About us

           The Read Theory team consists of a handful of professional writers and educators, many of whom have received advanced degrees, are published authors and award winning teachers. Having a team of exceptional writers and educators has given us the unique ability to offer materials that are diverse in style and approach, engaging in content, and applicable to students of all ages and ability levels. Each one of our writers has unique abilities and interests and, perhaps most importantly, a genuine belief in the ability to improve lives through education. This, we hope, is evident in the materials we create. Below is a list of those who have been directly responsible for making the content you find on Read Theory. Please take a moment to check out our profiles and get to know some of the faces behind the letters!

Tanner
Founder, Writer, Editor

            Tanner writes analogy, antonym, and sentence completion questions, and researches, composes, and edits passages for Read Theory. He also founded the website, which has its roots in the philosophy department at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. While studying philosophy there, Tanner discovered something he found both fascinating and empowering: the mode of critical thought. Although teachers had touched upon it in previous classes, none had come to expose its everyday usefulness and value. Tanner noticed that the ability to think critically proved beneficial not only in the philosophy classroom, but in other aspects of life as well. He thought that if all students were given the opportunity to make sound inferences, delineate nuance and focus, understand arguments, and recognize purpose and intent, then they, too, would learn to wield this powerful tool. By learning to read and think critically, students would live fuller, richer lives. And if this means they also perform better on standardized tests or compose better college essays, that's great! Tanner holds a bachelor's degree in Business Administration from the College of Charleston and has completed post baccalaureate course work in philosophy at UNC-Chapel Hill. His hobbies include reading, writing, and philosophy. He also enjoys spending time with his wife and twin boys.

Anne
Writer, Editor

            Anne researches, composes, and edits passages for Read Theory. She graduated Phi Beta Kappa with a bachelor’s degree in English from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and earned a master’s degree in teaching from Duke University. Anne began her teaching career as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Nepal. She has also taught English in high schools in Los Angeles, California and most recently Durham, North Carolina, where she was a semi-finalist for the district’s Teacher of the Year contest in 2011. Anne received National Board Certification for teachers in 2011. In addition to teaching, she has facilitated workshops for teachers of world literature for the North Carolina Teacher Scholars program. Her essay, "Dying," on the violence that affected the lives of her students in Los Angeles, is forthcoming in the quarterly magazine, The American Scholar. When Anne is not writing, she enjoys spending time with her young children and husband.

Susan
Writer, Editor

            Susan researches, composes, and edits passages for Read Theory. She's a novelist as well; in order of publication her books include By Accident, winner of The Sir Walter Raleigh Award for Fiction, Now You Know, The Last of Something, Even Now, and How Close We Come, winner of The Carolina Novel Award and published in Russian and German. Susan holds a Master of Fine Arts from Warren Wilson College and a BA in English from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She has also worked as an essay tutor (applications for MBA, med school, undergraduate), an SAT/ACT tutor, a grader for standardized reading tests, and taught numerous classes in Creative Writing. She is an avid gardener, hiker, Scrabble-player, traveler, and movie buff. You can find her at www.susanskelly.com.

Marcus
Writer, Editor

            Marcus writes analogy, antonym, and sentence completion questions, and also researches, composes, and edits passages for Read Theory. Marcus holds a BA in American Studies from the University of Minnesota and a Master's Degree in American Studies from Columbia University. He has worked as a test prep tutor (though he also tutors history, English, math, and pretty much everything but foreign languages) as well as a writer of curriculum, short fiction, and cultural criticism. When neither writing nor polishing up his standardized test preparation skills, he enjoys running, reading, and exploring Brooklyn, where he lives.

Amanda
Writer, Editor, Presentation

            Amanda has been working with Read Theory since 2010 and has contributed to many projects over the past few years, including everything from making crossword puzzles for elementary English vocabulary to writing and editing GRE level analogies and sentence completion exercises. She graduated Cum Laude with a bachelor’s degree in Linguistics and German from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and has experience teaching, tutoring, writing, and editing English at a variety of levels in the United States and abroad. She has earned various awards and scholarships during her academic career, including the North Carolina Teaching Fellows scholarship and induction into the Phi Beta Kappa international honor society. She is currently living in Berlin, Germany, where she has been offered a prestigious Fulbright grant for the 2012-2013 academic year. It Amanda's sincere hope that her contributions to Read Theory help you and your students become better readers, writers, and thinkers.

Jason
Writer, Editor

            Jason researches, composes, and edits passages for Read Theory. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in English, a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology, and a Master’s Degree in Teaching. Jason spent five years in the classroom teaching high school English to students in grades 9-12. He enjoys helping people of all ages work on their reading comprehension skills. He has written and received grants to purchase class sets of high-interest novels for his former students. In 2012, Jason received National Board Certification for Teaching. When he's not contributing to Read Theory, he enjoys spending time with his wife, Blaine, and two dogs, Viktor and Edie. They love to cuddle up with good books, drink coffee, and go to the theatre to watch movies. Most of his hobbies involve adventuring outside: running, hiking, biking, and camping. If you’re interested in tracking some of his adventures, feel free to visit his blog. You can find it at www.necessarymovement.blogspot.com. 

Katherine
Writer, Editor

            Katherine researches, composes, and edits passages and worksheets for Read Theory. She holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism and mass communication from the University of Minnesota, where she also minored in English and communication studies. She has worked as a writer and editor for a variety of community newspapers, industry magazines, law firms, and legal newswires. When she’s not writing or editing, she enjoys running, baking, and curling up in her Brooklyn apartment with a good book and her cat, Emmylou. She can be found at www.katherinerautenberg.com.