Introducing: Karen B. Golightly

Karen B. Golightly is the author of Fairlight Books’ novella There Are Things I Know (Fairlight Moderns series).

Karen is an Associate Professor of English and is an advocate for autism. She has a PhD in English from the Southern Illinois University.

Karen’s poems, stories, creative non-fiction pieces, photography and academic articles have been published in various anthologies, journals and magazines, including Mt. Tamalpais Press’ Love in the Face of Everything anthology, Number magazine, and Memphis magazine. She’s a finalist of a number of writing competitions.

Karen lives in Memphis, Tennessee. She enjoys indoor soccer, street art photography, reading, riding bikes, and is currently learning to play the ukulele.

A short Q&A with Karen B. Golightly can be seen below:

How did you start writing and did you always want to be a writer?

As a kid, I was an avid reader and writer as well as a night owl. My parents were strict early to bed, early to rise people, but if I was reading or writing, they would let me stay up later. I got a lot of practice that way. I’d also stay up late and talk to my cousins or friends, telling stories. I think storytelling has always been a big part of my life. It seemed only natural to write it down on paper.

You teach creative writing to university students. Do you think this helps you in your own writing?

Well, it takes a lot of time away from my own writing, but it’s incredibly fulfilling. Plus, I have always said that the best way to learn is to teach someone else. So, in essence, I practice almost every day, even when I’m not writing.

You’ve previously written short stories. How do short story and novella genres differ for you as a writer?

Mostly I would say it’s a matter of arc and scope. In a novel, you have more time to create an extended plot arc with various subplots and characters. In a novella, that plot arc and number of characters/subplots decreases and becomes more focused. In short stories, it becomes distilled to one or two main characters, one main plot, and every single word has to be precise and to the point. Short stories aren’t as relaxed as the other two forms, but they are truly the essence of a pivotal moment in a character’s life. I think there’s a lot to be learned from short stories in terms of style, character development, and word choice. I’m of the belief, in a way, that every novel or novella began as a short story, even if only in the writer’s head.

Read our full interview with Karen here.