My poem “Ode to Edges” won Inscape Journal's "Ode" poetry contest: Writing Contests – Inscape

 

My short story titled "Ripping Off the Bandage" was included in Sheila-Na-Gig Editions' short fiction anthology, The Last Word & Other Stories, edited by John Bullock. https://sheilanagigblog.com/.../the-last-word-other-stories/

 

My poem “Headlong” was included in the latest issue of Thimble Literary Magazine.  Headlong

 

My prose poem “Ode to Knots,” inspired by Arthur Briscoe's 1926 "Ten Knots" appeared in The Ekphrastic Review. Ode to Knots, by Karen George - The Ekphrastic Review

 

My prose poem "How to Calibrate Nothing's Grace" was nominated for a 2025 Pushcart Prize by the literary journal JMWW

I had an interview with Nadia Arioli, Editor-in-Chief and Managing Editor of Thimble Literary Magazine, Five Questions with Karen George, published in their newsletter talking about my fourth poetry collection, Caught in the Trembling Net, published August 2024 by Kelsay Books

Shae Hall's review of my short story collection, How We Fracture, was published in Still: The Journal

I had poems published in Slippery Elm Literary Journal, Pink Panther Magazine—Women's Art and Writing, and Permafrost, both print magazines.

Three found/erasure poems created from pages of "The Book of the Damned" by Charles Fort (1919) in Heron Tree's Issue 11 at Heron Tree

Three collage/erasure poems in the latest issue of The Indianapolis Review at The Indianapolis Review

My work "Apertures," inspired by Isobelle Ouzman's 2022 altered book sculpture "The Stag," was published in The Ekphrastic Review and was nominated for the Best Microfictions 2025 Award. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

BOOK RELEASE ANNOUNCEMENT

I'm happy to announce the release of my fourth poetry collection, "Caught in the Trembling Net," now available from Kelsay Books — Caught in the Trembling Net – Kelsay Books.

The poems are inspired by the life and artwork of Frida Kahlo, Georgia O'Keeffe, and Emily Carr. The collection includes prose poems, haibuns, golden shovels, and found poems created from words, lines and phrases in the artists' journals, letters, writings, and titles from their body of artwork.

Here are the blurbs from the back of the book:

Karen George takes us into the heart of three passionate, determined, brilliant, creative women, one from each nation in North America, and shows us her heart, her words, her work. These are imaginative, intimate, beautiful poems. A collection to treasure.  — Lorette C. Luzajic, founder and editor, The Ekphrastic Review

 

These ekphrastic poems, written to the paintings of three diverse artists, often culled from their own words, are exquisite. Karen George masterfully weaves Frida Kahlo, Georgia O’Keeffe, and Emily Carr into a seamless, feminist exploration that held me in thrall, first page to last. “I will heal better,” the poet declares in the opening poem of this remarkable collection. She longs for a whole “new me” eager to dissolve into embryo, embrace life anew. Join her on this quest. You won’t be disappointed. — Alexis Rhone Fancher, author of Brazen, and Triggered 

 

Karen George’s Caught in the Trembling Net is a delightful delving into the art and lives of Frida Kahlo, Georgia O’Keeffe, and Emily Carr.  The collection includes so many lovely particulars, as when she writes about the shapes in O’Keeffe’s “The Lawrence Tree”: “ulnar, cervical, /radial, intercostal--a litany/ to tickle the tongue.”  Yet more than that, George invites readers to see larger truths in these works. In “The Two Frida’s,” she asks, “Isn’t everyone twinned, /split in two, bifurcated, /whittling ourselves/down to one true self?”  Ultimately, in every poem, George urges us “to step into/that aisle of light, / whelm in that gleam” (“Forest Interior in Shafts of Light,” Carr) of the art.  — Taunja Thomson, author of The Profusion and Plunge

 

COVER REVEAL

Excited to reveal the cover for my soon-to-be-released fourth poetry collection, an ekphrastic poetry collection from Kelsay Books — "Caught in the Trembling Net" — poems inspired by the art and words of Frida Kahlo, Georgia O'Keeffe, and Emily Carr.

Cover image by Wyxina Tresse & Cover design by Shay Culligan.

 

 My Latest Publications:

I had six prose poems published in The Mackinaw: a journal of prose poetry, a poem in the “All About My Mother” series at Silver Birch Press, and a poem in Sheila-Na-Gig.

 

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HOW WE FRACTURE, my prize-winning short story collection was released by Minerva Rising Press in January 2024.

 

HOW WE FRACTURE, my prize-winning short story collection was released by Minerva Rising Press in January 2024.

 

How We Fracture is a literary collection of sixteen modern-day stories told from female points-of-view of teenagers to women in their fifties and sixties at points of fracture in their lives. The stories delve into conflicts surrounding financial instability, reproductive rights, body image, sexuality and sexual preference, relationships, illness, death of loved ones, aging, infertility, addiction, and mental health. The main characters are students, visual artists, fashion designers, a legal secretary, house sitter, vet assistant, jewelry maker, a collector of miniatures, a nurse, and a breath facilitator.

My debut fiction publication, How We Fracture, a collection of short stories, was released the end of January by Minerva Rising Press. It’s also available at Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

I was over the moon when How We Fracture won Minerva Rising Press' Rosemary Daniell Fiction Prize. Here is what the Contest Judge Anjali Enjeti, who selected How We Fracture from the finalists, said about my collection:

"One entry truly knocked my socks off -- every story was vibrant, devastating, potent and so deserving of this prize. And the prose was flawless. It's Karen George's How We Fracture. I can't stop thinking about these stories and I can't wait to see the book on bookshelves!"

Here are what several authors have said about my book:

“How We Fracture is a captivating literary collection that gives readers incredible insight into the lives of women facing pivotal moments of fracture. With sixteen phenomenal stories, George expertly weaves together narratives that span generations, giving voice to characters ranging from teenagers to women in their fifties and sixties. George fearlessly explores a wide range of complex issues in a way that is elegant and evocative. These stories serve as a reminder that despite our individual struggles, we are all connected by the shared experiences and emotions that shape us. George’s collection will leave a lasting impression on anyone who reads them. Once again, George has illustrated her masterful ability to take readers on a journey they will never forget.” —Angela Jackson-Brown, author of The Light Always Breaks

 

"How We Fracture is an outpouring of sixteen short stories, encircling a startlingly wide sweep of human emotion and experience. At the point of ‘fracture’, characters encounter loss and fear, doubt and indecision; they also break through into hope and unforeseen new life. Karen George’s keen observations—of both the human and the natural world—are revelatory. At the core of this beautiful collection are the complexities and intricacies of love: the setbacks and betrayals as well as the moments of dazzling beauty." — Eleanor Morse, author of Margreete’s Harbor and White Dog Fell from the Sky

 

"The lives of the women and girls in Karen George's How We Fracture are rendered in exquisite detail as they mourn, covet, bear witness, seek the truth and fall in love. These compelling stories are a strong testament to the power of women and girls to navigate a complex world." — Ellen Birkett Morris, Lost Girls 

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Kentucky Visions Short Story

 Contest Winner

My short story, “What You Don’t Know,” that takes place on Anderson Ferry, which crosses The Ohio River from Constance, Kentucky to Delhi, Ohio, was awarded first place in the inaugural Kentucky Visions Short Story Contest at the Kentucky State Capitol Rotunda. All 16 finalists’ stories were published in a commemorative anthology by The Bluegrass Writers Coalition who sponsored the contest. 

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My Latest Publications:

My short story “Slipping Through the Cracks” was published May 1^st in the 27th issue of Jet Fuel Review.

I had poems published in JMWW, Rogue Agent, NonBinary Review, Lily Poetry Review, The Power of the Feminine "I" Anthology, and Ekphrastic Review’s The Memory Palace, an ekphrastic anthology. 

 

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HOW WE FRACTURE, my prize-winning short story collection is available for pre-order.

 

How We Fracture is a literary collection of sixteen modern-day stories told from female points-of-view of teenagers to women in their fifties and sixties at points of fracture in their lives. The stories delve into conflicts surrounding financial instability, reproductive rights, body image, sexuality and sexual preference, relationships, illness, death of loved ones, aging, infertility, addiction, and mental health. The main characters are students, visual artists, fashion designers, a legal secretary, house sitter, vet assistant, jewelry maker, a collector of miniatures, a nurse, and a breath facilitator.

I'm thrilled to announce that my debut fiction publication, HOW WE FRACTURE, a collection of short stories which won the Rosemary Daniell Fiction Prize, is now available for preorder from Minerva Rising Press. It's scheduled for a January 23rd release date.

It’s also available at Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

Here are what several authors have said about the book:

“How We Fracture is a captivating literary collection that gives readers incredible insight into the lives of women facing pivotal moments of fracture. With sixteen phenomenal stories, George expertly weaves together narratives that span generations, giving voice to characters ranging from teenagers to women in their fifties and sixties. George fearlessly explores a wide range of complex issues in a way that is elegant and evocative. These stories serve as a reminder that despite our individual struggles, we are all connected by the shared experiences and emotions that shape us. George’s collection will leave a lasting impression on anyone who reads them. Once again, George has illustrated her masterful ability to take readers on a journey they will never forget.” —Angela Jackson-Brown, author of The Light Always Breaks

 

"How We Fracture is an outpouring of sixteen short stories, encircling a startlingly wide sweep of human emotion and experience. At the point of ‘fracture’, characters encounter loss and fear, doubt and indecision; they also break through into hope and unforeseen new life. Karen George’s keen observations—of both the human and the natural world—are revelatory. At the core of this beautiful collection are the complexities and intricacies of love: the setbacks and betrayals as well as the moments of dazzling beauty." — Eleanor Morse, author of Margreete’s Harbor and White Dog Fell from the Sky

 

"The lives of the women and girls in Karen George's How We Fracture are rendered in exquisite detail as they mourn, covet, bear witness, seek the truth and fall in love. These compelling stories are a strong testament to the power of women and girls to navigate a complex world." — Ellen Birkett Morris, Lost Girls