You Had Me at Room Service: What Writer Wouldn't Want a Hotel Room of One's Own?

28/08/2019 06:36

DAYTON, Ohio, Aug. 28, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- "I haven't slept in 12 years," one beleaguered writer started her application.

And this realization from another hopeful writer, "You had me at room service."

The University of Dayton's Erma Bombeck Writers' Workshop is offering two emerging humor writers the opportunity to compete for an all-expenses-paid trip to Dayton, Ohio, where the winners will be "robed" in plush, custom-embroidered bathrobes and given free registration to the April 2-4, 2020, workshop.

As part of the biennial A Hotel Room of One's Own: The Erma Bombeck | Anna Lefler Humorist-in-Residence Program, the winners will then spend two more blissful weeks at the University of Dayton Marriott.

Yes, a hotel with a "Do Not Disturb" sign that can be draped over the door knob. Free room service. An omelet bar. A housekeeping staff. A TV remote of one's own. The sun rising over the Great Miami River (aka, the Dayton Riviera). It's the ultimate gift for any writer — the luxury of time to write.

Applications will be accepted Sept. 3-24, with Pulitzer Prize-winning humorist Dave Barry and best-selling novelist Adriana Trigiani serving as finalist judges.

"This is an opportunity for funny writers to deep dive into their comedic voices and create without limitations. I would be thrilled for this program to provide the catalyst for emerging comedy writers to break through with their art," says Anna Lefler, a Los Angeles novelist and comedy writer who conceived and funded the program.

It already has done just that for the winners of the inaugural 2018 competition.

"Not only did the residency allow me to binge on Netflix uninterrupted by pesky family members, it allowed me the time, space and solitude to see how the book I was working on was actually going to work. Lucky Like That, a collection of funny personal essays, is now completed and being shopped around by my agent.

"Who knew that 17 of the best days of my career would be spent on a little window seat in a corner room of the Dayton Marriott?" asked Samantha Schoech, a writer, copywriter and editor from San Francisco.

Brooklyn-based comedian Karen Chee has traded "hotel life" for a TV studio. She's now part of an Emmy-nominated group of comedy writers on "Late Night With Seth Meyers."

"The uninterrupted time in Dayton absolutely helped me focus on my career. What a gift to have time dedicated fully to my work, rather than worrying about chores and bills and everything else that goes with life," said Chee, whose writing credits include the 2019 Golden Globe Awards and the upcoming Reductress pilot on Comedy Central. She also writes for The New Yorker and has been published in The New York Times, The Washington Post and McSweeneys.

The contest is open to all aspiring humor writers regardless of gender or comedic point of view. Writers working on novels, narrative non-fiction, plays, essays, sitcom scripts and other humor writing are encouraged to apply, with special consideration given to emerging writers. The application fee is $25. Entries will be blind-judged by established writers, with winners announced Nov. 12.

It's an opportunity of a lifetime.

"The chance to step away from your everyday responsibilities to concentrate on your humor writing AND unlimited tiny soaps? The comedy practically writes itself," says Lefler, author of Preschooled and The CHICKtionary and a three-time faculty member at the Erma Bombeck Writers' Workshop.

Visit humorist-in-residence.com for more details.

Media Contact:
Teri Rizvi
Erma Bombeck Writers' Workshop
220677@email4pr.com
937-367-2878

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