David is the author of The Soldier’s Truth: Ernie Pyle and the Story of World War II, which chronicles the life of renowned war correspondent Ernie Pyle and Stories Are What Save Us, a profoundly moving book that weaves together David’s journey as a writer, editor, and teacher with a wide range of craft tools and storytelling frameworks and structures he and his students have used to process trauma and conflicts in their own lives to create beautiful stories of growth and transformation. David is also a Logan Nonfiction Fellow and has contributed columns to the New York Times Magazine. He also regularly contributes to The War Horse, an award-winning nonprofit newsroom dedicated to educating the public on military service, war, and its impact. In addition to his work as an author, David serves as the Executive Director of the Harris Writing Workshop, leads the Persuasive Writing Credential Program, and advises the student-led Chicago Policy Review at the University of Chicago’s Harris School of Public Policy.
About
DAVID BELIEVES EVERYONE HAS A STORY THAT NEEDS TO BE TOLD
David's writing has been published in several anthologies and various outlets, including the New York Times Magazine.
After graduating from the University of Chicago with a Master’s degree in social science theory, David wrote and edited public policy reports for the U.S. Government Accountability Office. For nearly a decade, he helped turn complex data into relatable narratives for Congress and agencies in the executive branch of the federal government. The topics his research and writing covered included public education, retirement security, social policy, and issues related to military veterans’ transitions back into civilian life.
See Me for Who I Am
From 2014-2017, David taught the first-of-its-kind writing seminar for student veterans at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point. In 2017, he wrote an instructor’s manual for his class that was made available for adoption by every public university in Wisconsin. David also edited a collection of his student’s essays, titled See Me for Who I Am, that is helping to bridge the cultural gap dividing his students from those who have not served.
Public Policy Writing That Matters
For six years, David also taught public policy writing in the Bloomberg School of Public Health at Johns Hopkins University. In 2017, he wrote Public Policy Writing That Matters, a book for anyone passionate about using writing to create real and lasting change. The second edition, which was published in 2022, was awarded the George Orwell Award for Distinguished Contribution to Honesty and Clarity in Public Language. Past winners include author Michael Pollan, comedian Jon Stewart, independent journalist Amy Goodman, investigative reporter Seymour Hersh, educator and cultural critic Neil Postman, and linguist and philosopher Noam Chomsky. In early 2023, the press published Because Data Can’t Speak for Itself, a short primer on writing effectively with data he wrote with Lauren Brodsky of Harvard’s Kennedy School.