ARTISTS > Individual Artist Fellowships
Karen Wingett
POETRY
2012 Individual Artist Fellowship in Literature: $1,000 Merit Award
Karen Wingett grew up in Yankton, South Dakota, the descendant of Scandinavian homesteaders and merchants, Irish ranchers and teachers. She earned a B.A. In English from Yankton College and an M.A. In English from the University of South Dakota.
In 1978 she moved to Norfolk, Nebraska to teach English and Creative Writing for Norfolk Public Schools. She stayed until her retirement in 2006.
Since 2004, Karen and her husband, Dr. Wes Wingett, have traveled to many places around the world including Ireland, Malta, Uruguay, and the Transylvania region of Romania. She followed James Joyce's Ulysses' characters throughout Dublin and studied fairy tale writing in Germany. Her adventures have provided inspiration for her writing and joy in her life.
Also included in her family are her son Robbin List, daughter-in-law Erica; three granddaughters, Bailey, Lucy, and Annika; and her father, Hod Nielsen.
Her recent poetry relates her experiences with aging parents. She is also creating family histories in free verse and collage.
Her work has appeared in Mid-American Poetry Review, South Dakota Magazine, Nebraska Life, Nebraska Poets' Calendar, in the anthologies Times of Sorrow Times of Grace and An Untidy Season, and several other publications.
