Karen Peterson Butterworth

Karen Peterson Butterworth grew up in the Catlins, South Otago, and has lived in Otaki for the past 21 years.

She is a writer of short fiction, non-fiction and poetry, and a home food grower.

Poetry, especially the Japanese forms of haiku, senryu, haibun and renga, is her greatest love. Her non-fiction work includes columns, essays and criticisms.

Karen says that her writing is about 20% inspiration and 80% self-editing. The smaller the form she is using, the greater the polishing required – just as most sculptors start by roughing out a shape, use progressively finer chisels, and finally polish their work.

Her works have been published in seven countries, and on-line, and broadcast in New Zealand.

In New Zealand her poetry has appeared in five anthologies, with another pending publication.

Her work has also been placed in literary competitions in four countries (including two first prizes in Australia) and her short fiction, non-fiction and poetry published in seven.

In 2001 Karen won the prestigious BNZ/Katherine Mansfield Essay Prize with an essay about her home-town, Otaki.

Song of The Family, a collection of her poetry, was published by Steele Roberts in 2003 and her minibook Fluid by The Earl of Seacliff Art Workshop in 2006.

Edited and partly written by Karen is the non-fiction book, Mind Over Muscle: Surviving Polio in New Zealand (The Dunmore Press 1994).

Other non-fiction work includes articles and newspaper columns.

Karen's love of the written word began as a child when ill with polio, she had little to do but read for five months and was surrounded by books.

At sixteen she won a United Nations Association essay competition, for which the prize was a three month trip to the UK as the New Zealand delegate to the Third World Youth Forum. After her return she spent a year writing, talking and broadcasting about her experiences before resuming her studies.

Her education includes her schooling, an Arts degree with English, life, numerous literary courses and workshops and a study of Te Reo Maori.

Karen now divides her time between writing, editing, convening two writer's groups, her beloved garden, family, friends and listening to opera.

Her creativity thrives in Otaki with its mountain views, nearby river and beach, varied cultures and serene pace of life.

Her ideas for prose and poetry are "initiated by strong feelings and vivid sensory impressions", using her life experiences as reference.

Most recently, Karen has co-edited with Nola Borrell the taste of nashi (Windrift 2008), the first comprehensive selection of New Zealand haiku to appear since 1998.

See Karen's full literary record

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