Karen Christensen

Karen Christensen is an American author, social critic, and entrepreneur known for co-founding Berkshire Publishing Group in 1998. She previously worked in publishing in London for Blackwell Scientific Publications and Faber & Faber. Her background includes education in the UK and at UC Santa Barbara, where she studied with critic Marvin Mudrick. Christensen's career began with magazine writing before moving into book publishing. She has been involved in numerous editorial projects, including encyclopedias and environmental handbooks, and has authored several books translated into multiple languages.

Beyond her publishing work, Christensen has engaged in social and environmental advocacy. She was a speaker for the UK Green Party and a founding member of the Women's Environmental Network. She has also served on various boards and committees, including the Software and Information Industry Association and the Berkshire Hills Regional School Committee. Christensen also founded The Train Campaign, an initiative focused on promoting passenger train service in the United States. She resides in Great Barrington, Massachusetts.

Karen Christensen co-established Berkshire Publishing Group in 1998, after gaining experience at Blackwell Scientific Publications and Faber & Faber in London. Her editorial work has spanned a wide range of subjects, including significant contributions to encyclopedias such as the Encyclopedia of U.S. Foreign Relations, Encyclopedia of Modern Asia, and the SAGE Encyclopedia of Community. She collaborated extensively with historian William H. McNeill on the Encyclopedia of World History and other projects. Christensen has also authored popular environmental handbooks and a children's book, 'Rachel's Roses.' Her published works have been translated into numerous languages, including French, German, Swedish, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, and Thai.

Christensen has been actively involved in social and environmental causes throughout her career. She served as a speaker on women's issues for the UK Green Party and was a founding member of the Women's Environmental Network. Her commitment to sustainability is reflected in her editorial work on books like 'The Business of Sustainability.' She also founded The Train Campaign, an organization dedicated to advocating for the restoration of passenger train service in the United States. Christensen has held positions on various boards, including the Software and Information Industry Association's Content Division and the Berkshire Hills Regional School Committee. She has also been an associate in research at Harvard University's Fairbank Center.

Christensen's academic path included studying at the College of Creative Studies at the University of California, Santa Barbara, where she was a student of critic Marvin Mudrick. She later took on the initiative to republish Mudrick's books starting in 2017. Her early writing career included pieces for the UCSB alumni magazine, such as a travel memoir and an article featuring interviews with physicist Lee Smolin. Her memoir, 'Dear Mrs. Eliot,' detailing her time working with Valerie Eliot on T. S. Eliot's letters, was featured in The Guardian's Review. She also worked with Sophia Mumford on a book about her life.