Karen Dabney

Karen E. Dabney resides in Detroit, Michigan.

She possesses a BFA from The University of Michigan and a BA from the University of Detroit Mercy. Karen also works with youth in many capacities; thereby keeping her inner-child well-fed.

Publications as author or artist include: 44th Barack H. Obama The Commemorative Edition, Michigan Chronicle, For My People newspaper, Journal of Non-White Concerns, The University of Michigan Institute for Social Research Newsletter, The University of Michigan Dearborn's The Michigan Journal, To the Poet in You, and Necessary Roughness: a self-published book of poetry.

Karen attended writing workshops with the Voices of Our Nation's Arts Foundation and The Hurston/Wright Foundation. She is a member of the International Reading Association, the National Association for Teachers of English, the National Conference of Artists, the Michigan Literary Network, Detroit Unity Poets and Authors Society, Urban Theater Magazine, and Broadside Poet's Theatre.

The Magic Pencil is Karen's first novel for young adults. It is written for all youth but especially those uninspired and reluctant readers. Karen believes her book will introduce them to the joy of reading.

She especially intends to reach black male youth by letting see themselves in the characters of The Magic Pencil.

From the Author:

My reasons for writing The Magic Pencil

To encourage the uninspired, reluctant and discouraged reader to develop the desire to read for pleasure.

To develop the desire to read for greater knowledge.

To increase self-esteem; especially within African American/black youth.

To remove the stigma applied to African American/black people when they use colloquial language. To recognize all people engage in this behavior. To understand that there are special and new words used when one is a part of a particular group (the language among computer technicians, for example) which may or may not become known among the general population.

To increase vocabulary by creating a desire to know exactly what a particular word means and how it relates to what is occurring.

To demonstrate the opportunities available by learning how to effectively navigate unfamiliar territory through education.

To honor the "community/home" language of the speaker and to realize s/he may be articulate within that language. To, thereby, foster a willingness in the person to adopt other ways of speaking while retaining his or her present mode of speech -- if needed and desired.

To encourage respect and tolerance of the differences in others. To focus on the commonalities between self and others.

To foster self-respect, self-determination and self-reliance.

To encourage constructive debate over preferences and beliefs.

To foster empathy towards another's problems.

To learn to work together for the greater good.

To become hopeful about the future.

PROMOTE LITERACY! KEEP A MIND LIT!