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ERMA BOMBECK WRITERS' WORKSHOP NEWSLETTER
University of Dayton
June 2009
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Dear writer,
When a pink bedpan arrives in the mail as a form of payment, what's a writer to think? Linda O'Connell thought she might turn hers into a planter.
O'Connell got her bedpan as one of the contributors to Bedpan Banter, a collection of humorous medical essays published at the end of May. The collection was compiled and edited by Brenda Elsager, a cancer survivor and author of If the Battle Is Over, Why Am I Still in Uniform? and I'd Like to Buy a Bowel Please. If the name sounds familiar, it's because you may have met her at the 2008 Erma Bombeck Writer's Workshop, where she spent some time networking with fellow writers and, well, I'll let her tell the story:
"I was enjoying myself tremendously when halfway through I realized I was missing a tremendous opportunity to gather stories for a book I had just begun called Bedpan Banter: Medical Stories of Humor and Inspiration. Already I had lost precious time so I started being rather daring by announcing myself to groups of 25 or more. If they were eating, riding on the bus, sitting at my table, they didn’t escape me. I started talking about my book and asked for anyone that would have a story that fit the criteria to send them to me. ... Obviously, the conference was a great experience for me and all of these writers are now contributors to a book. As a reward, they get a check, a book and a bedpan!"
The book includes stories from 13 attendees she met at the workshop: Marsha Clodfelter and Avamarie Miller in Texas, LaVerne Bardy in New Jersey, Judy Epstein in New York, Cappy Hall Rearick in Georgia, Lissa Brown in North Carolina, Ginger Truitt in Indiana, Dorothy Rosby in South Dakota, Pamela Goldstein in Ontario and Ohioans Christina Cahill, Joyce Richardson, Pamela Gregg and Carole Turner.
In an economy that's swirling, maybe bedpans will turn out to be a pretty good investment.
Keep writing,
Matthew Dewald
Workshop director
P.P.S. Starting with this June installment, the workshop newsletter will resume monthly publication as plans go forward for the 2010 workshop. Look for early details in the July newsletter. Published lately? Drop me a note at erma@udayton.edu with relevant links for the next newsletter (and do the new workshop director a favor by mentioning if you're past workshop attendee or speaker).
From Erma’s desk ...
“If I had my life to live over, ... I would have sat cross-legged on the lawn with my children and never worried about grass stains.” From Erma's column "If I Had My Life to Live Over," published Dec. 2, 1979
Latest news…
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.
Humor writer of the month
JOHN CHRISTMAN
GPS in the car voiced "by a woman who is not my wife." Calling a repair service to fix the Hubble Telescope. The "astronomical" excitement of the latest Star Trek movie. These are just a few of the things that get the wheels of John Christman's mind going. Christman writes a weekly column, "Dad in the Box," for The Alternative Press in northern New Jersey and archives the columns on his site.
Who's publishing what?
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
Markets, contests and more
NOW PITCHING
The Great American Pitchfest, where a small number of paying aspiring screenwriters pitch ideas to movie executives, will be in Los Angeles June 13 & 14. Saturday is devoted to free workshop sessions, Sunday to the Pitchfest for the 500 paid attendees.
MONTHLY HUMOR CONTEST
HumorPress.com holds monthly humor writing contests with cash prizes. Read more.
CARTOON CAPTION CONTEST
FUNNY HEADLINE CONTEST
Can you write a hilarious headline? Read more.
SOUP'S STILL ON
The Chicken Soup for the Soul folks continue to look for stories. Upcoming topics include families, dieting and fitness, and endurance sports and NASCAR. Writers, start your keyboards.
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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 erma@udayton.edu.
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Copyright 2009, University of Dayton
