Our Top Flight Speakers Bureau
Several months ago, Dick Weiss formed a speakers bureau with four award winning journalists -
- Sylvester Brown, Todd Frankel, and Aisha Sultan of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and Lane DeGregory of the St. Petersburg Times. All (along with recent addition Rick Horowitz) have made their mark at newspapers in a variety of ways -- moving readers with their stories, righting wrongs, and stimulating intelligent debate.
But Dick also believed they had something to say from a podium that could inspire, entertain and educate writers at a high school, college or professional level. Sylvester has the ability to keep an audience spellbound with stories from his difficult youth and his struggle to make it as a writer. Todd, a consummate storyteller, shows writers in step-by-step how they can 
turn a mundane assignment into a small masterpiece or get an enterprise story into the paper in a very short period of time. Aisha, a young Muslim mother, speaks movingly about how we can help readers move past stereotypes through effective interviewing techniques and research to get to the heart of a story about minority communities. And effervescent Lane both delights and informs 
audiences with the techniques she uses to track down the quirkiest people in some of the oddest places. Those stories have won her acclaim and a devoted following in South Florida.
Recently Dick,Todd, Aisha and Sylvester spoke at the New York Press Association before hundreds of editors and reporters. (Lane had a conflict and couldn’t make it.) Evaluation sheets were handed out and the marks were incredibly high. Almost all of them rated us excellent or good.
We're sharing some of the comments on our work here in the hope you will consider us as speakers for your next event. Click here to learn more about the speakers and here to learn more about Dick and the workshops that he offers. To schedule any or all of us, send an e-mail to weisswrite@gmail.com.
The comments:
Dick's Picks: The Nation's Best Business Stories
WeissWrite On The Air
Don't Drink & Drive; Don't Drink & Write; Don't Drink & Edit
A Model Press Release
Public relations people often ask what it takes to get a newspaper's attention. "How can I get my client's story on the front page?"
Here's a press release that worked. No fancy literary tricks here, but it does the job. It worked so well, that the editor who assigned the story was led to say, "I don't like to make assignments based on a press release. But this one is a no-brainer. Who do we have that can work this story?"
The key element here: The press release tells a story... a small drama with a beginning, middle and a satisfying conclusion.
The Homefront
Sarah Colwell's first-person series inThe Gazette of Colorado Springs takes you into the world of a soldier's wife in interesting and unexpected ways.
Sarah's Series: Part 1
One of the most gratifying aspects of my work with writers -- beyond the wordsmithing -- is to give them a sense of possibility. Simply put, I want them to try stuff. I met Sarah Colwell at a journalism workshop sponsored by the Reynolds Center for Business Journalism. She e-mailed me later and asked if I would help her with a few business stories. During the course of our conversations, she mentioned that she had a husband deployed in Iraq.
"You ought to write about that," I said.
Sellout!
But Not For Long...
Fran Alberti's children's story about Hurricane Katrina is now in its second printing after an outpouring of support in St. Louis
Order the book
Thanks to the interest and generosity of hundreds of St. Louisans, New Orleans hurricane survivor Bobby Alberti and his dog, Rover, are well on the way to restoring their home. Bobby's sister, Fran Alberti, wrote a children's book called "Finding Rover," as a means of helping Bobby and Rover who were rescued from a rooftop during Katrina in late August, 2005.
Fran took a huge risk. She had never written a book before -- actually had never done much writing as she's a secretary for an oil company executive. She personally financed the printing of 1000 books -- and has sold them all after a visit to St. Louis where readers snapped up the last several hundred. Now, as they say in Vegas, Fran's going to double down with another printing because she left St. Louis with many more orders.
Read Sylvester Brown's column about the book
Watch KSDK's report on Fran's visit.
Listen to an interview with Fran, Dick Weiss and Tim Rickey of the Humane Society of Missouri. They talked about animal rescue efforts with KWMU's Don Marsh.
Welcome Aboard
Here you'll find an array of writing, training and editing services designed to make you a better writer whether you are a student, a business professional, a journalist or simply someone with a story to tell.
In this particular space you'll find my commentary on writing, highlighting the best (and occasionally the worst) practices of the writers that I read. I believe they call it a blog.
Follow the links at the right and you'll find categories designed particularly for you, your interests and your profession. Many offer tip sheets that you can print out, tape to your keyboard or share with your friends and colleagues. You will also find opportunities to participate in workshops and get fresh content by e-mail or through an RSS feed.
Welcome Aboard
Here you'll find an array of writing, training and editing services designed to make you a better writer whether you are a student, a business professional, a journalist or simply someone with a story to tell.
In this particular space you'll find my commentary on writing, highlighting the best (and occasionally the worst) practices of the writers that I read. I believe they call it a blog.
Follow the links at the right and you'll find categories designed particularly for you, your interests and your profession. Many offer tip sheets that you can print out, tape to your keyboard or share with your friends and colleagues. You will also find opportunities to participate in workshops and get fresh content by e-mail or through an RSS feed.
I created WeissWrite LLC in 2003 during the time that I was an editor and writing coach at the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Since then I've conducted dozens of workshops across the country and helped writers of all ages tell their stories. Last December, I left the Post-Dispatch to join with my wife, Sally J. Altman,in working at this business full-time.
Our goal is to create and sustain an ongoing conversation with thousands of writers across the country who share our aspirations. To communicate effectively and meaningfully .To engage, educate provoke and entertain people who like to read. To tell stories that will shape and repair our world.
We couldn't think of a better way to make a living.
Katrina Pet Tales
The storm of the century hit one year ago. People and places are still recovering. Pets suffered as well, but they, too, are recovering because of the efforts of animal welfare organizations nationwide.
Katrina Pet Tales tells the story of four animal welfare agencies and their staffs who worked tirelessly in dire conditions to save thousands of animals in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina..
"Dick Weiss trains with humor and creativity."
