Karen Karbo is a highly acclaimed American author, known for her intimate writing style and her ability to create relatable characters and narratives. Her work spans both fiction and non-fiction, including memoirs, mystery novels, and the popular "Kick Ass Women" series.
Karbo's first novel, "Trespassers Welcome Here," was a New York Times Notable Book of the Year and a Village Voice Top Ten Book of the Year. She has since published several other adult novels, including "The Diamond Lane" and "Motherhood Made a Man Out of Me," both of which were also named New York Times Notable Books. In addition to her fiction, Karbo has written several memoirs, such as "The Stuff of Life," which was an NYT Notable Book, a People Magazine Critics' Choice, a Books for a Better Life Award finalist, and a winner of the Oregon Book Award for Creative Non-fiction.
Karbo is perhaps best known for her "Kick Ass Women" series, which includes "How Georgia Became O'Keeffe," "The Gospel According to Coco Chanel," "How to Hepburn," and "Julia Child Rules." This series examines the lives of iconic 20th century women and has garnered international success. In addition to her work for adult readers, Karbo has also written a series of mystery novels for children, the "Minerva Clark" series.
Karbo's writing has appeared in numerous publications, including Elle, Vogue, Esquire, Outside, O, More, The New Republic, The New York Times, and salon.com. She has been the recipient of a National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship in Fiction and was a winner of the General Electric Younger Writer Award. Karen Karbo grew up in Los Angeles, California and currently resides in Portland, Oregon. She continues to be a prominent and prolific author in the literary world.