Karen grew up among a large, extended Irish family in Massachusetts, surrounded by stories and storytellers all of her life. She has been sharing stories professionally with a wide range of audiences since 2000 and is the founder and director of a student storytelling club in her hometown, producing their Storytelling Festival each year. She is also the author of Story by Story—Building a School Storytelling Club and Researching Stories on the Internet: A Webliography of Storytelling Resources.

Karen is also a contributing author to the National Storytelling Network's recent publications, A Beginner's Guide to Storytelling and Telling Stories to Children. She is a member of the NSN Press Committee and writes a regular column, "Stor e Telling," for Storytelling Magazine. Known for her Internet researching skills, Karen never heard a story she couldn't find!

Along with fellow storyteller Dianne de Las Casas, Karen co-published Working smARTS, a bi-monthly e-zine which addressed the needs of the professional children's artists in all arts disciplines.

Karen presents her enthusiastic, interactive and illuminating workshops and residences at conferences, libraries and schools around the country. Combining her passion for literacy and storytelling in delightful programs with stories from around the world, Karen mesmerizes audiences everywhere. She strongly believes that storytelling nurtures students, offering them opportunities to succeed in ways they never imagined!

Professional Affiliations

• League for the Advancement of New England Storytelling (LANES)
• National Storytelling Network (NSN)
• Northlands Storytelling Network
• YES! (Youth, Educators and Storytelling Alliance), a special interest group of the National Storytelling Network

Publications: Magazines, Newsletters and Journals

“Stor E Telling” - Regular column in Storytelling Magazine since 2002

”Untangling the Web”
Storytelling Magazine March/April 2004
The Museletter Volume 15 No. 2 - October 2002

“The Art of Healing Stories”
Healing Story Alliance, Diving in the Moon Journal Issue 2 Summer 2001
Northlands 2003 Journal and Directory

”Puppetry on the Web”
The Museletter Volume 14, No. 4 March 2002

”The Freetown Elementary Storytelling Club”
Northlands 2003 Journal and Directory

"Everything I Need to Know I Learned in Storytelling Club"
Storytelling Magazine Volume 17 Issue 1
January/February 2005

"Great Oaks from Little Acorns Grow"
StoryTimes: Journal of the Florida Storytelling Association
Winter 2005 Volume 9 Issue 4

"A Host of Resources for Coaching Youth Storytellers"
StoryTimes: Journal of the Florida Storytelling Association
Summer 2005 Volume 10 Issue 2

Contributing author to the National Storytelling Network's publication, A Beginner's Guide to Storytelling
http://www.storynet.org/NSNMarketplace/Sale/Spring/Beginners.shtml

Contributing author to the National Storytelling Network's publication, Telling Stories to Children
http://www.storynet.org/NSNMarketplace/Sale/Spring/childrenstories.shtml

Contributing author, Bare Bones for Storytellers, Volume 2: Russia
Contributing author, Bare Bones for Storytellers, Volume 3: Love Stories
Contributing author, Bare Bones for Storytellers, Volume 4: Halloween
http://www.story-lovers.com/