William's Book Recommendations
The Spell of the Sensuous - David Abram
Writing that remembers this phenomenology feels alive. Writing that forgets it tends to feel—no matter how clever—like a summary, a secondhand report of experience instead of the genuine article.
Introduction to Functional Grammar - M.A.K. Halliday
Most writing teachers treat language as a system of rules for constructing correct sentences. Halliday treats it as a system of choices for making meaning.
Is There a Text in This Class?: The Authority of Interpretive Communities - Stanley Fish
Meaning can't be found inside the text. It exists only within a set of expectations shared between writer and reader.
Expectations: Teaching Writing from the Reader's Perspective - George D. Gopen
It's not what you say. It's not even how you say it.
It's where you say it that makes all the difference for readers.
Style: Lessons in Clarity and Grace - Joseph M. Williams
If you've ever stared at your own writing and thought, "Something is off here, but I can't figure out what," this book gives you a vocabulary and a method for diagnosing the problem.
They Say, I Say: The Moves that Matter in Academic Writing - Gerald Graff, Cathy Birkenstein, Russel Durst
My English professor used to keep about a dozen copies of this book in his office to give to undergrads. Here's why.