Karen Jackson
Karen Luke Jackson lives in a cottage on a goat pasture in Western North Carolina where she draws upon contemplative practices, family lore, and the natural world for inspiration. Her most recent book, You First: A Love That Will Not Let Me Go (Wipf & Stock, 2026) contains poems and essays about her spiritual journey.
Winner of the Rash Poetry Award, the Sidney Lanier Poetry Contest, and a Pushcart nominee, Karen has also authored three poetry collections: GRIT (2020) chronicling her sister’s life as an award-winning clown, The View Ever Changing (2021) exploring the power of place and family ties, and If You Choose To Come (2023) paying homage to the healing beauty of the Blue Ridge Mountains.
A retreat leader, educator, and facilitator with the Center for Courage & Renewal founded by Parker J. Palmer, Karen co-edited, with Dr. Sally Z. Hare, The Story Mandala: Finding Wholeness in a Divided World. Her work has appeared in more than forty journals including Tar River Poetry, Atlanta Review, Susurrus, EcoTheo, Tiferet, Friends Journal, and Salvation South, among others.
