Richard Straub earned a Ph.D. in English from Ohio State University. He spent his academic career at Florida State University, serving as Assistant Professor and later Associate Professor of English. His primary field was composition studies and his primary research interest was responding to student writing. He authored or edited three other books: The Practice of Response, A Sourcebook for Responding to Student Writing, and Twelve Readers Reading. Proceeds from Key Works on Teacher Response will be donated to a memorial scholarship fund in his name.