Richard Weiner is an American author

Author

An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...

, lecturer, lexicographer

Lexicography

Lexicography is divided into two related disciplines:*Practical lexicography is the art or craft of compiling, writing and editing dictionaries....

, and public relations

Public relations

Public relations is the actions of a corporation, store, government, individual, etc., in promoting goodwill between itself and the public, the community, employees, customers, etc....

 consultant.

Life and work

Weiner was born in New York City

New York City

New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...

 on May 10, 1927. He received B.S. and M.S. degrees from the University of Wisconsin. A science writer and broadcaster, he produced the first radio description of a human childbirth

Childbirth

Childbirth is the culmination of a human pregnancy or gestation period with the birth of one or more newborn infants from a woman's uterus...

 (distributed by Capitol Records

Capitol Records

Capitol Records is a major United States based record label, formerly located in Los Angeles, but operating in New York City as part of Capitol Music Group. Its former headquarters building, the Capitol Tower, is a major landmark near the corner of Hollywood and Vine...

). He was on the board of directors

Board of directors

A board of directors is a body of elected or appointed members who jointly oversee the activities of a company or organization. Other names include board of governors, board of managers, board of regents, board of trustees, and board of visitors...

 of the Medical Committee for Human Rights

Human rights

Human rights are "commonly understood as inalienable fundamental rights to which a person is inherently entitled simply because she or he is a human being." Human rights are thus conceived as universal and egalitarian . These rights may exist as natural rights or as legal rights, in both national...

, American Academy on Physician and Patient, and Medicare Rights Center, and currently is on the board of directors of Shake-A-Leg Miami.

His public relations firm (1968 - 1986), Richard Weiner, Inc. specialized in marketing communications

Marketing communications

Marketing Communications are messages and related media used to communicate with a market...

, including the introduction of the Cabbage Patch Kids

Cabbage Patch Kids

Cabbage Patch Kids is a line of dolls created by American art student Xavier Roberts in 1978. It was originally called "Little People". The original dolls were all cloth and sold at local craft shows, then later at Babyland General Hospital in Cleveland, Georgia...

. Weiner has conducted over 100 workshops for the Public Relations Society of America

Public Relations Society of America

The ' , based in New York City, is the world's largest organization for public relations professionals. The organization has more than 21,000 members, including professionals from public relations agencies, corporations, government, health care institutions, military, professional services firms,...

 and other groups. He taught a three-credit course in public relations at Fordham University

Fordham University

Fordham University is a private, nonprofit, coeducational research university in the United States, with three campuses in and around New York City. It was founded by the Roman Catholic Diocese of New York in 1841 as St...

 Graduate School of Business Administration

Master of Business Administration

The Master of Business Administration is a :master's degree in business administration, which attracts people from a wide range of academic disciplines. The MBA designation originated in the United States, emerging from the late 19th century as the country industrialized and companies sought out...

 in New York, which was the nation's first such course for MBAs. Awards Weiner has received include the Gold Anvil in 1990 (highest honor to an individual from the Public Relations Society of America), the John Hill Award (NYC chapter of PRSA), and eight PRSA Silver Anvils.

His 23 books include The Skinny About Best Boys, Dollies, Green Rooms, Leads, and other Media Lingo (2006), Webster's New World Dictionary of Media and Communications (1996), Professional's Guide to Public Relations Services (1998), and Professional's Guide to Publicity (1984). His articles have appeared in The New York Times Magazine

The New York Times Magazine

The New York Times Magazine is a Sunday magazine supplement included with the Sunday edition of The New York Times. It is host to feature articles longer than those typically in the newspaper and has attracted many notable contributors...

, Writer's Digest

Writer's Digest

Writer's Digest is an American magazine devoted to both beginning and established writers, offering interviews, market listings, calls for manuscripts, and how-to articles....

, Public Relations Tactics, The Editorial Eye, Public Relations Quarterly, Communication World, PRWeek and PR News.

Personal life

Weiner has been married for more than 50 years and lives in Miami Beach, Florida

Miami Beach, Florida

Miami Beach is a coastal resort city in Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States, incorporated on March 26, 1915. The municipality is located on a barrier island between the Atlantic Ocean and Biscayne Bay, the latter which separates the Beach from Miami city proper...

, with his wife, Florence, who also is a writer of books. They have two daughters, Jessica and Stephanie, and four grandchildren.