David Chrisinger is an author and educator whose work focuses on helping people write clearly, responsibly, and persuasively about public policy and lived experience.
He is the author of Public Policy Writing That Matters (now in its 3rd edition) and co-author of Because Data Can’t Speak for Itself. Widely used guides to effective policy communication, these books explore how to combine careful analysis, clear structure, and compelling narrative to explain complex public problems and advocate for meaningful reform. Above all else, Chrisinger’s work emphasizes that evidence alone rarely persuades; effective policy writing requires clarity of thought, attention to audience, and a deep understanding of how ideas move through public debate.
Chrisinger serves as Executive Director of the Harris Writing Workshop at the University of Chicago’s Harris School of Public Policy. In this role, he teaches graduate students how to translate rigorous research and analytical insights into relevant writing that policymakers and the public can use to make more informed decisions. His courses focus on persuasive writing, narrative structure, and the ethical responsibilities of communicating about complex social problems.
Alongside his work in public policy writing, Chrisinger has spent much of his career working with military veterans and their families to help them tell the stories of their service and its aftermath. This work began with See Me for Who I Am, a collection of essays by student veterans reflecting on identity, transition, and life after war. It continued with Stories Are What Save Us, which explores how storytelling can help individuals process difficult experiences and connect those experiences to broader public conversations.
Chrisinger’s book The Soldier’s Truth turns to the history of war reporting through the life and work of Ernie Pyle, the most influential American journalists of the Second World War. The biography examines how Pyle’s writing brought the daily realities of combat to readers at home and helped shape the way Americans understood the experience of war.
In addition to his books, Chrisinger’s writing about war, memory, and public life has appeared in outlets including the New York Times, Boston Globe, and other national publications.
Across his work as a writer and teacher, Chrisinger is interested in how stories—told carefully and honestly—can deepen public understanding and strengthen democratic conversation. He regularly teaches and speaks about narrative nonfiction, persuasive writing, and the ethical responsibilities of storytelling. His workshops and courses help students, policymakers, journalists, and advocates learn how to communicate complex ideas clearly while remaining attentive to the human experiences behind them.