Thursday, May 1, 2008

Journalists Can Make An Impact On People.

ON THURSDAY, author, journalist and community leader Mister Mann Frisby spoke to the class.

Mister is a former reporter at the Philadelphia Daily News who quit to write books. His newest book - featuring interviews with Bernard Hopkins, Jill Scott, Common, Kirk Franklin, John Legend and India Arie - is due out soon. The image above is the new book's cover (click here to read the blurb on the back).

Raised in South Philly and educated at Overbrook High and Penn State, Mister also writes columns for the Philadelphia Inquirer. He's a pretty inspirational guy.

Click on the embedded links to learn more about him and his work.

10 comments:

Andy said...

Mister Mann is the Man. Myself coming from humble roots as well, he is a true inspiration to anyone who wants to succeed in life as a journalist or whatever else. The fact that he kicked doors down to get where he is now, and the fact that he gives back to his community are character traits which are becoming increasingly rare in this world. Thanks for having him, and to all J111 students, I hope you all do well in your career pursuits!

Anonymous said...

monica sellecchia


wow- i agree with andy, he def. is the MAIN man- i had such a great time listening to him he was powerful but not overly powerful and he kept his cool all throughout his life i mean with hair like that how could you not- anywho, so yes his story was inspirational and all but the fact that he did so many things all by himself and is humble about it is so awesome- i definitely would love to speak with him again

Ariela Rose said...

I agree! One of the best speakers we've had yet! He was incredibly inpirational, and a really cool, down to earth guy. He is a self made man who worked himself to the bone to get where he is today. He has stayed true to his Philly roots...plus he has an amazing Fresh Prince flat top.

Thanks George for bringing in yet another amazing speaker!

Anonymous said...

I agree with all of the above. I really got a lot out of his stories, and I think that he was one of the most effective people you've brought to the class. I plan to read his book this summer.

Thanks!

Josh Middleton said...

I enjoyed Mister Mann Frisby's talk today so much. He is definitely one of the best speakers we have had this semester. I have never been interested in being a print journalist, but he definitely made it seem so much more appealing. I was so impressed that he knew Jill Scott - I freakin' love her.

Anyways. Thanks so much, George, for an awesome semester. I really appreciate the fact that you kept us all in the know about what is going on in the world of journalism you really delivered some fantastic speakers.

Thanks. You're an awesome teacher. Best of luck to you.

Anonymous said...

I gotta say Mister Mann was a great speaker, I was having a particularly s****y day and his stories really put things into perspective, how can you not admire a man who went from South Philadelphia to a $100,000 book deal with Penguin?

sandra said...

Mister Mann Frisby was truly inspirational to me as a print journalist. One of best speakers that i related with thus far, his story only fueled my desire to further my pursue to suceed in print journailsm. Will definately e mail to thank him for his words of motivation.

Anonymous said...

There's not much else to say that hasn't already been said. Mister Mann Frisby was great. He was lively and entertaining to watch, his background is relatable, and his career experiences and aspirations are inspiring.

Anonymous said...

I liked Mister Mann Frisby. He was very funny and had great stories.
He did spend a little too much time talking about books considering we never had a discussion in class about books or pursuing a book writing career after journalism.

When talking about how he met Bruce Willis he stated that the story of Willis and Demi Moore was the story "everybody wanted to read," which brings us back to previous discussions in the year. I think we should have questioned him a bit -- he seems very much interested in celebrity gossip. To me, there are definitely more important issues.

Anonymous said...

I liked Mister Mann Frisby's visit. He is obviously very passionate about what he does. And if that includes celebrity interviews, then good for him. He even said he had his standards when it came to celebrities by turning down an offer to write a book about 50 cent. He writes about what interests him, which includes the stories of how celebrities reached their status.

I thought he was down to earth and really showed that all you need is determination and talent to get anywhere in life.