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ERMA BOMBECK WRITERS' WORKSHOP NEWSLETTER
University of Dayton
August 2006
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Dear writer:
At the 2004 Erma Bombeck Writers' Workshop, Dave Fox got quite a payoff. Fox won the
public speaker who spends his summers working as a tour guide in Europe for Rick Steves’
Europe Through the Back Door, wrote a proposal for a collection of true stories about
misadventures in foreign places. At age eight, Fox moved to England and nearly started a
riot in Northern Africa. As a nerdy teenager, he smuggled illegal radio equipment into
Finland on his way to spending a year in Norway. In his college days, he discovered it is
not wise to seek inner peace inside an Icelandic volcano. He thwarted the Italian Mafia,
only to find himself surrounded by machine gun-toting cops in Greece.
AuthorHouse provided $2,000 in publishing services to Fox. But he still had one problem:
was published.
I got an e-mail from Dave the other day but before I could respond to it he was already off to Sweden to lead another tour. Dave wrote, "Promoting the book in such a narrow window of time (while severely jetlagged and overworked) has been a challenge." He's created a great promotional Web site for his book: www.DavesBook.com. Take a look and pick up a copy of his book. You'll experience far-away places without the jet lag.
Keep writing!
Tim Bete
Latest news...
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.
Humor writer of the month
CATHY HAMILTON
Cathy Hamilton writes a column called "Boomer Girl Diary" for the Lawrence (Kan.) Journal-World. She's written many books for Andrews McMeel Publishing, including I Love You More Than Beer and The Girlfriend's Bible. Visit her Web site.
Book giveaway
Each month we give away a book on writing to a few subscribers to our newsletter. If you're subscribed, you're entered to win! This issue's winners are:
* Laurel Sheppard
* Jennifer Karin
* Joan Friedman
Who's publishing what?
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.
Markets, contests and more
GREETING CARDS: American Greetings is looking for freelance humor writers. Contact Mark Holthaus.
CHRISTIAN HUMOR WRITERS: New discussion group for Christians of all denominations involved in the religious or mainstream humor industry -- including essayists, authors, speakers, comics, greeting card writers and cartoonists. Read more.
PRIZE FOR HUMOROUS FICTION & NONFICTION: The 7th Annual Mona Schreiber Prize for Humorous Fiction and Nonfiction is open. Writers of comedic stories, articles, essays, poems, songs, plays, hate letters and other forms beyond description are invited to submit. Read more.
CHICKEN SOUP FOR KIDS: Chicken Soup for the Soul will continue to inspire young kids through a series of character-building books and is accepting true, first-person stories from adults about childhood experiences. Stories must be written for kids ages 4-7 and focus on character-building traits such as friendship, accepting others, accepting yourself, kindness, honesty and persistence. Send submissions to Gina@lifewriters.com by November 1, 2006.
MENOPAUSAL SOUL: Immediate need of funny, inspirational and heartfelt stories for upcoming title, Chicken Soup for the Menopausal Soul. Book will cover all facets of menopause -- peri-menopause to post-menopause, and
everything between. Mail submissions to: Chicken Soup for the Menopausal Soul; c/o Publishing Syndicate; P.O. Box 607;
Orangevale, CA 95662.
MARKET YOUR BOOK: BookHitch.com allows authors to list theirs books on the Web site and get recognition for free. Read more.
792 WORD MAXIMUM: The Writing Fairy Humor-Writing Contest for authors 18 years of age or older is accepting entries. Submit your story for a chance to win a cash prize. Read more.
SMART BOMB RADIO: "The only podcast liable to take a finger off" is looking for humor material. Read more.
MEDICAL HUMOR: Stitches, the Journal of Medical Humour, is looking for short humor pieces. Read more.
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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. Join now.
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SUGGEST A RESOURCE: If you have a favorite book or Web site, let us know at bete@udayton.edu.
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Copyright 2006, University of Dayton
