Where in the world will Estelle Erasmus be next? I’ve been in Orlando at Podfest 2024 Expo, I’ve been at AWP in Kansas City, MO, and on a vacation in CO with my family (they ski, I relax, no photos thank you very much).

So what’s next? Thank you for asking.

All Aboard for Erma

In April, I’ll be leading a workshop on Micro Memoir at the Erma Bombeck Writer’s Conference, in Dayton, Ohio. The conference is sold out, with a lengthy wait list and I can’t wait to be there. The workshop kicks off with a keynote by Anna Quindlen, and Zibby Owens will be keynoting there, too.

Listen/to watch episode #36 of Freelance Writing Direct with Zibby Owens

I am no stranger to Erma. I did a Speed Dating for Writers back in 2018, the first time I was at the conference (but not as faculty), and in 2020 as faculty, I led a virtual session on pitching: “How Not to Get Ghosted by Editors During a Pandemic” when the conference director, Teri Rizvi reached out to me after she saw an article I wrote for Writer’s Digest about it.

Thank you to Teri for reaching out to me again for this year’s conference, and a BIG thank you to NYU for moving the start time for my upcoming High School Academy in-person journalism course up a week  so I could attend Erma in person.

Listen to/watch episode #59 of Freelance Writing Direct with Teri Rizvi here.

I can’t wait to be among all these amazing writers and literary rock stars.

News I Could Use On Writer’s Digest

And speaking of Writer’s Digest, guess who is now a Contributing Editor? Yes, it’s me, and I’m so honored to be an even larger part of the publication, which was just announced in the March/April 2024 issue.

Thank you, Amy Jones for this huge vote of confidence in me and my work. I’ve been teaching at Writer’s Digest since 2016, wrote my “All About the Pitch” column for two years, and have been the special guest judge for the Personal Essay contest for the past two years. I love contributing to the magazine and online and working with the stellar team there. And don’t forget to sign up for my Writer’s Digest hands on webinar on Micro Memoir.

Listen/to watch episode #62 of Freelance Writing Direct with Amy Jones here.

Get Home Schooled in Erma

And finally,

I get it if you tried to attend Erma but got locked out (I did try to warn you in my podcast episode). Still, you have a chance to benefit from the combined wisdom of many of the faculty presenters. March 8 is the deadline to lock in the early bird rate of $199 for Erma Home Schooling, which includes the five keynote addresses and four exclusive workshops. Writers can watch the livestream or tune into the recordings later. Here’s the link for information.

And keep up on the trends, please. For example, come see my live Ask-Me-Anything TikTok this evening at 7 PM EST(and please don’t laugh if I fall on my face).

For more trends in publishing, check out episode #75 A solo episode where I cover everything that came to mind that’s important at the moment,  with lots more to come.

Hope to see you soon!