About

Dr. Karen PalmerDr. Karen Palmer teaches English at Yavapai College in Prescott, Arizona. Karen lives with her husband, four children, a Great Pyrenees, a pair of zebus, a rambunctious orange tabby cat, and what feels like a million chickens in a renovated 100 year old farmhouse in the Verde Valley. In her spare time, Karen enjoys reading, gardening, baking, working with women’s ministries in her church, and, of course, spending time with her family.

Karen earned her BA in English from Northern Arizona University in 1998, her MA in Rhetoric and Composition from NAU in 2000, and her PhD in Women’s Studies from Trinity Theological Seminary in 2015. She is currently taking additional graduate courses in literature and education and considering another graduate degree.

Karen has been teaching composition at the college level since 1999. She has designed curriculum for and taught courses ranging from developmental writing to advanced, upper division composition at community colleges and universities across the state of Arizona. All of Karen’s courses have earned Quality Matters certification, and Karen is also a certified Quality Matters Peer Reviewer (QM Site). As of Summer 2020, all of Karen’s courses are taught using OER materials, meaning lower costs for students.

Along with Dr. Sandi Van Lieu, Karen spearheaded the Writing Lab at Yavapai College and now serves as Director of the Lab. In addition, Karen serves as the ATF Representative for English, is the Dual Enrollment coordinator for the English Department at Yavapai College, maintains the English Department course shells for ENG 101 and ENG 102, and mentors ENG 101 and ENG 102 adjunct faculty. Karen serves on the Budget & Composition, Dual Enrollment, Gen Ed, SLOA, and Curriculum Committees, in addition to serving as an alternate on the Academic Master Plan Committee. Karen facilitated Yavapai College’s Shakespeare on Stage community discussion experience for Summer 2020 (article).

Karen is the creator of The Worry Free Writer, an OER textbook for composition; Diving Into Rhetoric, an OER Introduction to Rhetoric text; and Say Her Name, a text for studying women in literature. Karen co-created The RoughWriter’s Guide, YC’s official writing handbook, with Sandi Van Lieu. (Article) In addition, Karen has published two books and several magazine articles on goal setting and organization. She teaches workshops on these topics to women in business each year at a retreat in beautiful Sedona, Arizona.

Karen believes that every human being has a unique purpose on this planet–something that they are supposed to do to make the world a better place. Her passion is helping people find their purpose and giving them the tools they need to achieve it.

Karen’s Portfolio