William Zinsser, 1922 - 2015

       William Zinsser has died.  He wrote and edited for a number of well regarded U.S. periodical publications, taught non-fiction writing in the English Department at Yale, and is perhaps best known for his book On Writing Well that came out in 1976 and is still valued in its several thoughtful revisions.

       Zinsser recently wrote a weekly blog for two years for American Scholar Magazine, hardly believing it when his first article received 16,000 hits. He thought he was absolutely wedded to paper but became an enthusiastic convert.

       Zinsser prized clarity. economy, and human warmth in writing.  Simplicity was a watchword for him.  He held that you should be grateful for every word that can be pruned:  "Clutter is the disease of American writing."