Virtualwriter’sworkshop

The University of Dayton’s popular Erma Bombeck Writers’ Workshop is going virtual for 2020, organizers announced recently.

Emmy Award winners, celebrated authors and comedians will headline the virtual workshop Oct. 29-31.

Theworkshop will be recorded through the interactive platform Crowdcast, which gives attendees the opportunity to watch replays

of every session. Registration opens Tuesday. The event typically sells out in hours.

The cost is $ 199. A link to register will be posted at humorwriters.org.

The lineup for the virtual event features six keynote speakers and the chance to participate in 25 sessions, as well as an attendee stand-upcomedyshowandPitchapalooza, billed as “American Idol for books, only kinder.”

“Erma Bombeck had a couple book titles that speak to our times — ‘If Life is a Bowl of Cherries, WhatAmI Doing in the Pits?’ and ‘Aunt Erma’s Cope Book.’ I am certain she is cheering us on from above with our new virtual format urging us to not just cope, but revel in our ability to reach

an even bigger audience,” said emcee Patricia Wynn Brown, who’s participated in everyworkshop since its founding 20 years ago, in a news release.

“In a pandemic with the conference facing its second postponement, we asked, ‘WWEW?— WhatWould ErmaWant?’ Weare doing it. Carrying on,” she said.

Theworkshop’s facultyincludes a Pulitzer Prize finalist, a Thurber Prize winner, a winner of The Moth GrandSLAM and three popular former keynote speakers — Leighann Lord and the writing team of Kathy Kinney and Cindy Ratzlaff.