Books for National Day on Writing

By Coll Rowe | October 20 2021 | Literature

October 20th is the National Day on Writing and we are celebrating writing in all its forms by sharing books that teach and influence students to become better writers and understand the value of writing in everyday life.

 

The Writer’s Practice

The Writer’s Practice invites students and novice writers into an intellectually engaging, active learning process that prepares them for a wider range of academic and real-world writing and allows them to become invested and engaged in their own work.

 

Several Short Sentences About Writing

Several Short Sentences About Writing is a guide for those who want to write better, or have a clearer understanding of what it means for them to be writing. Verlyn Klinkenborg provides a gathering of starting points in a journey toward lively, lucid, satisfying self-expression.

 

A Swim in a Pond in the Rain

A Swim in a Pond in the Rain is a deep exploration not just of how great writing works but of how the mind itself works while reading, and of how the reading and writing of stories make genuine connection possible.

 

First You Write a Sentence

First You Write a Sentence uses minimal technical terms and sources ranging from the Bible to George Orwell, as well as scientific studies of what can best fire the reader’s mind, and shows how we can all write in a way that is clear, compelling and alive.

 

The Contemporary American Essay

The Contemporary American Essay is an anthology of essays by some of the best writers of the past quarter century—from Barry Lopez and Margo Jefferson to David Sedaris and Samantha Irby—selected by acclaimed essayist Phillip Lopate. 

 

How to Write Like Tolstoy

This book takes a thought-provoking journey inside the minds of the world’s most accomplished storytellers. It discusses what makes good prose, how to create it, and gives a lively account of the difficult lessons that even the greatest writers have had to learn.

 

Dreyer’s English

Dreyer’s English offers lessons on punctuation, from the underloved semicolon to the enigmatic en dash. Benjamin Dreyer distills everything he has learned from the myriad books he has copyedited and overseen into a useful guide not just for writers but for everyone who wants to put their best prose foot forward.

 

The Freedom Writers Diary

With powerful entries from the students’ own diaries and a narrative text by Erin Gruwell, The Freedom Writers Diary is an uplifting, unforgettable example of how hard work, courage, and the spirit of determination changed the lives of a teacher and her students.


Find more books on Grammar


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Building Confidence in Your Nonfiction Writing
9780143133155
For anyone aiming to improve their skill as a writer, a revolutionary new approach to establish robust writing practices inside and outside the classroom
$18.00 US
Feb 05, 2019
Paperback
256 Pages
Penguin Books

9780307279415
An indispensable and distinctive book that will help anyone who wants to write, write better, or have a clearer understanding of what it means for them to be writing, from widely admired writer and teacher Verlyn Klinkenborg.
$18.00 US
Apr 09, 2013
Paperback
224 Pages
Vintage

The Elements of Reading, Writing . . . and Life
9780143134343
An exploration of how the most ordinary words can be turned into verbal constellations of extraordinary grace through the art of building sentences
$17.00 US
Aug 13, 2019
Paperback
240 Pages
Penguin Books

9780525567325
Here is an anthology of essays by some of the best writers of the past quarter century—from Barry Lopez and Margo Jefferson to David Sedaris and Samantha Irby—selected by acclaimed essayist Phillip Lopate.
$18.00 US
Aug 03, 2021
Paperback
640 Pages
Anchor

A Journey into the Minds of Our Greatest Writers
9780812987737
An essential and engrossing book about writing--what makes good prose, how to create it, and a lively account of the difficult lessons that even the greatest writers have had to learn, from critically acclaimed author Richard Cohen.
$20.00 US
May 04, 2021
Paperback
352 Pages
Random House Trade Paperbacks

An Utterly Correct Guide to Clarity and Style
9780812985719
The New York Times-bestselling, witty, informative guide to writing from Random House's longtime copy chief and one of Twitter's leading language gurus--in the tradition of The Elements of Style.
$20.00 US
Aug 04, 2020
Paperback
320 Pages
Random House Trade Paperbacks

How a Teacher and 150 Teens Used Writing to Change Themselves and the World Around Them
9780385494229
Straight from the front line of urban America, the inspiring story of one fiercely determined teacher and her remarkable students.
$19.00 US
Oct 12, 1999
Paperback
448 Pages
Crown