The book was produced by Jim Keating, CEO of Speakers Forum in Toronto. Like many businesses around the world, his Leaders Lecture Series had to go dark as the pandemic surged. In 2021, one of his former speakers, the entertaining CNN television personality Larry King passed away. Keating recalled the great memories of King’s visit to Speakers Forum and spontaneously wrote up a short story, an appreciation of the man. Well, it hit a chord with friends & colleagues and inspired him to produce OutSpoken: 15 MasterClass Business Essays, bringing together great past keynote speakers to write about today’s important topics. And if they could not all meet in person, they could certainly bring all their ideas together in a book. The 15 Masterclass Essays include works by such notables as: “What Makes a Speech Great” by President Clinton’s Chief Speechwriter, David Kusnet “No Mountain Too High: Learning the Lessons of Everest” by Mount Everest expedition leader John Amatt “What Makes a Bestseller” by acclaimed author Jeffrey Archer “The Media is You, Like It or Not” by the Honourable Pamela Wallin, O.C., S.O.M. “Work Is So Much More Than a Paycheque” by Dr. Sherry Cooper, Chief Economist, Dominion Lending Centres “The Defence Never Rests” by Renowned Defence Attorney F. Lee Bailey