Mike Long

Michael Long is a writer and educator.

Photo of Mike Long

Michael Long is a writer and educator. Actor and author Ben Stein calls him “a poet.” 

Mr. Long is the co-author of The Molecule of More, a Number One New Release in Neuroscience at Amazon.com. He is also a winner for two consecutive years of the Neil LaBute New Theater Festival. In addition, Mr. Long has collaborated on several non-fiction books and has been published three times in Vital Speeches of the Day, twice for speeches he delivered. As director of writing for the graduate program in public relations at Georgetown University, he created the original writing curriculum there and continues to teach courses in professional and creative writing, as well as speechwriting. 

He has also led reading programs for children of migrant farm workers, taught remedial mathematics to adults, designed writing curriculum for Columbia University, and delivered guest lectures on humor at American University and at the Graduate School of Political Management at The George Washington University.

He has taught writing to audiences around the U.S. and in London, Lisbon, Panama, Saskatchewan, The Hague, and in a seminar and keynote at Oxford University. In addition, he is the resident writing coach for the Professional Speechwriters Association (PSA), which publishes “Prose for Pros,” his long-running weekly column on writing. His recent work on speechwriting includes One Step at a Time: A Practical Process for Writing Any Speech, a white paper for the PSA.

Mr. Long’s career as a writer began while he was a graduate student in physics at Vanderbilt University when he began performing comedy, becoming a house emcee for one of the oldest comedy clubs in America. His first job as a writer off-stage was sole speechwriter to one of America’s highest-profile senators. 

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Mr. Long has written remarks for members of congress, U.S. cabinet secretaries, governors, diplomats, business leaders, CEOs, and presidential candidates. In addition, he has served as chief speechwriter for the largest trade association in the world, and contributes to numerous print publications and websites. His seminar clients include Bechtel, Booz Allen Hamilton, The Panama Canal Authority, the Premier’s Office of the Government of Saskatchewan, Target Corporation, the United States Navy, and the speechwriting team for the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

A provocative speaker and writing educator, he has appeared as a guest on CNBC and Good Day New York with Greg Kelly. He is also an occasional commentator on CBC News: Morning with Heather Hiscox in Canada. Beyond his work in politics and policy, he has been consulted for material in The Onion and for Saturday Night Live. 

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In addition to writing on business and public policy, Mr. Long writes fiction, stage plays, and screenplays. He was a finalist for the Grand Prize for Screenwriting at the Slamdance Film Festival for his screenplay How to Save Your Own Life; the script was also a Top 15 percent finisher for the Motion Picture Academy’s Nicholl Fellowship. In addition, How to Save… was chosen as a finalist at the Vail Film Festival, the Creative World Awards, and the World Series of Screenwriting. A stage version of the show was produced in a two-week run at Manhattan Repertory Theater. Mr. Long was also a semi-finalist for the Kairos Prize for his Christian screenplay The Joby Project, and he serves as story consultant to American Film Renaissance. He was recently a finalist for the International Screenwriters Association Fast Track Fellowship for his historical thriller Henry Wallace. 

As a playwright, more than 20 of his one-acts have been festival selections around the nation, most often on New York City stages. He is a five-time winner of “best of festival” honors in the Players Theatre Short Play and Musical Festival in Greenwich Village: three times for the thrillers Hostages, Catchpole, and Details, and twice for the romantic comedies Brad Pitt and The Test.

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Mr. Long holds a bachelor's degree in physics and mathematics from Murray State University. His current projects include a commissioned screenplay and companion TV series.

For more information, visit MikeLongOnline.com.

For more information on his new book, visit MoleculeOfMore.com.