The Keynotes - The Best Keynote Speaches from the Erma Bombeck Writers' Workshops Format: MP3 Download or USB Flash Drive These lectures were audio recorded at the Erma Bombeck Writers' Workshops between 2010 and 2018. Download the MP3 files today or have them shipped to you on a USB flash drive. Listen to these wonderful speakers recorded live. Featuring all of these speakers: Sophfronia Scott Monica Piper John Grogan Rita Davenport Karen Walrond Liza Donnelly Leighann Lord Kathy Kinney Cindy Ratzlaff Amy Ephron Roy Blount Jr. Bruce Ferber Judy Carter Lisa Scottoline Francesca Serritella Phil Donahue Gina Barecca Ilene Beckerman Adriana Trigiani Connie Schultz Alan Zweibel Steve Doocy THIS PACKAGE INCLUDES KEYNOTE PRESENTATIONS FROM: Sophfronia Scott Sophronia Scott began her writing career as a journalist for Time and People magazines. When her first novel, All I Need to Get By, was published by St. Martin’s Press in 2004, she was nominated for best new author at the African American Literary Awards and hailed by Henry Louis Gates Jr. as “potentially one of the best writers of her generation.” Sophfronia holds a bachelor’s degree in English from Harvard University and Master of Fine Arts in writing, fiction and creative nonfiction from Vermont College of Fine Arts. Her latest novel is Unforgivable Love (William Morrow). She’s also the author of an essay collection, Love’s Long Line (Ohio State University Press’s Mad Creek Books), and a memoir, This Child of Faith: Raising a Spiritual Child in a Secular World, co-written with her son Tain (Paraclete Press). Her essays, short stories and articles have appeared in Killens Review of Arts & Letters, Saranac Review, Numéro Cinq, Ruminate, Barnstorm Literary Journal, Sleet Magazine, NewYorkTimes.com, More, and O, The Oprah Magazine. Her essay “Why I Didn’t Go to the Firehouse” is listed among the Notables in Best American Essays 2017. Sophfronia teaches at Regis University and Bay Path University. She’s also delivered craft talks and held workshops at the Yale Writers’ Workshop, Antioch Writers’ Workshop, Meacham Writers’ Workshop and the Hobart Festival of Women Writers in addition to her own retreat, The Write of Your Life, which takes place in Veneto, Italy, each September. She lives in Sandy Hook, Connecticut, where she is working on her next novel as well as a nonfiction book about her virtual mentorship with the monk Thomas Merton. This also means she is fighting a losing battle against the weeds in her flower beds. Monica Piper Monica Piper is an Emmy Award-winning comedy writer and stand-up comic. She has written for sitcoms Roseanne, Mad About You and Veronica’s Closet, and was the head writer of the #1 children’s animated series Rugrats. She also developed and wrote series for Nickelodeon, Disney and Cartoon Network. She starred in her own Showtime Network special, No, Monica, Just You and was nominated by the American Comedy Awards as one of the top five female comedians in the country. She is proud to be an artist-in-residence with the Jewish Women’s Theatre of Los Angeles. Her critically acclaimed one-woman play, “Not That Jewish” ran to sell-out crowds in LA, before its hit seven-month run Off Broadway. When she’s not touring with the show, she works in the corporate world as a motivational comedian. As a breast cancer survivor, she inspires audiences everywhere to lose the stress and find the funny. Monica began her career as a high school English teacher. While finding it rewarding, she had to move on: “I couldn’t handle the money and prestige.” She lives in Santa Monica with her son, Jake, whom she loves and adores “almost every day.” John Grogan John Grogan is the author of the international #1 bestseller Marley & Me: Life and Love with the World’s Worst Dog, which has sold 6 million copies in more than 30 languages and was turned into a major motion picture starring Owen Wilson and Jennifer Aniston. He also is the author of the national bestseller The Longest Trip Home: A Memoir and of numerous children’s books. A native of Detroit, he spent 20 years as a journalist and newspaper columnist in Michigan, Florida and, most recently, at The Philadelphia Inquirer. His popular, award-winning column was known for its blend of humor, warmth and pathos. John is an adjunct professor of creative narrative nonfiction writing at Lehigh University. In his free time, he enjoys gardening, backpacking and sailing. He and his wife, Jenny, live with their two surprisingly calm Labrador retrievers in Pennsylvania’s Lehigh Valley. Rita Davenport Rita Davenport is an award-winning TV producer, host, bestselling author, corporate trainer, inspirational humorist and world-renowned entrepreneur. In her role as president of a network marketing company, she elevated revenues from $5 million to $980 million dollars annually. Rita has “walked her talk.” Drawing on her vast experience in effective sales, leadership and team building, she trains, inspires and entertains a variety of Fortune 500 corporate clients. Viewed in more than 32 million homes on her television shows, Success Strategies and Laugh Your Way to Success, Rita is a gifted messenger. She has the unique ability to empower, entertain and train audiences worldwide. Rita’s four best-selling books have reached sales of more than one million copies, including Making Time, Making Money and her newest hit, Funny Side Up, which was published by Success magazine. Having shared the stage with John Maxwell, Tony Robbins, Sir Richard Branson, Les Brown and Daren Hardy, Rita was elected to the National Speakers Association’s Hall of Fame. She is also an esteemed “charter member” with the distinct recognition of CSP and CPAE held by only 3 percent of national speakers. Rita has been featured in many prestigious publications, ranging from Forbes and The Wall Street Journal to People and Success magazine, and has appeared on Today, Good Morning America and Kathie Lee & Hoda, among countless other television and radio programs. She’s also known for speaking two languages — English and Southern. Karen Walrond Karen Walrond is an attorney, speaker, photographer, author and leadership coach. She is the creative mind behind the award-winning website Chookooloonks.com, which features travel, art, food and life and serves as an inspirational source for living with intention, creativity and adventure. Her work, described as “all about connection, creativity, determination and resonance that we all experience, if only we look for the light,” has been featured on CNN.com, USA Today, Good Housekeeping and Wondertimemagazines, among others. She has appeared on PBS and The Oprah Winfrey Show. Her bestselling book, The Beauty of Different, is a chronicle of imagery and portraiture, combined with written essays and observations on the concept that what makes us different makes us beautiful — and may even be the source of our superpowers. Her latest book, Make Light: Stories of Bright Sparks, Slow Burns and Thriving Outloud, shares the stories of people who make it their mission to thrive out loud by pursuing passions, new businesses and breathtaking adventures, inspiring us all to hone our minds, bodies and spirits in ways that allow us to change our worlds. She’s a certified Daring Way facilitator, trained in Brené Brown’s work on vulnerability, courage, empathy and worthiness. Her keynote talks and workshops include these concepts, specifically addressing how vulnerability — the ability to show up in the midst of uncertainty, risk and emotional exposure — is the strongest measure of courage that we have, courage which can help foster innovation and creativity. Liza Donnelly Liza Donnelly is a writer and award-winning cartoonist with The New Yorker Magazine and resident cartoonist for CBS News. Her drawings and writing can also be seen in The New York Times, Medium, Forbes, Politico and other major publications. She is the creator of a new digital visual reporting/editorial cartooning style called live-drawing. She was the first cartoonist to be granted access on location to live-draw the Academy Awards; she has also live-drawn the Grammys, Tonys, the 2016 Democratic Convention and more. Her innovative approach to reporting and commenting on events has been covered by CBS News, NBC News, Ad Week, USAToday, Watch Magazine and People Magazine. An extensive traveler, she has received several international awards for her editorial cartoons. An accomplished public speaker, she has been a cultural envoy for the U.S. State Department, traveling the world to speak about freedom of speech and women’s rights. Her TED talk was translated into 38 languages and viewed over 1 million times. Along with her husband Michael Maslin, she was profiled on CBS Sunday Morning, has been a guest on numerous podcasts, television and radio shows, and has been interviewed for many publications. Liza is the recipient of an honorary Ph.D. from University of Connecticut and taught at Vassar College and the School of Visual Arts in New York City. She is the author/editor of 18 books. Her latest book, Women On Men, was a finalist for the Thurber Prize for American Humor. Donnelly is a charter member of the international project, Cartooning for Peace. She lives in New York. Leighann Lord Leighann Lord is a stand-up comedian, actress, commentator and writer. Inspired by “the brilliance of George Carlin, the smooth jazz style of Franklyn Ajaye and the elegance of Rita Rutner,” she calls her brand, “Thinking Cap Comedy.” She has performed stand-up on Lifetime’s Girls Night Out, HBO’s Def Comedy Jam and Comedy Central’s Premium Blend, and she won the “Hilarious Housewives Contest” on ABC’s The View. In addition to performing her own material, she was a writer for the Chris Rock Show and pens the syndicated humor column “The Urban Erma.” She brings a blend of humor and pop culture as a co-host of the StarTalk Radio Show with Neil deGrasse Tyson on SiriusXM. On PBS’s Charlie Rose, That Money Show, FOX News, CNN and MSNBC, she has given her informed and funny take on current events. Her one-woman show, The Full Swanky, debuted in the Riant Theatre Women’s Play Festival, where she won the award for Best Actress. Leighann has received the NYC Black Comedy Award for “The Most Thought Provoking Black Female Comic” and was named Harlem Week’s official comedian, only the second one to earn that distinction, the first being Richard Pryor. She has performed around the world, around the country and for U.S. troops in Afghanistan, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia. She’s the author of five e-books — two volumes of Dict Jokes: ALTernate DEFinitions for Words You’ve Probably Never Heard of But Will Definitely Never Forget and three collections of her humor essays. Her newest book is Real Women Do it Standing Up: Stories From the Career of a Very Funny Lady. Kathy Kinney Kathy Kinney, who may best be known for her iconic role as “Mimi” on the ABC hit series The Drew Carey Show, has appeared in dozens of TV shows including Lois and Clark, The Newhart Show, The Larry Sanders Show, Seinfeld, Whose Line Is It Anyway, My Name Is Earl, The Secret Life of the American Teenager and Fargo (season 2). She has appeared in such films as Parting Glances, Scrooged, Three Fugitives, Stanley & Iris, This Boy’s Life and Arachnophobia. With her background in improvisational comedy, she has performed extensively in Las Vegas at the MGM Grand, Caesars Palace and the Mirage with Drew Carey and the Improv All-Stars as well as tours with the USO in Saudi Arabia, Iraq and the Persian Gulf. She is the co-author, along with her friend Cindy Ratzlaff, of three books, Queen of Your Own Life: The Grown-up Woman’s Guide to Claiming Happiness and Getting the Life You Deserve; Queenisms: 101 Jolts of Inspiration and Queen of Your Own Life: If Not Now, When? She also co-created a page-a-day calendar featuring Queenisms, which are short inspirational sayings combined with vintage photos. Kathy is the star and co-producer of the award-winning website for children MrsP.com, which promotes creativity, literacy and the joy of reading. She is also an education ambassador for Skype. Cindy Ratzlaff Author, speaker and entrepreneur Cindy Ratzlaff was named to the Forbes “20 Best Branded Women on Twitter” list, and Forbes Woman called her one of the “Most Influential Women Tweeting about Entrepreneurship.” During her 20-plus years as a marketing executive with Simon & Schuster and Rodale, Cindy created branded marketing and PR campaigns that ushered more than 200 books onto the New York Times bestseller lists. She was named to the Ad Age “Marketing 50” list for the launch campaign behind The South Beach Diet, which went on to sell more than two million copies. Cindy’s essays on happiness have appeared on Oprah.com and CNN.com, and her articles on social marketing can be read on BusinessInsider.com. She is the co-author, with her friend Kathy Kinney, of three books, Queen of Your Own Life: The Grown-up Woman’s Guide to Claiming Happiness and Getting the Life You Deserve, Queenisms: 101, Jolts of Inspiration and Queen of Your Own Life: If Not Now, When? By licensing the contents of her Facebook page, Queen of Your Own LifeTM, Queenisms are now available as a page-a-day calendar. Cindy speaks to conferences such as BookExpo America, the Pennsylvania Conference for Women, Romance Writers of America, Ernst & Young, Texas Conference for Women, among others, on the topics of happiness, personal branding and creating a digital footprint. She engages daily with more than 450,000 people through her popular Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and blog sites. Amy Ephron Best-selling and award-winning novelist Amy Ephronis known for her pitch-perfect tone and unerring eye as she often chronicles love stories against the backdrop of an historical or socio-political time or event. Her seven books include A Cup of Tea, One Sunday Morning and Loose Diamonds. She describes her newest book, The Castle in the Mist, as “a modern-day mash up of an old-fashioned children’s book.” It will be published in spring 2017. She’s a contributor and contributing editor at Vogue and Vogue.com. Her cutting-edge, occasionally humorous and insightful articles and essays on fashion, food, politics and love have appeared online and in print in Vogue, The New York Times, House Beautiful, The Chicago Tribune, The Huffington Post, Medium and others. She lives with her husband, attorney Alan Rader, in Los Angeles and, despite the fact that she travels often, she has a distinctly West Coast point of view. Roy Blount Jr. Roy Blount Jr. has been called “a humorist and social critic in the tradition of Mark Twain, Will Rogers, H.L. Mencken and W.C. Fields.” A master storyteller and prolific writer, he has written two dozen books, including Save Room for Pie: Food Songs and Chewy Ruminations, to be released in March 2016. He is a familiar voice on NPR’s Wait, Wait . . . Don’t Tell Me! and his writing regularly appears in national magazines. When Roy received the 2009 Thomas Wolfe Prize, poet James Seay described his writing as “the words of a humorist with poetry in him, one who understands the deepest registers of language.” His wide-ranging books cover subjects from the first woman president of the United States to what barnyard animals are thinking. They include Alphabetter Juice; Alphabet Juice; Feet on the Street: Rambles Around New Orleans; Roy Blount’s Book of Southern Humor; Robert E. Lee; Be Sweet: A Conditional Love Story; and Long Time Leaving: Dispatches From Up South, which won the 2007 nonfiction award from the New England Independent Booksellers Association. AudioFile chose the audio version as one of the year’s top five books read by their authors. Roy’s first book about hanging out with the Pittsburgh Steelers, About Three Bricks Shy…And the Load Filled Up, was named one of the 10 best sports books ever by The Washington Postand by The New Yorker, “the best of all books about pro football.” His prolific writing has appeared in more than 170 periodicals, including The New Yorker, Oxford American, Garden & Gun, Antaeus, The New York Times, The Southern Review, Gourmet and Sports Illustrated. He wrote the screenplay of Larger Than Life starring Bill Murray, the lyrics of a song Andie MacDowell sings in Michael, and an HBO fairy tale, The Frog Princess. He performed a one-man show at the American Place Theatre, has appeared on A Prairie Home Companion, CBS Morning Show, Tonight Show, David Letterman, Good Morning America, Today Show, Larry King, Politically Incorrect and in a series of TV spots for the NBA starring Bill Murray, which he helped Murray create. For Sports Illustrated, where he was a staff writer and associate editor from 1968-1975 and is now a senior special contributor, he has rafted the Amazon (attacked by piranha), played baseball with the 1969 Chicago Cubs (hit a ball 350 feet), become all but athletically a virtual member of the dynasty-years Pittsburgh Steelers, and hung out with Wilt Chamberlain, Yogi Berra, Reggie Jackson and the world’s oldest then-living lifeguard. (Though not all at once.) Roy is the ex-president of the Authors Guild; a member of PEN and the Fellowship of Southern Authors; a New York Public Library Literary Lion; a Boston Public Library Literary Light; a usage consultant to the American Heritage Dictionary; and an original member of the Rock Bottom Remainders, a rock band composed entirely of writers. Bruce Ferber Bruce Ferber is an Emmy- and Golden Globe-nominated comedy writer and producer whosecredits include Bosom Buddies, Growing Pains, Sabrina, The Teenage Witch, Coach andHome Improvement, where he served as executive producer and showrunner. Home Improvement star Tim Allen has described Mr. Ferber as “a very clever, insightful and funny fellow.”  In addition to being recognized by the Television Academy, his work has received the People’s Choice, Kid’s Choice and Environmental Media Awards. His debut novel, Elevating Overman, blends humor with genuine pathos, following the journey of Ira Overman as he makes one last stab at changing his life. Ferber has admitted that the novel isautobiographical: “Ira Overman is Bruce Ferber without the benefit of 20 years of therapy.” Elevating Overman was recently elevated to a whole new level when actor Jason Alexander recorded the just-released audio book.  Ferber lives in Southern California with his wife, large dog and assorted musical instruments. His second novel, Cascade Falls, is due for publication in the fall of 2014. Judy Carter Judy Carter is the acclaimed bestselling author of The Comedy Bible, which Oprah Winfrey touted on her show and the Washington Post described as “the number one comedy essential of 2010.” Ms. Carter began her career doing standup comedy and now teaches people to use humor in public speaking. Her books have helped people worldwide discover their creativity and launch money-making careers. She has appeared on more than 100 TV shows, was nominated for Atlantic City’s “Entertainer of the Year” and has shared the stage with Billy Crystal, Robin Williams and Lily Tomlin. She has been a keynote speaker for more than 1,000 companies, sharing the platform with Deepak Chopra, Andrea Mitchell and Bill Clinton, to name a few. Her new book, The Message of You, teaches readers how to use life stories to inspire others and advance their careers. Lisa Scottoline When bestselling author Lisa Scottoline launched a column in The Philadelphia Inquirer in 2007 as a sideline to her bestselling mysteries and suspense novels, she said she wanted to try to fill in the gap left by Erma Bombeck. Today, the popular “Chick Wit” column, written with her daughter Francesca Serritella, offers a witty and fun take on life from a woman’s perspective, which Kirkus has described as “Erma Bombeck for mothers and daughters, with a zesty Italian twist.” These stories, along with many other never-before-published stories, have been collected in four books including their most recent, Meet Me at Emotional Baggage Claim, and the earlier, Best Friends, Occasional Enemies; Why My Third Husband Will Be a Dog, which has been optioned for TV; and My Nest Isn’t Empty, It Just Has More Closet Space. In her other life, Ms. Scottoline is the New York Times‘ bestselling author and Edgar award-winning prolific author of 21 novels, including the popular Rosato & Associates series and her latest, Accused. She has more than 30 million copies of her books in print and is published in more than 35 countries. Francesca Serritella Author and columnist Francesca Serritella graduated with honors from Harvard, where she majored in English and received the Charles Edmond Horman Prize and the Baron Russell Briggs Fiction Prize for her creative writing, as well as the Thomas Temple Hoopes Prize for her senior thesis, a novella.  She and her mother, author Lisa Scottoline, write a weekly column in The Philadelphia Inquirer called “Chick Wit,” where she offers a humorous look at their family and life in general.  The column has been published in four collections, the first, Why My Third Husband Will Be a Dog, the second, My Nest Isn’t Empty, It Just Has More Closet Space, the third, Best Friends, Occasional Enemies, and the fourth, Meet Me at Emotional Baggage Claim. Ms. Serritella lives in New York City with her beloved dog, Pip.  She is working on a novel. Phil Donahue In 1967, Phil Donahue changed the face of daytime television, pioneering the audience-participation talk format as the host of the Donahue show, a 29-year run which stands as the longest of its kind in U.S. television history. His TV journalism earned him 20 Emmy Awards — nine as host and 11 for the show — as well as the George Foster Peabody Award; the President’s Award from the National Women’s Political Caucus; and induction into the Academy of Television’s Hall of Fame. TV Guide named Donahue one of the Greatest Television Shows of All Time. Mr. Donahue has frequently been lauded for his groundbreaking interviews with world leaders and newsmakers —  including Muhammad Ali, Johnny Carson, Ayn Rand, Nelson Mandela, Madalyn Murray O’Hair (his first Donahue guest), Margaret Meade and all of the presidents since Jimmy Carter. In 1985, he introduced satellite “spacebridge” telecasts between the United States and the Soviet Union, and then brought his talk show to Russia for a week of programs. He was the first Western journalist to visit Chernobyl after the nuclear accident there. Mr. Donahue also has headlined numerous network and public television specials, including the Emmy Award-winning children’s special, Donahue and Kids, the landmark Ryan White Talks to Kids about AIDS and The Human Animal.  In 2006, he co-produced and co-directed Body of War, a documentary film about a young Iraq War veteran left in a wheelchair by enemy gunfire who begins questioning America’s involvement in the war. Universally hailed by critics (“almost unbearably moving,” wrote Time magazine), Body of War captured, among others, the Best Documentary award from the National Board of Review; the Grand Jury Prize at Michael Moore’s Traverse City Film Festival; and a People’s Choice Award at the Toronto Film Festival. Mr. Donahue is also an admired writer, whose opinion columns have appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post and The Los Angeles Times. He is the author of the best-selling memoir, Donahue: My Own Storyand The Human Animal. A native of Cleveland and the father of five and grandfather of two, Donahue is married to award-winning actress, author and activist Marlo Thomas. They live in New York. Ilene Beckerman Ilene Beckerman was nearly 60 when she began her writing career. She is author of Love, Loss and What I Wore and The Smartest Woman I Know, among other books. Her articles have appeared in The New York Times, Los Angeles Times, and Ladies’ Home Journal. She has judged People magazine’s “Best and Worst Dressed” issue and has traveled the country speaking to women’s groups. “Sometimes,” she says, “I feel like Grandma Moses — she didn’t start until later in life either — but I try not to look like her.” Adriana Trigiani Adriana Trigiani is beloved by millions of readers for her hilarious and heartwarming novels. She chose her hometown for the setting and title of her debut novel, the critically acclaimed bestseller Big Stone Gap. Her novels Lucia, Lucia, The Queen of the Big Time and Rococo all topped the bestseller lists. Critics from the Washington Post to The New York Times and People magazine have described Adriana’s novels as “tiramisu for the soul,” “sophisticated and wise” and “dazzling.” Her many novels have been chosen for the USA Today Book Club and the Target Bookmarked series. Among her many television credits, Adriana was a writer/producer on The Cosby Show, A Different World, and executive producer/head writer for City Kids for Jim Henson Productions. Her Lifetime television special, Growing up Funny, garnered an Emmy nomination for Lily Tomlin. Connie Schultz - The Craft of Column Writing Connie Schultz is a nationally syndicated columnist for Creators Syndicate and a regular essayist for Parade Magazine. She won the 2005 Pulitzer Prize for Commentary for columns that judges praised for providing “a voice for the underdog and the underprivileged.”   Also in 2005, she won the Scripps Howard National Journalism Award for Commentary and the National Headliner Award for Commentary.  She was a 2003 Pulitzer Prize finalist in feature writing for her series, “The Burden of Innocence,” which won the Robert F. Kennedy Award for Social Justice Reporting, the National Headliner Award’s Best of Show and journalism awards from Harvard and Columbia universities.   She is the author of two books published by Random House: Life Happens – And Other Unavoidable Truths, a collection of essays; and …and His Lovely Wife, a memoir about her husband Sherrod Brown’s successful 2006 race for the U.S. Senate. Alan Zweibel Alan Zweibel, an original Saturday Night Live writer and author of the 2006 Thurber Prize-winning novel The Other Shulman, has won multiple Emmy, Writers Guild of America and TV Critics awards for his work in television, which also includes It’s Garry Shandling Show, Monk and Curb Your Enthusiasm. Alan co-wrote the screenplays for the films Dragnet, North and The Story of Us, and his many theatrical contributions include Billy Crystal’s Tony Award-winning 700 Sundays, Martin Short’s Fame Becomes Me, and the off-Broadway play Bunny Bunny – Gilda Radner, A Sort of Romantic Comedy, adapted from his best-selling book. Alan is also the author of the popular children’s book Our Tree Named Steve and the collection Clothing Optional. His humor has appeared in Esquire, The Atlantic Monthly, The New York Times Op-Ed page, The Huffington Post and MAD Magazine. His newest novel, Lunatics, written with Dave Barry, will be published in January 2012. In 2010, the Writers Guild of America, East presented him a Lifetime Achievement Award. Steve Doocy - How to Write a Funny Book When the Boss Isn't Looking Gina Barecca