Donna Tanzer

Donna Tanzer serves as an Adjunct Associate Professor at the School of Humanities and Writing at the Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design (MIAD), where she has taught since 2004. Her work includes developing innovative humanities electives like “It’s So Meta” and “Once Upon a Time: The Lure of the Fairy Tale,” as well as service-learning courses addressing health, justice, and children’s welfare.

• Educational background: BS in English and Speech (theatre emphasis) from the University of Minnesota-Duluth, MA in Education from Marian University

Her research and professional focus spans humanities education, literary analysis, and service-learning pedagogy, with a strong emphasis on integrating theatre and writing instruction. She has contributed extensively to Advanced Placement (AP) curriculum materials, including co-authoring teacher’s guides for Perrine’s Literature: Structure, Sound and Sense and Kirszner and Mandell’s Literature: Reading, Reacting, Writing. Donna is currently collaborating on a digital revision of the poetry text Interpreting Poetry.

She has presented at AP Annual Conferences and National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) conventions, highlighting her expertise in teaching diverse authors from Shakespeare to August Wilson. Her career bridges academia with practical experience, including over 25 play productions directed during her tenure as a high school English teacher.