Karyn Zweifel
Birmingham, Alabama, United States Email: kzweifel@pipeline.com
Home page: www.karynzweifel.com
Coming in 2010: My Girl, Mary Pearl: a collection of oral histories from students at a residential school for children with vision or hearing loss. Upcoming from Gallaudet University Press.
In 2007, Alabama Arts, a comprehensive guide to art in Alabama, was published by the BIrmingham News. Through 128 pages of color photos, the visual and performing arts of four regions of the state are explored in depth. Whether you live in Alabama or not, you may be surprised by the variety and wealth of our artistic heritage. From prehistoric times to the present day, Alabama is alive with visual arts, theatre, music, dance and literary arts.
Email kzweifel@pipeline.com for details about the next booksigning and sales event, or visit www.karynzweifel.com to purchase.
Karyn is a ghostwriter for a variety of political and social justice issues, and author of feature articles focused on family, education and social justice.
Travel writing includes features on family travel, luxury travel, national parks, tent and RV camping. Please enquire for a list of articles available.
References and clips available. Assignments are welcome. 205-251-0806 or kzweifel@pipeline.com
=================================================
Karyn Kay Zweifel was born in McAlester, Oklahoma, a small town chiefly known as the
home of the Oklahoma State Penitentiary. For miles around, friendly signs on the major
roads advise motorists not to pick up hitchhikers -- they may be escaping convicts.
She began writing almost immediately. Her first literary project, at age six, was a puppet
show, featuring brown paper lunch sacks disguised as puppets. All the characters were
dead by the end of the show. Soon after, Karyn became interested in history, writing a
short story about Harriet Tubbman and the Underground Railroad. She constantly wrote
movie scripts in her head, which resulted in many unfortunate spills due to her head in
the clouds and untied shoelaces.
She moved to the Deep South at the tender age of nine, and in her better moments
considers herself a Southerner. She continued to write, which prompted her sister to
predict that Karyn would one day write the verbiage on the back of shampoo bottles. The
sister proved to be prophetic.
Karyn attended the Alabama School of Fine Arts as a drama major, which accounts for
her well-polished histrionic skills. The study of theatre arts provided her with a thorough,
if unusual, grasp of historic events, which she has yet to relinquish. It was during her
tenure at the School of Fine Arts that Karyn began to cultivate an appreciation for the
unconventional.
After a sudden departure from high school, Karyn attended LaGrange College in
Georgia before receiving a degree in English from the University of Alabama at
Birmingham. Unaccountably startled to discover the sparse demand for English
degrees, Karyn wound up in a position as a junior copywriter for a direct response
advertising agency. She fled that job in short order, and became a freelance advertising
copywriter who dabbled in feature writing and storytelling to amuse her friends and
family.
Karyn is the author of Southern Vampires, which was chosen by the American Library
Association as a “quick pick” for young adult readers. She has also written Covered
Bridge Ghost Stories, Dog-Gone Ghost Stories, Gorgeous Georgia, Great American Golf
and The Contractor’s Book of Excuses. She is currently working on a history of the
Alabama Institute for Deaf and Blind, traveling around the region to collect a variety of
fascinating stories about society and education from the perspective of people who are
differently abled. Karyn also tells stories to children and adults wherever she finds a
group sitting still.
She lives in a spooky old house in a historic district of Birmingham with her family, which
includes an extremely intelligent cat named Tabby. Karyn enjoys gardening, cooking,
reading and wandering through the neighborhood with her ornery little dog Zoe. She
travels extensively for work and pleasure.
PUBLISHED ARTICLES
Deafness Issues e-newsletter 2000; 2005-present
(archived at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aidb- deafness/messages?o=1)
Blindness Issues e-newsletter 2000; 2005-present
(archived at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aidb- blindness/messages?o=1)
“Alabama Instructional Resource Center for the Blind” in Howe’s Now (quarterly newsletter of the Council of Schools for the Blind) Spring 2006
Cowritten with Pat Byington: “Penguins” editorial in Birmingham News, January 29, 2006
Cowritten with Pat Byington: ”Katrina” editorial in Birmingham News November, 2005
“Finding Focus: Kids are Drawn to the Fun and Fitness of Karate” in Portico Magazine May 2005
“Frieda Meacham” Community Hero column in Birmingham Parent March 2005
“Finally Heard: deaf Alabamians with mental health needs are now being properly diagnosed and treated” in Portico Magazine February 2005
“A Journey of Self-Discovery” in Sights and Sounds Fall 2004
(available online at http://www.aidb.org/sightsandsounds.asp)
“Ability Stands Out in Any Language” in Sights and Sounds Fall 2004 (available online at http://www.aidb.org/sightsandsounds.asp)
“AIDB Stars Shine Around the World” in Sights and Sounds Fall 2004 (available online at http://www.aidb.org/sightsandsounds.asp)
“Clean Socks and A Sense of Purpose,” in Sights and Sounds Fall 2004 (available online at http://www.aidb.org/sightsandsounds.asp)
“Hope Lodge” in Alabama Alive October 2004
“ASFA Alumni” in Portico Magazine September 2004
“History through Deaf Eyes” in Birmingham Weekly Arts & Culture Section September 7, 2004
“Differently-Abled Children at Camp McDowell Environmental Center” in Birmingham Parent July 2004
“Blind Boys of Alabama” in Alabama Alive June 2004
Various legislative editorials, ghostwritten, published in major Alabama daily newspapers February-March 2004
“Lost Time at the Victoria-Jungfrau” at Go World Travel March 2004 (available online at http://www.goworldtravel.com
Various legislative editorials, ghostwritten, published in major Alabama daily newspapers October 2003
Editorial in favor of tax reform, ghostwritten, published in
The Birmingham News August 2003
Various editorials in favor of tax reform, ghostwritten, published in major Alabama daily newspapers August 2003
Legislative editorials, ghostwritten, published in the Birmingham News and the Anniston Star June 2003
Editorial in favor of education reform, ghostwritten, published in the Birmingham News May 2003
Cowritten with Verna Gates: “Tapping Into E-Learning: after years of getting a bad rap, online education is paying off for nontraditional students” in Military Officer Magazine January 2003 (available online at http://www.moaa.org/magazine/January2003/f_elearning.asp)
Editorial, ghostwritten, published in the Birmingham News May 2002
Legislative editorial, ghostwritten, published in the Birmingham News May 2002
Editorial, ghostwritten, published in the Birmingham News January 2002
Legislative editorial, ghostwritten, published in the Birmingham News January 2002
“Advances in Eye Care” in Sights and Sounds Fall 2001 (available online at http://www.aidb.org/sightsandsounds.asp)
“A Force for Change” in Sights and Sounds Summer 2000 (available online at http://www.aidb.org/sightsandsounds.asp)
Editorials, ghostwritten, published in the Memphis Appeal and Birmingham News March 2000
“Whatever It Takes” in Sights and Sounds Fall 1999
“Wal-Mart at Work with EHG & Your Community” in Sights and Sounds Fall 1999
“More than Flames are Sparked” in Sights and Sounds Summer 1999
“What’s In A Brain?” in Sights and Sounds Winter 1997
“A Clear Difference” in Sights and Sounds Summer 1997
“Quality Education Demands Quality Communications” in Sights and Sounds Fall/Winter 1996
“Help Wanted: Skilled Interpreters” in Sights and Sounds Fall/Winter 1996
“Pursuing Higher Education” in Sights and Sounds Fall/Winter 1996
“As the Spirit Moves You” in Sights and Sounds Summer 1995
“Technology Leads to a Whole New World” in Sights and Sounds Summer 1995
Interests: Political and social justice issues, family, education and travel, literary nonfiction
Published writer: Yes
Freelance: Yes |
