Spencer Pennington

Pretty simple: I write repair guides! I also contribute to blogs and newsletters from time to time. I'm always working on my writing skills, so I have a blog you can check out, too.

I have an M.A. in Technical Writing from the University of North Alabama. During this program I completed a NASA program, wrote documentation for an integrated library system, and edited a literary magazine.

I also have a B.A. in Philosophy and a B.S. in Pure Mathematics from the University of Alabama. During my B.A. I specialized in the philosophy of mind, culminating in an (award-winning) paper on unicorns. (No, really...)

My B.S. in math is largely a blur at this point. It was quite honestly one of the hardest things I have ever done. However, I can confidently say that I could, at some point in the past, rigorously prove several fundamental theorems of calculus and perform other advanced mathematical feats that I can certainly no longer do.

After college I put my math degree to work for the first and only time by teaching math in Memphis, Tennessee, for a grand total of eighteen months. I love teaching, but the classroom was not the place for me, so I moved on from there and worked for a short period of time selling demand response services.

Then I landed in the world of libraries for 2.5 years where I worked as a part-time library assistant, outreach coordinator, youth education coordinator, and young adult services coordinator. It was a great experience, and I will always be a devoted library patron, but when an opportunity to repair the world comes along, how can you say no?

My first iFixit guide was a technique guide for aligning a vintage manual typewriter, which I wrote as a student technical writer (please forgive the white balance in these photos...).

I've been fixing things all my life. When you grow up in a family of engineers, it's almost impossible to avoid that. Here's an incomplete list of things I've fixed, built, torn down, or otherwise tinkered with: HVAC unit, car, hot tub, oven, clothes dryer, refrigerator, plumbing, microwave, electric card shuffler, lamp, bike, chicken coop, dirtbike, microwave...

I love reading, mostly fiction--find me on Storygraph! My favorite writer is Larry Brown, and here are some other favorites if you're looking for your next read: Tove Jansson, Haruki Murakami, Lauren Groff, Harry Crews, Bud Smith, Olga Ravn...

I also write short stories on occasion, exactly one of which has been published.

I love riding my bike, sitting on the porch, walking around town, making zines, playing with my dog, and spending time with my amazing wife.