BIO
Author of twelve books of poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction, Karen Connelly is a writer, educator and therapist in private practice in Toronto, Canada.
For over a decade, Karen was a graduate level professor in Creative Writing at the University of Guelph. She continues to provide writing mentorship internationally through Humber College. Karen also leads The Courage Room Collective an online membership program for people who want to explore creative spirit-body-and-brain care in various ways, including expressive writing.
She is the author of the acclaimed novel The Lizard Cage, set in a Burmese prison and winner of Britain’s Orange Broadband New Novelist’s Prize and shortlisted for the U.S.’s Kiriyama Prize. Her most recent novel is The Change Room, published by Random House in 2017. The Change Room was called “revolutionary and boundary-breaking” in its treatment of women’s lives, relationships and sexuality.
In 2023 she will publish her twelfth book, See You In The Courage Room: Healing Trauma Inside Out. As well as the Orange Broadband prize, she’s received the Governor General’s Award for nonfiction, the Pat Lowther Award for poetry, several national magazine awards, a Chalmers Fellowship, and other national and international prize nominations for her books. Her poetry, novels, and nonfiction books are published in over a dozen countries and languages.
Karen lives with her family in Toronto, Ontario. Her other home is Lesvos, Greece, where she is active in supporting several healthcare initiatives for the refugees who are sheltering on the island.
