Teaching the Anti-Essay

“This book is fuel for igniting curiosity and creativity. Wesley Phillipson has a knack for encouraging original thinking and writing, and his essay prompts are a gift to teachers, students, and everyone who believes in the power of the pen.” - Adam Grant, #1 New York Times bestselling author of THINK AGAIN and HIDDEN POTENTIAL, and host of the podcast Re:Thinking.

Teaching the Anti-Essay helps secondary school English Language Arts (ELA) teachers introduce literary nonfiction and creative nonfiction essay writing to their students, demonstrating how writing is a fun and engaging activity where students can see tremendous value in “thinking on paper.” Meaningful essays are also, by default, analytical.

This book offers English teachers and their students 18 different essay prompts that challenge student writers to take calculated risks on paper, leading to essays that students can write and want to write, allowing them to add something new to the conversation in the process. Each chapter explores a unique essay prompt, along with rationale, the targeted skills, teacher models, student models, and reflections. The book is intended to be a tool for change in the English classroom at large by motivating students through tried and tested prompts, demonstrating that anyone can write like a journalist, a professional blogger, a creative nonfiction essayist, becoming an author with one’s own voice and style.

This is a great resource for in-service middle school and high school ELA teachers, and beyond.