After completing an undergraduate degree in photography, Karen chose to travel around the world in search of imagery, life experience, and knowledge. Though she has been writing for as long as she can recall, the need to convey these life experiences as stories inspired her to pursue writing as a full-time endeavor. While working towards her MFA in creative nonfiction at The New School, she taught with Youth Speaks NY (now Urban Word NYC), an after-school writing workshop for teens. She has been with Teachers & Writers Collaborative for eight years and loves to give the gift of writing. Over the course of each residency, she has aided and watched each student develop self-awareness and confidence, as he or she came to master the language of his or her expression. Karen has also taught memoir writing at Gotham Writers Workshop and currently teaches writing composition at John Jay College of Criminal Justice. Her book How To Write Your Life Story was published by Reader’s Digest in 2006.