Elena approaches literature the way she thinks about everything — with the conviction that J.K. Rowling deserves the same analytical seriousness as any canonical author. Her Religious Studies and Biblical Studies training gave her deep experience with close reading, symbolism, and textual interpretation across traditions, which translates directly into unpacking a novel's themes or a poem's structure. She makes literary analysis feel like detective work rather than busywork.

Analyzing literature requires the same skill Dillon emphasizes across all his teaching: reading critically and building an argument from evidence. He digs into how authors use structure, symbolism, and point of view to shape meaning — then shows students how to translate those observations into clear, well-supported essays. His background in engineering may seem unconventional for literature, but it sharpens his instinct for logical, precise analysis of a text.

Jera treats literary analysis as argument-building: every claim about a text needs evidence, and every piece of evidence needs interpretation. Her legal training sharpened that instinct — constructing a reading of a novel's symbolism or a poem's structure isn't so different from building a case brief. Students leave sessions knowing how to defend a thesis about a text, not just summarize its plot.

Reading literature seriously means asking what a text is doing and why — tracking metaphor, unreliable narration, structural choices. Michael brings an analytical mindset sharpened by years in computer science, where precision with language and logic matters, and pairs it with a genuine love of books to dig into close reading and literary analysis.

Reading literature across three Romance languages — plus the critical theory that comes with a linguistics degree — gave Trace an unusually wide lens for analyzing texts. He teaches students to move beyond plot summary and into close reading: examining how an author's diction, structure, and cultural context build meaning on the page.

Reading a novel closely is a skill, not a talent — it takes practice identifying themes, analyzing character motivation, and connecting a text to its historical moment. Michelle taught reading and Language Arts to middle schoolers and developed strategies for getting students to move past plot summary into genuine interpretation. She's especially effective at teaching students how to pull textual evidence and build an argument around it.

Reading a novel for plot is one thing; analyzing how an unreliable narrator reshapes meaning, or why an author chose free indirect discourse over first person, is something else entirely. Karen studied English Literature at the university level and brings that close-reading discipline to poetry, drama, and fiction across periods. She teaches students to build interpretive arguments grounded in textual evidence — the skill that transforms a B essay into an A.

I'm a recent college graduate with degrees in Biological Sciences and Russian from Ohio University. During my time there, I tutored students in a variety of subjects, including biology, chemistry, and Spanish. In addition, I worked as both a peer advisor and teaching assistant, which gives me insight into the learning strategies and study skills that students need to succeed. As a tutor, I like to focus on doing actual problems with students because it is the most effective way to immediately identify their strengths and weaknesses and to address them. In my free time, I like to lift weights, read books, and spend time with my friends.

Reading a novel for class and actually analyzing it are two different skills — the second requires pulling apart structure, symbolism, and authorial intent. Ishaan approaches literary analysis like a puzzle, teaching students to build arguments from textual evidence and articulate what a passage is doing, not just what it says.

I am a recent graduate with a master's in electrical engineering from Case Western Reserve University. I won the Bill and Melinda Gates Millennium Scholarship which covers full tuition up to Ph.D. I was on the Dean's List for three consecutive years. Additionally, I won the OZY Media Genius Award in 2015 to work on high-temperature superconductors. I currently work as a Technology Analyst at Accenture. I am also seriously considering whether I should go for a Ph.D. or not.

Nikolas approaches literature by teaching students to build arguments from the text itself — pulling apart an author's use of symbolism, structure, or point of view and turning those observations into a coherent interpretation. His SAT prep background sharpened his close-reading instincts, and his science training gives him an unusually logical framework for literary analysis that resonates with students who don't consider themselves "English people."

Reading a novel closely and writing about it persuasively are two different skills, and most students struggle with the second one. Seung digs into literary analysis — symbolism, narrative structure, authorial intent — and teaches students how to build an argument from textual evidence rather than just summarizing the plot.