Deciderization 2007—a Special Report

Deciderization 2007 explores the complexities of curating a Best American Essays collection, discussing the challenges of defining essays, editorial roles, the value of clarity, and navigating information overload.

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MAELSTROM ESC/APE STRATEGIES

open.substack.com

"The reader is someone with an attention span of about 30 seconds— a person assailed by many forces competing for attention. At one time those forces were relatively few: newspapers, magazines, radio, spouse, children, pets. Today they also include a galaxy of electronic devices for receiving entertainment and information— television, VCRs, DVDs, C... See more

William Zinsser • On Writing Well: The Classic Guide to Writing Nonfiction

Should anyone care about this tangle of bizarre connections? Only if you

Martin Gurri • Revolt of the Public and the Crisis of Authority in the New Millennium

I believe an essay is the most flexible written medium, and it calls for a fusion of genres: the soul of a memoirist, the pen of a poet, and the rigor of an academic. By learning to shape a thesis, your essays will become more than gripping stories with beautiful sentences, they will help you and your reader make sense of the world.

MAELSTROM ESC/APE STRATEGIES

William Zinsser • On Writing Well: The Classic Guide to Writing Nonfiction

Martin Gurri • Revolt of the Public and the Crisis of Authority in the New Millennium

Michael Dean • THESIS