcyber.com/mona.html
-----------------------------------------------
LEAVING HOME: Hourglass Books is creating a collection of stories about the experience of departure and change. See
http://www.hourglassbooks.com/submissions.html
-----------------------------------------------
LITERARY MAMA: Features writing by mother writers about the complexities and many faces of motherhood. Seeks top-notch creative writing: fiction, poetry and creative nonfiction. See http://www.literarymama.com/submissions/
-----------------------------------------------
DIAPERS & DEADLINES: Seeks stories that are funny, uplifting or inspirational. Wants stories that will cause a
busy mom to have a good laugh or find a word of encouragement. See http://tinyurl.com/2ceeh
-----------------------------------------------
CUP OF COMFORT: Looking for stories about faith, love and spirituality. See http://www.cupofcomfort.com/share.htm
-----------------------------------------------
NETWORK WITH OTHER HUMOR WRITERS: Network with other humor writers. Join the e-mail discussion group for past attendees of the Erma Bombeck Writers'
Workshop and those who would like to attend in the future. To join, visit the Yahoo! Group at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/humor_writers
-----------------------------------------------
SUGGEST A RESOURCE: If you have a favorite book or Web site, let me know at bete@udayton.edu.
mailto:bete@udayton.edu
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
2004 WORKSHOP SPONSORS
University of Dayton National Alumni Association: http://alumni.udayton.edu
Ohio Humanities Council: http://www.ohiohumanities.org
AuthorHouse: http://www.authorhouse.com
National Society of Newspaper Columnists: http://www.columnists.com
Andrews McMeel Publishing: http://www.amuniversal.com/amp
Dayton Daily News: http://www.daytondailynews.com
Books & Company: http://www.booksandco.com/events/dayton04.html
ThinkTV: http://www.thinktv.org
Washington-Centerville Public Library: http://www.wcpl.lib.oh.us
WHIO-TV: http://www.whiotv.com
WYSO public radio: http://www.wyso.org
Dayton Marriott: http://marriott.com/property/propertyPage/DAYOH
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
OTHER ERMA BOMBECK WRITING WORKSHOP LINKS
-------------------------------------------------------
WORKSHOP FACULTY http://www.humorwriters.org/Speakerbios.html
ERMA MUSEUM http://www.ErmaMuseum.org
FREE SCREEN SAVER http://www.humorwriters.org/Screensaver.html
FREE NEWSLETTER http://www.humorwriters.org/Newsletter.html
CONTACT US http://www.humorwriters.org/Contact.html
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Copyright 2004, University of Dayton
