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Karen's full bio can be found at the following link:
https://kyotofaces.wordpress.com/about-the-interviewer/
For any work inquiries, she can be reached at the email address below.
Structures of Kyoto explores the physical, spiritual, and artistic elements of Japan’s ancient capital and beckons one to “step through the gate” to interact with them.
Bookended by the insights of authors Judith Clancy (Exploring Kyoto) and Alex Kerr (Finding the Heart Sutra), readers will find themselves amidst temple gardens and gates, within a tea ceremony and a calligraphy class, observing a children's boat regatta, and amongst writers channeling their muse in literary cafes. The spirits of the city — ancestors, ghosts, supernatural creatures, and benevolent deities — also have their place.
From Ryoanji Temple in the west to Mount Daimonji in the east, and from Sanzenin Temple in the north to Fushimi Inari Shrine in the south, established authors, upcoming writers, and featured artists will transport you to the cultural heart of Japan with their non-fiction, fiction, prose, poetry, and images, which together paint a stunning and informative portrait of the world's favorite city.
Karen served as Assistant Editor and contributed a piece to this anthology which was produced by Robert Weis and published through the National Museum of Natural History in Luxembourg for its exhibition "Spirit of Shizen: Japan’s nature through its 72 seasons".
In feature article "Kyoto's Local Guardians: Phoenixes of the City", Karen conducted the first in-depth study in English of Kyoto City's volunteer fire brigades.
[Selected Publications]
◇ "Kyoto's Local Guardians: Phoenixes of the City" in Kyoto Journal 107 "Fire and Kyoto" (2024)
◇ "Nature, Neighbors, and Nibbles" in The Nature of Kyoto: Writers in Kyoto Anthology 5, edited by Lisa Twaronite Sone and Robert Weis (2023)
◇ "Tonbo-Ike" in Kyoto Journal 101 "Water in Kyoto" (2022)
◇ "Mosses for the Ages" in Spirit of Shizen: Japan's Nature through its 72 Seasons, an anthology published through the National Museum of Natural History in Luxembourg
◇ “The Life Dispensary” in Structures of Kyoto: Writers in Kyoto Anthology 4, edited by Rebecca Otowa and Karen Lee Tawarayama (2021)
◇ “The Will of the People: Higashi Hongwanji’s Hair Ropes” in Encounters with Kyoto: Writers in Kyoto Anthology 3, edited by Jann Williams and Ian Josh Yates. (2019)
◇ “On Childraising in Japan: Expanding into Interdependence (Two Snapshots in Time)” in Echoes: Writers in Kyoto Anthology 2, edited by John Dougill, Amy Chavez, and Mark Richardson. (2017)
[Selected Freelance Voice Work]
◇ Osaka Castle Museum (Main English Guidance Recording)
◇ Japan Railways (Shinkansen N700 Promotion Video)
◇ Sharp Corporation (Cocoro Kitchen - English Voice for Slow Cooker & Microwave)
◇ Ninnaji Temple (Closing Announcement)
◇ Keihan Railways (Ticket Gate Guidance)
◇ Kintetsu Airport Bus
◇ Yoyogi National Stadium (Restroom Guidance)
◇ ECC Corporation (Children's ESL CDs)
◇ Japan Post (ATM Guidance)
Peace begins with a smile.