For clips, please email the author.
"Mardi Gras, Family Style" Portico Magazine, February 2009.
"On A Roll: Sushi as it Should Be" in Portico Magazine, December 2008.
"10 Things I Learned Collecting Vampire Stories in the South" in Portico Magazine, October 2008
"Sporting Clays In Style" in Portico Magazine, September 2008.
"Love Conquers All" in Portico Magazine, July 2008.
"Military Style" on Preservation Online, June 2008
"Anniston Reborn" (audio feature) WBHM radio, May 2008
“Florescent Fairytale” in Flower Magazine, Spring, 2008.
“Lost Arts: Alabama Folk School” in Portico Magazine, February, 2008.
“Arizona's Other Canyon” in the Chilliwack Times, November 2, 2007.
“A Round of Applause” in Portico Magazine, October 2007
“Living with History” in Birmingham Weekly, September, 2007
“Arts Education” in Portico Magazine August 2007
“Magical McClellan” in Portico Magazine, May 2007
Deafness Issues e-newsletter 2000; 2005-2006
Blindness Issues e-newsletter 2000; 2005-2006
“Alabama Instructional Resource Center for the Blind” in Howe’s Now (quarterly newsletter of the Council of Schools for the Blind) Spring 2006
Cowritten with Pat Byington: “Penguins” editorial in Birmingham News, January 29, 2006
Cowritten with Pat Byington: ”Katrina” editorial in Birmingham News November, 2005
“Finding Focus: Kids are Drawn to the Fun and Fitness of Karate” in Portico Magazine May 2005
“Frieda Meacham” Community Hero column in Birmingham Parent March 2005
“Finally Heard: deaf Alabamians with mental health needs are now being properly diagnosed and treated” in Portico Magazine February 2005
“A Journey of Self-Discovery” in Sights and Sounds Fall 2004
(available online at http://www.aidb.org/sightsandsounds.asp)
“Ability Stands Out in Any Language” in Sights and Sounds Fall 2004
“AIDB Stars Shine Around the World” in Sights and Sounds Fall 2004
“Clean Socks and A Sense of Purpose,” in Sights and Sounds Fall 2004
“Hope Lodge” in Alabama Alive October 2004
“ASFA Alumni” in Portico Magazine September 2004
“History through Deaf Eyes” in Birmingham Weekly Arts & Culture Section September 7, 2004
“Differently-Abled Children at Camp McDowell Environmental Center” in Birmingham Parent July 2004
“Blind Boys of Alabama” in Alabama Alive June 2004
Various legislative editorials, ghostwritten, published in major Alabama daily newspapers February-March 2004
“Lost Time at the Victoria-Jungfrau” at Go World Travel March 2004
Various legislative editorials, ghostwritten, published in major Alabama daily newspapers October 2003
Editorial in favor of tax reform, ghostwritten, published in
The Birmingham News August 2003
Various editorials in favor of tax reform, ghostwritten, published in major Alabama daily newspapers August 2003
Legislative editorials, ghostwritten, published in the Birmingham News and the Anniston Star June 2003
Editorial in favor of education reform, ghostwritten, published in the Birmingham News May 2003
Cowritten with Verna Gates: “Tapping Into E-Learning” in Military Officer Magazine January 2003
Editorial, ghostwritten, published in the Birmingham News May 2002
Legislative editorial, ghostwritten, published in the Birmingham News May 2002
Editorial, ghostwritten, published in the Birmingham News January 2002
Legislative editorial, ghostwritten, published in the Birmingham News January 2002
“Advances in Eye Care” in Sights and Sounds Fall 2001
“Alternative Health Center Opening on Southside” in Birmingham Business Journal, October 19th, 2001.
"Pemco Deepens Labor Pool" in Birmingham Business Journal, October 22, 2001.
"Fertile Ground: Comfort Zone for Big Banks, Small Businesses"in Birmingham Business Journal, September 7th, 2001.
“A Force for Change” in Sights and Sounds Summer 2000
Editorials, ghostwritten, published in the Memphis Appeal and Birmingham News March 2000
“Whatever It Takes” in Sights and Sounds Fall 1999
“Wal-Mart at Work with EHG & Your Community” in Sights and Sounds Fall 1999
“More than Flames are Sparked” in Sights and Sounds Summer 1999
“What’s In A Brain?” in Sights and Sounds Winter 1997
“A Clear Difference” in Sights and Sounds Summer 1997
“Quality Education Demands Quality Communications” in Sights and Sounds Fall/Winter 1996
“Help Wanted: Skilled Interpreters” in Sights and Sounds Fall/Winter 1996
“Pursuing Higher Education” in Sights and Sounds Fall/Winter 1996
“As the Spirit Moves You” in Sights and Sounds Summer 1995
“Technology Leads to a Whole New World” in Sights and Sounds Summer 1995
Karyn moved to the Deep South at the tender age of nine, and in her better moments considers herself a Southerner. She continued to write, which prompted her sister to predict that Karyn would one day write the verbiage on the back of shampoo bottles. The sister proved to be prophetic.
Karyn attended the Alabama School of Fine Arts as a drama major, which accounts for her well-polished histrionic skills. The study of theatre arts provided her with a thorough, if unusual, grasp of historic events, which she has yet to relinquish. It was during her tenure at the School of Fine Arts that Karyn began to cultivate an appreciation for the unconventional.
After a sudden departure from high school, Karyn attended LaGrange College in Georgia before receiving a degree in English from the University of Alabama at Birmingham. Unaccountably startled to discover the sparse demand for English degrees, Karyn wound up in a position as a junior copywriter for a direct response advertising agency. She fled that job in short order, and became a freelance advertising copywriter who dabbled in feature writing and storytelling to amuse her friends and family.
Karyn is the author of Southern Vampires, which was chosen by the American Library Association as a “quick pick” for young adult readers. She has also written Covered Bridge Ghost Stories, Dog-Gone Ghost Stories, Gorgeous Georgia, Great American Golf and The Contractor’s Book of Excuses. She is currently working on a history of the Alabama Institute for Deaf and Blind, traveling around the region to collect a variety of fascinating stories about society and education from the perspective of people who are differently abled. Karyn also tells stories to children and adults wherever she finds a group sitting still.
She lives in a spooky old house in a historic district of Birmingham with her family. Karyn enjoys gardening, cooking, reading and wandering through the neighborhood. She travels extensively for work and pleasure.
Karyn has been involved in corporate communications since her first foray into advertising with a direct response company in 1984. Over the years, she has created concepts and copy for many different clients in all media.
Financial
Business to Business
Communications
Fundraising
Insurance
Healthcare
Human Resources
Transportation
With a feature writing background, she is especially suited to providing detailed and relevant content for websites. Her feature writing experience gives her the ability to research any industry thoroughly, providing a thoughtful analysis of web design strategy and the competition.
The most significant long-term predictor of a website's success is its ability to provide relevant, well-written content to its target audience. As website manager for the Alabama Institute for Deaf and Blind, Karyn learned how to provide the content their clients needed, in a format to accommodate all abilities. For Portico Magazine, Karyn managed the monthly addition of new articles, linking and archiving strategies and banner advertising creation and placement.
Karyn is comfortable working with many different content management systems, HTML and Dreamweaver.
Local and Regional ADDYs
N.Y. Art Directors Club
Crystal Award/Champion Paper
Mead Top 60
American Economic Development Council Print Magazine
International Newspaper Marketing Association
American Library Association YALSA Award
Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) Special Merit Award