David Chrisinger
Award-Winning Author and Teacher Who Believes in the Power of Storytelling
David Chrisinger is the Executive Director of the Harris Writing Workshop at the University of Chicago's Harris School of Public Policy and teaches memoir writing for The War Horse. His latest books and essays cover the intersection of conflict, trauma, and the stories we tell about ourselves. Read more
Featured books
Book Contributions
Chapter: More Genteel Than Grim: Letters Home from WWI
Beyond Their Limits of Longing
Introduction
Brave Men
"Making Sense of the Unknown"
Proud to Be: Writing by American Warriors, Volume 5
"The Perils of Spilling Your Guts"
Why We Write: Craft Essays on Writing War
"If You Want to Go Far, Go Together"
Retire the Colors
"That Which Is Unforgotten"
Proud to Be: Writing by American Warriors, Volume 4
Articles Featured In
Reviews
Guiding readers who are interested in writing about their traumatic experiences, Stories Are What Save Us helps both to make such writing and the process that generates it meaningful. Anyone who is looking to make sense of their trauma, particularly military veterans, would be interested in reading this well-conceived book.
Johanna Thompson-Hollands, Boston University School of Medicine
A timely look that will appeal to anyone looking for a way to tell their story and in doing so gain a better sense of control and peace. Stories Are What Save Us will be useful in courses and workshops on expressive writing, writing to heal, or trauma.
Adam Perlman, MD, MPH, Mayo Clinic Florida
David Chrisinger is a deft and engaging storyteller. He compellingly weaves together his own inspirational and healing story with vibrant examples of the memoir form. Helping veterans and other who have experienced trauma to write their stories, this book fills a niche in the memoir writing genre. I look forward to having it in my resource library.
Kathleen Adams, LPC, Journal Therapy for Calming Anxiety: 366 Prompts to Help Reduce Stress and Create Inner Peace
The gap today between civilian and veteran is pronounced and vast. But is it unbridgeable? It is not. See Me for Who I Am is for anyone who’s ever wondered, ‘What was it like?’ These twenty talented vet-writers answer that question with directness and courage.
Matt Gallagher, Youngblood and Empire City
Dave’s writing class showed the basic elements needed for solid policy memos. Before his class, I wrote with too much confusion and fluff. Now, I think twice before flooding a paper with adjectives or flowery language. In today’s fast-paced policy world, you need to write fast and clear.
Adam Zoellner, Health Portfolio Lead at MITRE
Essay & Articles
NEWS
David Chrisinger Wins 2022 George Orwell Award
