Today, I’m an award-winning freelance writer with more than 20 years of experience.
I started freelancing in Moscow, Russia, doing what I love — finding out information and sharing that with others via PASSPORT Moscow magazine. In 2004, that information resulted in an article about where you could find English-language books and magazines in a city of 15 million people. I did several articles there despite having only very basic Russian-language skills.
So what’s the message here? I love finding out things no one else seems to know, because in 2004, finding an English-language bookstore was difficult.
Today, I live in mid-Missouri and enjoy writing about business, nonprofits, home renovations, mid-Missouri companies doing business in China and anything else that requires persistence, research and reporting skills beyond the ordinary.
I honed my skills as a daily newspaper reporter and love, love, love deadlines. And editors like me.
As Christina George, the former editor of Columbia Home put it, “Dianna is inquisitive yet tactful. Her writing is accessible, appealing and she can be funny when the occasion allows for humor.”
This website is designed to give you a peek at what I love — writing articles about unusual people, places and things.
I also like to keep busy, so I have two other websites:
Charleswgehrke.com, which is about a book I wrote with Charles W. Gehrke, who founded one of Columbia’s largest companies and analyzed the rarest of scientific samples, the moon rocks brought back from the Apollo missions.
columbiahistorichomes.com is focused on the historic homes of Columbia, Missouri. The website is in preparation for a book on Columbia’s historic homes.
If you like to see things in the old-fashioned resume way, see below. As for me, I’ll be doing what I love, researching, reporting and writing.
EXPERIENCE:
Freelance Journalist — Published in a number of publications including the Columbia Business Times, Columbia Home & Lifestyle, School & Community, Drury magazine, the Moscow (Russia) News and PASSPORT Moscow magazine. September 2003 to present.
Senior Information Specialist — Missouri Arthritis Rehabilitation Research & Training Center, Dissemination Project. University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri. March 1998 to August 2003.
Education Reporter — The St. Joseph News-Press, St. Joseph, Missouri. July 1997 to September 1998.
Assistant City Editor — The Messenger-Inquirer, Owensboro, Kentucky. June 1995 to June 1997.
City Editor — The Columbia Missourian, Columbia, Missouri. June 1993 to June 1995.
Reporter/Photographer — Donrey Media Group, Washington, D.C. Bureau. January 1993 to April 1993.
Special Projects Reporter — The Columbia Missourian, Columbia, Missouri. January 1992 to May 1992.
Reporter/Photographer — The Gaffney Ledger, Gaffney, S.C. December 1987 to August 1990; July 1991 to August 1991.
English Instructor — Pusan National University, Republic of Korea. August 1990 to May 1991.
EDUCATION:
M.A. in Journalism from the University of Missouri-Columbia. May 1993.
B.A., B.S., Bowling Green State University, Bowling Green, Ohio. August 1987.
