Karen has worked as a wordsmith in many genres. She is a journalist, essayist, playwright, poet, fiction writer, and author of creative nonfiction. Her articles have been published bicoastally in more than a dozen newspapers and magazines, including The New York Times, Yoga Journal, and San Francisco Weekly. Her plays—which include Popping the Cherry, And Baby Makes Two, Commit Me to Memory, More Like Messy, and Mister President—have received readings and/or productions in San Francisco, Seattle, and Italy. Her poetry has appeared in various journals, and she co-authored the book Indie Girl. She is currently at work on a series of short stories.

Karen has a BA in English from State University of New York at Albany, and a MA in English and MFA in Creative Writing, both from San Francisco State University. She has lived and traveled all over the world for both work and fun, and spent 2006 in Guatemala City on a State Department fellowship teaching journalism.

Karen's work is influenced most by her urban roots, her international travels, her love of language, and her yoga practice.