https://www.persuasivematters.com/home-1 daily 1.0 2024-10-13 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/585acd9e197aeabb8c012480/1558620834777-OE2ELZR4BY0YQHX3BFDU/backgrounds-01.png Home https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/585acd9e197aeabb8c012480/1559155388115-SAIFJSL6MKZMRBWEM82K/writing-wellness-01.png Home - Strengthen Your Writing Everything you write should be persuasive. That’s the premise behind Persuasive Matters. Effective persuasive writing puts your readers in a different state of mind, either emotionally or intellectually. If it doesn't, it's a waste of time. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/585acd9e197aeabb8c012480/1558636707689-Q4RJL1LWIT8PX083RDT9/logos-09.png Home https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/585acd9e197aeabb8c012480/1558636712597-4BTW2O09OZWFU8Z9VI8H/logos-10.png Home https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/585acd9e197aeabb8c012480/1558636733601-0Q5JTAEL0ZD5KVXZHXER/logos-12.png Home https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/585acd9e197aeabb8c012480/1558636744215-K0EYZAI4ASA4I84A8UME/logos-13.png Home https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/585acd9e197aeabb8c012480/1558636749888-6RC85JRKNF53A5CFEYXG/logos-14.png Home https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/585acd9e197aeabb8c012480/1558636758691-DFGKG2P85F1P4JQC6YC5/logos-15.png Home https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/585acd9e197aeabb8c012480/1558636763063-CFBE2S9Q2KTU0YYTVBUM/logos-16.png Home https://www.persuasivematters.com/clients daily 0.75 2025-03-18 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https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/585acd9e197aeabb8c012480/1558625978961-QRXB8D61BOMU63YBX7F6/backgrounds-02.png Writing to Capture Clients https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/585acd9e197aeabb8c012480/1558469918368-E2NLOPOJW9UVCUNBQ4XA/captive-writing-FINAL.jpg Writing to Capture Clients https://www.persuasivematters.com/developing-style-in-your-legal-writing daily 0.75 2019-05-23 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/585acd9e197aeabb8c012480/1558637354066-6WGRG4ZYXJ2NGO9HIMQW/backgrounds-01.png Developing Style in Your Legal Writing https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/585acd9e197aeabb8c012480/1558471167262-NRH4VYXP0LNEK6ZN617O/writing-style.jpg Developing Style in Your Legal Writing https://www.persuasivematters.com/speed-efficiency-and-clarity-in-legal-writing daily 0.75 2023-12-20 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/585acd9e197aeabb8c012480/1558637334987-IELYKOOSO5SZI7AP7BBI/backgrounds-02.png Speed, Efficiency, and Clarity in Legal Writing https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/585acd9e197aeabb8c012480/1558471106929-GOX6ZWCTJSUMW2Z9RYEJ/final-touch.jpg Speed, Efficiency, and Clarity in Legal Writing https://www.persuasivematters.com/ten-tips-for-clear-and-direct-legal-writing daily 0.75 2019-05-23 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/585acd9e197aeabb8c012480/1558637171641-V5ZNFC9801EEENP282IX/backgrounds-01.png Ten Tips for Clear and Direct Legal Writing https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/585acd9e197aeabb8c012480/1558471089423-YL104KDW4Z8CQFC2O1Z5/top-10-tips.jpg Ten Tips for Clear and Direct Legal Writing https://www.persuasivematters.com/testimonials daily 0.75 2026-02-13 https://www.persuasivematters.com/testimonials/2026/2/13/ben-was-amazing-and-helped-me-understand monthly 0.5 2026-02-13 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https://www.persuasivematters.com/testimonials/category/Complicated+Ideas+%26+Simple+Explanations monthly 0.5 https://www.persuasivematters.com/testimonials/category/Client+Testimonials+Page monthly 0.5 https://www.persuasivematters.com/testimonials/category/Jettison+Your+Jargon monthly 0.5 https://www.persuasivematters.com/testimonials/category/Ten+Tips+for+Clear+and+Direct+Legal+Writing monthly 0.5 https://www.persuasivematters.com/testimonials/category/Punctuation+Matters monthly 0.5 https://www.persuasivematters.com/testimonials/category/Trimming+the+Fat+in+Your+Writing monthly 0.5 https://www.persuasivematters.com/testimonials/category/Revision%3A+The+Final+Touch+in+Legal+Writing monthly 0.5 https://www.persuasivematters.com/program-imagery daily 0.75 2026-02-17 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/585acd9e197aeabb8c012480/1558467010371-I1CTAVTVWPPD9EOO0CAY/top-10-tips.jpg Program Imagery - Ten Tips for Clear and Direct Legal Writing This seminar features 10 tips to make your legal writing, regardless of context or audience, clear and concise. Ben uses both good and not-so-good examples from inside and outside the legal world in this interactive seminar. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/585acd9e197aeabb8c012480/1558467010371-I1CTAVTVWPPD9EOO0CAY/top-10-tips.jpg Program Imagery - Ten Tips for Clear and Direct Legal Writing This seminar features 10 tips to make your legal writing, regardless of context or audience, clear and concise. Ben uses both good and not-so-good examples from inside and outside the legal world in this interactive seminar. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/585acd9e197aeabb8c012480/1771017451033-373YHWYE3PKUA3THVDM8/Robot+writer+at+work+desk.jpg Program Imagery - Editing Your Writing With AI An AI writing tool is like a good friend: you might ask them to review your work, but you’d never submit it before reviewing their changes. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/585acd9e197aeabb8c012480/1558466997524-PEMY2BSX1OFL7H55141M/final-touch.jpg Program Imagery - Speed, Efficiency, and Clarity in Legal Writing Clients and colleagues want your work product now. That means you want to start the writing process quickly, write efficiently once you get started, then deliver a clear and accurate final product. In this interactive program, you’ll learn actionable strategies for making every stage of the writing process, from outlining to proofreading, quick and accurate. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/585acd9e197aeabb8c012480/1558467010779-4NU0OL1PF77SYSNI6IOQ/trimming-content-01.jpg Program Imagery - Trimming and Toning Your Writing Have you ever listened to a long-winded colleague drone on, saying something in 100 words that could have been said in 10? It’s likely that you became annoyed, distracted, and uninterested. It’s a waste of time for everyone. Writing is no different. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/585acd9e197aeabb8c012480/1601400138365-403RWL29K4OQP1E1D2K5/top-10-tips.jpg Program Imagery - Jettison Your Jargon: Effective Law Firm Emails “I’m going to spend my day binge reading emails!” said no one ever. You spend a good part of your day writing emails. This means someone else spends a good part of their day reading them. Join Ben Opipari for this special 60 minute seminar on how to make your emails more readable and more concise. And less horrible. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/585acd9e197aeabb8c012480/1558466996765-ISI21PTETCXGB3E0BIM0/captive-writing-FINAL.jpg Program Imagery - Writing to Capture Clients There are two kinds of writing: captive and non-captive. Captive writing is for the court, who is required to read it. Non-captive writing is different: reading is optional. No one has to read it. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/585acd9e197aeabb8c012480/1558466997427-UZ6NSWNCYD6VW5MUDSJU/constructive-feedback.jpg Program Imagery - Delivering Effective Feedback to Associates This seminar teaches partners how to give relevant feedback to attorneys to help them become better writers. While red lining an associate’s work product may be a time-saver in the short run, it’s a time-waster in the long run if the attorney repeats the mistakes. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/585acd9e197aeabb8c012480/1558467260753-DXIRUM0AEU4OMU9CBQU7/persuasive-story.jpg Program Imagery - Telling a Persuasive Story The statement of facts is one of the most important parts of your brief, creating a dominant first impression that wins over your reader immediately. But it also advances your argument: it’s subtly persuasive, and a good one pulls the reader to your position. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/585acd9e197aeabb8c012480/1558467013514-251SR4V3ESI4FW4DIMQ7/writing-style.jpg Program Imagery - Developing Style in Your Legal Writing The rules of writing are endless and often pedantic: by their very nature, they tell you what you should not do. Tethered to these rules, it’s easy to spend too much time thinking about what you can’t do (the rules), rather than what you should do (style). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/585acd9e197aeabb8c012480/1558467373276-FO1GJ34NU1DA3JOH4XLS/draft-complicated-ideas.jpg Program Imagery - Complicated Ideas, Simple Explanations When we explain a concept from our area of expertise, it’s easy to forget that our readers don’t share our knowledge. The result? A confused and frustrated reader who sees nothing but jargon and convoluted phrases. Good writers explain a topic in a manner that anyone can understand. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/585acd9e197aeabb8c012480/1558467014553-6IMN0CV61972IYN63MIT/punctuation-matters.jpg Program Imagery - Punctuation Matters Bad punctuation diminishes your credibility and prevents the smooth flow of ideas. Even worse, your message can be misinterpreted or unintelligible. https://www.persuasivematters.com/telling-a-persuasive-story daily 0.75 2020-09-21 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/585acd9e197aeabb8c012480/1558637386937-DO1GVG2QEINENI0S17E9/backgrounds-02.png Telling a Persuasive Story https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/585acd9e197aeabb8c012480/1558471239992-4AQO7B7UW8SGL3R3R5PG/persuasive-story.jpg Telling a Persuasive Story https://www.persuasivematters.com/delivering-effective-feedback-to-associates daily 0.75 2019-05-23 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/585acd9e197aeabb8c012480/1558637605533-295SIMXZ9W55XA6ALMM6/backgrounds-01.png Delivering Effective Feedback to Associates https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/585acd9e197aeabb8c012480/1558471287798-SQ448K620M79US1TORZ5/constructive-feedback.jpg Delivering Effective Feedback to Associates https://www.persuasivematters.com/trimming-and-toning-your-writing daily 0.75 2024-09-19 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/585acd9e197aeabb8c012480/1558637642081-9X4BK34BKO4U28SH1D0B/backgrounds-02.png Trimming and Toning Your Writing https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/585acd9e197aeabb8c012480/1558471332331-39RO3XY4PPH4U33RCMWM/trimming-content-01.jpg Trimming and Toning Your Writing https://www.persuasivematters.com/complicated-ideas-simple-explanations daily 0.75 2024-06-21 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/585acd9e197aeabb8c012480/1558637698357-HIIC7P1AVAPCFAJKPJ3Q/backgrounds-01.png Complicated Ideas, Simple Explanations https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/585acd9e197aeabb8c012480/1558471569327-8KCWZ5RPYZGXW2BHZAT5/draft-complicated-ideas.jpg Complicated Ideas, Simple Explanations https://www.persuasivematters.com/punctuation-matters daily 0.75 2020-05-20 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/585acd9e197aeabb8c012480/1558637737717-4SBSUBM7YKBAW8XP8YBZ/backgrounds-02.png Punctuation Matters https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/585acd9e197aeabb8c012480/1558471695239-2M7AME5CNG3BSU68CBRT/punctuation-matters.jpg Punctuation Matters https://www.persuasivematters.com/coaching daily 0.75 2024-08-28 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/585acd9e197aeabb8c012480/1558637961276-E256ENDYGPDMQPM9R7DF/backgrounds-01.png Coaching https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/585acd9e197aeabb8c012480/1558471746005-8WX9YBUUEQ2XPU018VWP/coaching.jpg Coaching https://www.persuasivematters.com/duplicate-programs daily 0.75 2020-09-22 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/585acd9e197aeabb8c012480/1558638194691-ONFWCU260Q6A96M7WWKF/backgrounds-02.png DUPLICATE | Programs https://www.persuasivematters.com/duplicate-coaching daily 0.75 2020-10-07 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/585acd9e197aeabb8c012480/1558637961276-E256ENDYGPDMQPM9R7DF/backgrounds-01.png DUPLICATE | Coaching https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/585acd9e197aeabb8c012480/1558471746005-8WX9YBUUEQ2XPU018VWP/coaching.jpg DUPLICATE | Coaching https://www.persuasivematters.com/duplicate-home daily 0.75 2020-10-07 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/585acd9e197aeabb8c012480/1558620834777-OE2ELZR4BY0YQHX3BFDU/backgrounds-01.png DUPLICATE | Home https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/585acd9e197aeabb8c012480/1559155388115-SAIFJSL6MKZMRBWEM82K/writing-wellness-01.png DUPLICATE | Home - Writing Wellness Everything you write should be persuasive. That’s the premise behind Persuasive Matters. Effective persuasive writing puts your readers in a different state of mind, either emotionally or intellectually. If it doesn't, it's a waste of time. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/585acd9e197aeabb8c012480/1558636707689-Q4RJL1LWIT8PX083RDT9/logos-09.png DUPLICATE | Home https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/585acd9e197aeabb8c012480/1558636712597-4BTW2O09OZWFU8Z9VI8H/logos-10.png DUPLICATE | Home https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/585acd9e197aeabb8c012480/1558636721371-7HY2D9SJP7ACNEERGTNR/logos-11.png DUPLICATE | Home https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/585acd9e197aeabb8c012480/1558636733601-0Q5JTAEL0ZD5KVXZHXER/logos-12.png DUPLICATE | Home https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/585acd9e197aeabb8c012480/1558636744215-K0EYZAI4ASA4I84A8UME/logos-13.png DUPLICATE | Home https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/585acd9e197aeabb8c012480/1558636749888-6RC85JRKNF53A5CFEYXG/logos-14.png DUPLICATE | Home https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/585acd9e197aeabb8c012480/1558636758691-DFGKG2P85F1P4JQC6YC5/logos-15.png DUPLICATE | Home https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/585acd9e197aeabb8c012480/1558636763063-CFBE2S9Q2KTU0YYTVBUM/logos-16.png DUPLICATE | Home https://www.persuasivematters.com/booksilike daily 0.75 2024-08-18 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/585acd9e197aeabb8c012480/1558637961276-E256ENDYGPDMQPM9R7DF/backgrounds-01.png Books I Like https://www.persuasivematters.com/books-on-writing-gallery daily 0.75 2020-10-22 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/585acd9e197aeabb8c012480/1603330474439-8042MEPI0XQIY0NRSME4/image-asset.jpeg Books on writing - Dreyer's English How many books on writing can you call a page turner? This is one of the few. Great advice and immensely accessible. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/585acd9e197aeabb8c012480/1603330474439-8042MEPI0XQIY0NRSME4/image-asset.jpeg Books on writing - Dreyer's English How many books on writing can you call a page turner? This is one of the few. Great advice and immensely accessible. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/585acd9e197aeabb8c012480/1603302890577-OU7F3YIN28E5T3OLJG9Q/0134080416.jpg Books on writing - Style: Lessons in Clarity and Grace This was the standard companion for all my students when I taught on the university level. The advice here is simple and concrete. My favorite book on style. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/585acd9e197aeabb8c012480/1603330706158-T951FMB85BE0HD6BWFTH/411dp5P5R%2BL._SX329_BO1%2C204%2C203%2C200_.jpg Books on writing - They Say, I Say: The Moves That Matter in Persuasive Writing This book is for general argumentative writing. It’s a trove of rhetorical devices (“moves”) on both the sentence and paragraph level that are effective in persuasive writing. Full of examples. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/585acd9e197aeabb8c012480/1602091094022-0OIG8ZAVTZETGU9V0FV8/71z4varBITL.jpg Books on writing - Stephen King On Writing I’m a big fan of King’s fiction writing, and few writers in popular culture are as good as he is. But he’s also got great advice on writing, like this: “If you don’t have time to read, you can’t be a writer.” https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/585acd9e197aeabb8c012480/1602091091885-19LIZNHVRI2XA8IL4QK6/610AIYRtaDL.jpg Books on writing - On Writing Well Zinsser’s book is a classic and one of the few you can read cover to cover. One of my favorite bits of advice comes from this book: “people see your writing before they read it.” https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/585acd9e197aeabb8c012480/1603330951700-PUYD63T479ZF9NYQNH02/714C4Z6GLML.jpg Books on writing - Writing with Style: Conversations on the Art of Writing Truly a joy to read and a longtime favorite of mine. Trimble’s book is indeed a conversation. https://www.persuasivematters.com/fictionliterature daily 0.75 2025-09-29 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/585acd9e197aeabb8c012480/1759170535141-349CD9KWODED47SKDX1O/image-asset.png Fiction/Literature - Culpability by Bruce Holsinger https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/585acd9e197aeabb8c012480/1759170535141-349CD9KWODED47SKDX1O/image-asset.png Fiction/Literature - Culpability by Bruce Holsinger https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/585acd9e197aeabb8c012480/1759170664627-IZNIY0JB1MLJVKVLI24V/Screenshot+2025-09-29+at+2.30.52%E2%80%AFPM.png Fiction/Literature - Run for the Hills by Kevin Wilson https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/585acd9e197aeabb8c012480/1741786946310-GG0F0U3WGS1AC24J79UT/81M%2BnA1OAKL._SL1500_.jpg Fiction/Literature - The Entire Sky by Joe Wilkins https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/585acd9e197aeabb8c012480/1701637261765-TOAIIC9LE1OD2KPEWB68/the-candy-house-9781476716770_lg.jpg Fiction/Literature - The Candy House Jennifer Egan’s follow-up to A Visit From the Goon Squad revisits some of the characters from that book in an absolutely stunning piece of writing. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/585acd9e197aeabb8c012480/1650555505584-SXG9LVSEQLCH272BXUOB/9780385545136.jpeg Fiction/Literature - Harlem Shuffle Colson Whitehead (2016 Pulitzer Prize winner) has written a fantastically entertaining book about holdups and shakedowns in 1960s Harlem. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/585acd9e197aeabb8c012480/1634742086017-RQI5LP93NPXEMVYI1POA/9781250252708.jpg Fiction/Literature - Razorblade Tears Author of Blacktop Wasteland (also pictured here), S.A. Cosby has written a thrilling crime/mystery novel set in the rural area around Richmond. This is true “I can’t wait to turn the page” writing. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/585acd9e197aeabb8c012480/1604952727591-0AFAEBBTQ7XRCPFPQILX/9780316475365.jpg Fiction/Literature - Fall Back Down When I Die Joe Wilkins’s book should be the next one you read. It’s hard to state how good this is. It’s poetic and gripping, urgent and beautiful. Wilkins is also a poet, and the setting is Montana. Read this. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/585acd9e197aeabb8c012480/1659208430171-IZ5IGFN12UKPP26V4BKO/9781250243768.jpeg Fiction/Literature - Let's Not Do That Again Former speechwriter Grand Ginder’s novel about a politician running for Senate has a touch of VEEP but is also full of intrigue. Both hilarious and suspenseful. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/585acd9e197aeabb8c012480/1620315302642-SAWJI85NPWMBUUYEO362/9780735216730.jpeg Fiction/Literature - Deacon King Kong This novel by James McBride is a wonderful story about a cast of characters in New York City in 1969 and how their lives intersect, from gangsters to housing project residents to police officers. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/585acd9e197aeabb8c012480/1624844972929-ITHSOA0JL50C1QLWOT80/symp.jpeg Fiction/Literature - The Sympathizer Viet Thanh Nguyen’s 2016 Pulitzer Prize winner is a searing alternative to the many American-centric portrayals of the Vietnam war. The dark humor reminds me of Slaughterhouse Five. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/585acd9e197aeabb8c012480/1611696944323-V72NWDENR58ZVD218DX2/9781250252678.jpg Fiction/Literature - Blacktop Wasteland How to describe this crime thriller that takes place in rural Virginia: it’s Narcos in book form. Stellar writing and impossible—impossible—to put down. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/585acd9e197aeabb8c012480/1629226283637-A06UBUI2NARR626VPV1Y/elegiesd.jpeg Fiction/Literature - Homeland Elegies Ayad Akhtar’s novel https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/585acd9e197aeabb8c012480/1603643504840-0M52JKKNJ7ZUXOFRQ31S/71z4varBITL.jpg Fiction/Literature - The Other Americans One of my favorite things about Laila Lalami’s novel is that the chapters are narrated by different characters, so you get to see how, say, a mother and a daughter view the same event. Fantastic writing too. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/585acd9e197aeabb8c012480/1603644314032-85699BNGV9EF4DTB5OQX/81VvqDdHEFL.jpg Fiction/Literature - Nothing to See Here Quite simply, I do not know that I’ve devoured a book this quickly. It’s hilarious and poignant. Kevin Wilson’s book will make you laugh and give you goosebumps. Read it. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/585acd9e197aeabb8c012480/1603644624645-Q9RO73ADCK6UXVJS33YE/411dp5P5R%2BL._SX329_BO1%2C204%2C203%2C200_.jpg Fiction/Literature - Less Andrew Sean Greer’s book about a middle aged author on an international book tour is very funny, and comedies don’t often win the Pulitzer, as this did in 2018. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/585acd9e197aeabb8c012480/1603644976591-B0CTPSWUALN90OXNEONW/610AIYRtaDL.jpg Fiction/Literature - There There Tommy Orange’s debut novel tells the Native American story in urban America, in this case Oakland. It’s a story not often told. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/585acd9e197aeabb8c012480/1603643085086-ITWV2AN581NV9QHFHPGB/71M4n4-KIDL.jpg Fiction/Literature - Interpreter of Maladies Jhumpa Lahiri’s debut won the 2000 Pulitzer Prize for fiction. Yes, debut. I don’t know that I’ve read many books with such a combination of both dramatic tension and beautiful prose. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/585acd9e197aeabb8c012480/1603648014264-V2I4U4U9DFORA5AI4ZGO/41lFSUzAwiL._SX322_BO1%2C204%2C203%2C200_.jpg Fiction/Literature - Slaughterhouse Five Vonnegut’s book is at the top of my list. When I finished it, I slowly put it down, took a deep breath, and beheld its greatness. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/585acd9e197aeabb8c012480/1603649104265-43INN6VKZ4XGR64BX8P7/51-j0d3fSAL._SX328_BO1%2C204%2C203%2C200_.jpg Fiction/Literature - A Visit from the Goon Squad Jennifer Egan’s Pulitzer Prize winning book is a group of 13 connected stories centered around record company executive Bennie Salazar. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/585acd9e197aeabb8c012480/1603657128026-XAONZ1EW56IX9UFRTCRO/515RL7-gKWL.jpg Fiction/Literature - Mostly Dead Things Hilarious, dark, irreverent, and moving: Kristen Arnett’s book about a daughter who takes over her deceased father’s taxidermy practice in Florida is fantastic. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/585acd9e197aeabb8c012480/1603645239588-KQ8IKVGYS1PN3D4KMQGA/515qVtYo3yL.jpg Fiction/Literature - All the Light We Cannot See Anthony Doerr’s description of canned peaches as “wedges of wet sunlight” is one of the greatest images I’ve ever read. Doerr’s work of WW2 historical fiction won the 2015 Pulitzer Prize. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/585acd9e197aeabb8c012480/1603657449744-2XHXXQRPOY2CTIT93HJN/41%2BEnByl%2BKL.jpg Fiction/Literature - The Stories of Breece D'J Pancake Few outside the literature community know about Breece D’J Pancake. He was heralded as the “hillbilly Hemingway” because the setting of his sparse prose was in his home state of West Virginia. This book is all we have of his writing because he committed suicide in 1979 at age 26. This book is incredible. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/585acd9e197aeabb8c012480/1621711257508-5ZOT5HUTQAVKVH6MNCT4/51XJA7jye2L.jpeg Fiction/Literature - what we talk about when we talk about love It’s hard to go wrong with any Raymond Carver collection, but this is one of my favorites. Anyone who writes anything should read something by him. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/585acd9e197aeabb8c012480/1624845311531-9HQAB2FKN5YBZ18ANF8T/jbrekkie.jpeg Fiction/Literature - Crying in H Mart Michelle Zauner fronts the great band Japanese Breakfast, and she’s also written a wonderful memoir centered around growing up Korean American and losing her mother. https://www.persuasivematters.com/nonfiction daily 0.75 2025-09-29 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/585acd9e197aeabb8c012480/1759171332702-YNZZ91UCSFGGJUUO27AJ/Screenshot+2025-09-29+at+2.41.53%E2%80%AFPM.png Non-Fiction - The Mission: The CIA in the 21st Century by Tim Weiner https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/585acd9e197aeabb8c012480/1724017322082-ERGA7NE7YUPMQGYSMUYQ/image-asset.jpg Non-Fiction - An Immense World by Ed Yong From elephants to fruit flies, you'll never think about animals the same way again. Incredible book. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/585acd9e197aeabb8c012480/1759171332702-YNZZ91UCSFGGJUUO27AJ/Screenshot+2025-09-29+at+2.41.53%E2%80%AFPM.png Non-Fiction - The Mission: The CIA in the 21st Century by Tim Weiner https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/585acd9e197aeabb8c012480/1759171209969-UHLX5ICM7ML9IJHG4H7J/cabin.jpg Non-Fiction - Cabin by Patrick Hutchison https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/585acd9e197aeabb8c012480/1759171012217-9ZVBYPLDCE5NDML8TXMF/Screenshot+2025-09-29+at+2.36.21%E2%80%AFPM.png Non-Fiction - Mood Machine: The Rise of Spotify and the Costs of the Perfect Playlist by Liz Pelly https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/585acd9e197aeabb8c012480/1739474622020-NLS6RJZVU1IOHUAP17XB/Screenshot+2025-02-13+at+2.23.11%E2%80%AFPM.png Non-Fiction - Fear is Just a Word Azam Ahmed, a New York Times correspondent, tells the true story of a Mexican woman who sets out to seek revenge after a drug cartel kidnaps and murders her daughter. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/585acd9e197aeabb8c012480/1739474655389-M2FX9BT970W4BEV3L3G6/challenger-9781982176617_lg.jpg Non-Fiction - Challenger Adam Higginbotham’s deep research and meticulously constructed story behind the space shuttle Challenger disaster is a true page turner that will also anger you. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/585acd9e197aeabb8c012480/1724017818562-E8CS12HYMKIXANPE1ZKP/51ZWuxQyprL.jpg Non-Fiction - An Immense World From elephants to fruit flies, Ed Yong will make sure you never look at animals the same way again. Incredible book. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/585acd9e197aeabb8c012480/1662321539466-FT60FWNHDU6W91WPIUBX/9780802717009-us.jpeg Non-Fiction - the lexicographer's dilemma: the evolution of "proper English," from Shakespeare to South Park I love Jack Lynch’s book because it destroys all the myths we were taught about the “rules of English.” Spoiler alert: you can end sentences with prepositions and split infinitives. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/585acd9e197aeabb8c012480/1650555107637-ZN5A2UQOZLOV8Y2GT9R7/9780525559597.jpeg Non-Fiction - Major Labels: a History of Popular Music in Seven Genres Writing about the history of music isn’t easy, but Kelefa Sanneh, staff writer for the New Yorker, brings the magazine’s style to this fantastic book. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/585acd9e197aeabb8c012480/1632225073335-2MKX8PDHJCW4FKQUU52U/paperback.png Non-Fiction - Miracle Country Kendra Atleework’s memoir takes place in the remote California desert. It’s a powerful story of family and place bound up with ramifications of climate change and water rights. So so good. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/585acd9e197aeabb8c012480/1604953006085-F0R5HTFH9LGFRQ2GY222/delta_blue-199x313.jpg Non-Fiction - Delta Blues I’m a big fan of Gioia’s other books on music, and this is an extraordinarily well-researched book on the history of the Mississippi blues. If you like rock n’ roll, you need to know its roots. Hint: it’s not Elvis. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/585acd9e197aeabb8c012480/1603650070472-85E68ZWA386WLBSJMTF1/71M4n4-KIDL.jpg Non-Fiction - The Lost City of the Monkey God Douglas Preston, a writer for the New Yorker, accompanies archaeologists into the Honduran rainforest to search for a long abandoned civilization. They find it—and get a life-threatening disease in the process. I devoured this book. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/585acd9e197aeabb8c012480/1603650395094-2PPT3494ZDPJ93EZUAW2/71z4varBITL.jpg Non-Fiction - A Death in the Rainforest Don Kulick is a linguist who spends several long periods doing ethnographic fieldwork with a remote tribe in Papua New Guinea, recording its native language of Tayap before the language becomes extinct and its members fully embrace Tok Pisin. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/585acd9e197aeabb8c012480/1603652942126-PV1JZ5LUX6DQ5E1MHCHZ/81VvqDdHEFL.jpg Non-Fiction - Killers of the Flower Moon David Grann’s knack for suspenseful storytelling and meticulous research shines in this story of the 1920s serial murders on the Osage reservation. Grann is a staff writer for the New Yorker. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/585acd9e197aeabb8c012480/1603653743646-6Y8R5LYA41U2NX7JKWRU/411dp5P5R%2BL._SX329_BO1%2C204%2C203%2C200_.jpg Non-Fiction - Semicolon That’s correct: Cecelia Watson’s book is about the history of the semicolon. But it’s also about how punctuation happened (it’s relatively recent) and why we need it. For history of the English language lovers. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/585acd9e197aeabb8c012480/1603654692403-JFRZ38OKJ18PHOFVHT72/610AIYRtaDL.jpg Non-Fiction - What's Your Pronoun? Dennis Baron, professor emeritus of English and linguistics, tells the story of how we got from he and she to zie and hir and singular they. Thankfully, he argues that singular they is, and always has been, correct. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/585acd9e197aeabb8c012480/1603654932875-7RZFE66HNVNQ4AXNM88Y/61lUlXFX-7L.jpg Non-Fiction - Underland: a Deep Time Journey Robert Macfarlane is no ordinary travel writer: he goes deep into places like underground sea caves, the Greenland ice cap, and bunkers where nuclear waste will be stored. He presents these places with a combination of introspection and gorgeous detail. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/585acd9e197aeabb8c012480/1603655621574-4MW57MGAJHPXY2Y3GSI5/41AOZ6WW2YL.jpg Non-Fiction - Because Internet: Understanding the New Rules of Language The Internet is coming for the English language, which means the language is changing probably faster than ever. Linguist Gretchen McCulloch explains the how and why in this fascinating book. Descriptivists, unite! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/585acd9e197aeabb8c012480/1621710526093-QXB918D78GS7WOB7Q5RO/9780812997293.jpeg Non-Fiction - Hooked Pulitzer Prize winner Michael Moss, author of Salt Sugar Fat, continues his look at the processed food industry, aka Big Food. Meticulously researched and an eye opener. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/585acd9e197aeabb8c012480/1603657942994-NHMJ29Z9HDU936FILCTV/51KP6nxQ1xL.jpg Non-Fiction - Everyone Behaves Badly: the True Story Behind Hemingway's Masterpiece Before Hemingway, no one wrote like him. He set out to write in a style no one had ever seen. Hemingway succeeded in The Sun Also Rises, but he made a lot of enemies in the process, according to Lesley M.M. Blume. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/585acd9e197aeabb8c012480/1603656027400-SMW8C2L2DT4S5ESHKMMP/516vOuspycL.jpg Non-Fiction - Are We Not New Wave: Modern Pop at the Turn of the 1980s Theo Cateforis is a professor at Syracuse University, so this is an academic treatment of the genre of new wave music—which is rare and which I love. The writing is academic yet accessible. https://www.persuasivematters.com/short-form daily 0.75 2020-10-25 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/585acd9e197aeabb8c012480/1603384945937-LTLG9DXLM103M1A9SEW4/71M4n4-KIDL.jpg Short Form - Title goes here Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/585acd9e197aeabb8c012480/1603384945937-LTLG9DXLM103M1A9SEW4/71M4n4-KIDL.jpg Short Form - Title goes here Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. https://www.persuasivematters.com/currently-reading daily 0.75 2025-09-29 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/585acd9e197aeabb8c012480/1759172026977-TBR4TC3DOWNI89ICQQXC/9781635576030.jpeg Currently Reading - The Story of the B-52s: Neon Side of Town by Scott Creney and Brigette Adair Herron https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/585acd9e197aeabb8c012480/1605035116238-AMD855E7XQRKY1QRRPIQ/71M4n4-KIDL.jpg Currently Reading - All I Ever Wanted Kathy Valentine is the bassist for the Go-Go’s, a great band. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/585acd9e197aeabb8c012480/1759172026977-TBR4TC3DOWNI89ICQQXC/9781635576030.jpeg Currently Reading - The Story of the B-52s: Neon Side of Town by Scott Creney and Brigette Adair Herron https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/585acd9e197aeabb8c012480/1759171677162-XMN61IUA5AU7M02W9492/dreams-9781639367320_xlg.jpg Currently Reading - Deadwood: Gold, Guns, and Greed in the American West by Peter Cozzens https://www.persuasivematters.com/clients-1 daily 0.75 2023-02-08 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/585acd9e197aeabb8c012480/1558638194691-ONFWCU260Q6A96M7WWKF/backgrounds-02.png Clients https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/585acd9e197aeabb8c012480/1675817804678-JXRBIKEUQSPUVUNPTO8V/amazon-logo.png Clients https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/585acd9e197aeabb8c012480/1675817804673-RYNT33Q9747QCPBK30ZK/google-logo.png Clients https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/585acd9e197aeabb8c012480/1675817805484-LHYDPVZ97R5MLH8871MB/ray-ban-logo.png Clients https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/585acd9e197aeabb8c012480/1675817805568-IXUKK5JLUXE62YUSY60Q/zara-logo.png Clients https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/585acd9e197aeabb8c012480/1675817804678-JXRBIKEUQSPUVUNPTO8V/amazon-logo.png Clients https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/585acd9e197aeabb8c012480/1675817805568-IXUKK5JLUXE62YUSY60Q/zara-logo.png Clients https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/585acd9e197aeabb8c012480/1675817805484-LHYDPVZ97R5MLH8871MB/ray-ban-logo.png Clients https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/585acd9e197aeabb8c012480/1675817804673-RYNT33Q9747QCPBK30ZK/google-logo.png Clients https://www.persuasivematters.com/editing-your-writing-with-ai daily 0.75 2026-02-13 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/585acd9e197aeabb8c012480/1558637171641-V5ZNFC9801EEENP282IX/backgrounds-01.png Editing Your Writing With AI https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/585acd9e197aeabb8c012480/c3f70376-582d-41de-8ac8-50d3e66a9677/Robot+writer+at+work+desk.jpg Editing Your Writing With AI