Karin Killian

About Karin

Karin Killian is a writer from northern Minnesota. A former Peace Corps volunteer with undergraduate degrees in International Studies and Spanish, Karin directed a variety of nonprofit and social enterprise projects before earning her Master of Fine Arts in Fiction from the MFA Program for Writers at Warren Wilson College. She is especially fascinated by the role stories play in the formation of societal structures—and vice versa.

Killian's prose has appeared in Creative Nonfiction, Sweet, Hobart, Bayou, South Carolina Review, and Fiction Writers Review, among other places. Killian’s work has been nominated for a Pushcart Prize and supported by a Carol Houck Smith Scholarship, a Bread Loaf scholarship, and residencies and fellowships from a variety of organizations including The Tofte Lake Center and Writing by Writers. She lives in Traverse City with her two daughters, and has taught writing and literature to a wide array of students, ranging in age from 9 to 101.

I believe that imagination is a muscle that needs to be flexed regularly to achieve its full potential, and a playful process is key when completing first drafts. I also work to nurture a spirit of radical generosity in the workshop and revision process, and love introducing students to exemplary literature that inspires.