Anna Lefler

Dear Erma

Dear Erma, I once met a woman whose #1 bucket list item was to see the Oscar Mayer Wienermobile in person. Tears streamed down her face as I snapped her photo in front of it. Some people might dream of living in Paris, or owning a 1965 Shelby Mustang, or doing the Lord’s work and… Read More

The Gift of Time (and a Bathrobe)

Kristen Mulrooney spent seven years “writing in 10-minute increments” around caring for three young children. What could she do with some alone time? In the last two weeks she wrote 75,000 words — the first draft of a humorous novel — in a hotel room in Dayton, Ohio. As one of three 2022 grand prize… Read More

Dayton, You Complete Me

When I board my flight home on Sunday, I will have been in Dayton, Ohio for 18 days. The longest stretch of time I have ever been away from home, international travel included. It’s been enough time. Enough time to harbor an unhealthy obsession with one particularly beautiful maple tree in Carillon Park. Enough time… Read More

Swaddle Me in Terry Cloth

“Let’s face it: I’d rejoice if I had a wobbly table in a leaky cabin all to myself for two weeks,” one writer wrote in a pitch to be selected for A Hotel Room of One’s Own: The Erma Bombeck | Anna Lefler Humorist-in-Residence Program. “Virginia Woolf believed that access to a room of one’s… Read More

Suit Up!

Take a look at who’s suiting up to serve as preliminary judges. We have lined up dozens of remarkable authors, bloggers and humorists to review and rank the entries in A Hotel Room of One’s Own: The Erma Bombeck | Anna Lefler Humorist-in-Residence Program. The judges, all established writers, will narrow the field for final judging… Read More

You Had Me at Room Service!

“A green jacket might be appealing if you’re a golfer but, if you’re a writer who barely goes outside, what could be better than being awarded a hotel room of your own?” That’s how Lois Alter Mark of Forbes describes what “may be the best writer’s residency in the country,” A Hotel Room of One’s… Read More