An essay by Brighton resident Mona Shand was a finalist in the 2026 Erma Bombeck Writing Competition. “Of Cake, Candles, and Stool Samples,” was entered in the human interest – global category.
The essay is “about the growing pains parents experience as their kids reach adulthood and start to make decisions for themselves,” said Shand, who also writes occasionally for The Livingston Post.
“It’s also a reminder that laughter goes a long way toward putting things in perspective,” she added.
The prestigious writing competition is hosted every two years by the University of Dayton and the Washington-Centerville Public Library in Centerville, Ohio, where Bombeck wrote the books and newspaper columns that endeared her to America and made her a household name. She died in 1996 after an unsuccessful kidney transplant.
The competition challenges writers to capture the essence of Bombeck’s writing, which famously focused on the humor of everyday life. The contest also coincides with the University of Dayton’s Erma Bombeck Writers’ Workshop.
This is the second time that Shand — an award-winning broadcast journalist who has worked in television, radio, and print, and is currently the chief communications officer at LACASA — has been recognized by the contest: She won Honorable Mention in 2016 for her essay “My Dad, the Egyptian Astronaut.”
“I love this writing contest because it reminds us to look for the humor in everyday moments, just like Erma Bombeck did,” Shand said.
You can read “Of Cake, Candles, and Stool Samples” by clicking here.
And you can read Shand’s pieces on The Livingston Post by clicking here.
Shand and her husband are proud parents of three amazing children, and share their home with two very spoiled cats.
