Karen J. Anderson loves to tell a good story and believes in the power of laughter. When she graduated from high school she wanted to be an actor, and over the years has broaden the storyline through other media. She is a filmmaker, photographer and author.
She believes everyone has a story and knows a visual image is a great way to capture a moment. She loves capturing moments that help others celebrate, think and appreciate all that they have.
Karen J. Anderson is an artist, writer, photographer, publisher and filmmaker. She uses a variety of methods to uplift, inform and educate African Americans and people of color.
Artist Statement:
If we tell our own stories, no one can steal our history, or our confidence or our self-worth. My artwork is about telling the stories of the marginalized life and the people who live it. I cover the past, present and future. The images tell stories that can inform to the way of life in the community, uplift with the beauty that comes from the community and educate the rest of the world about the community.
She has a Master of Arts in New Art Journalism from the School of the Arts Institute in Chicago. Her undergrad work is from Texas Christian University a degree in Film Production and Journalism. She worked in the journalism field while also pursuing her love of acting. She has performed on stage and in other types of media. She started writing stories when she was 12 years old and has been at it ever since.
ART
Her artwork has been published in Obsidian, Levitate and The Argyle Literary Magazine. It has also been part of the group exhibition, Pullman Laboring Together in 2022 with took place at the Pullman National Monument. Her work was also part of Going Dutch Festival in Elgin, Il and Protests Signs at the CAB Art Gallery at the University of North Carolina at Wilmington in 2022.
In 2021 her artwork was featured in an online exhibition at Oak Lawn Public Library in Dallas, Texas and in a physical exhibition at the City of Frisco’s Art in the Atrium. It has also shown in online galleries for Shanti Arts in the group exhibition Phenomenal Woman in 2019 and as “A History” in Amuse-Bouche (Lunch Ticket) in 2020. It has been published in a group anthology of artists in the Genre Urban Arts No. 8 Print, in Still Point Arts Quarterly and in Wordpeace. In 2021 her work, the Servant Leader was in Levitate.
FILM
She wrote, produced and directed a short film, 14 to Fate, a story about two different societies coming together when their lives are on the line. She worked on this project with the 5 Shorts Projects out of Philadelphia premiered their in August of 2021.
She wrote and produced the feature film Family Tree, about a dysfunctional family that plans and holds a family reunion after years of not speaking to one another. It showed in two film festivals, The Oklahoma Urban Film Festival and the Festival International du Pan African in the Cannes in 2015.
The Invitation which was shown on CAN TV and in the Bill Johnson Black Film Festival in Gary Indiana in 2023.
WRITING
Anderson has had an article in Chicken Soup for the Soul: I’m Speaking Now! in 2021. She also has had work published on Blavity. She has also an article published in the anthology Mamas, Martyrs and Jezebels titled “It Ain’t Easy Being Independent.”
SPEAKING
She presented her thesis, More Than A Color: The Marginalization of African American Beauty at the 2021 National Conference of Black Political Scientists. She is currently an Illinois Road Scholar speaking on the history of beauty in the African American community.
PUBLISHING
She has self-published several books:
Dancing During the Storm Vol 1 and 2, a collection of stories she has written over the years. They represent a desire to praise God despite the storms in her life.
ReCovery, the story of a fledgling private consultant who roams through Latin America looking for La Hoya, which her partner guarantees will be a game changer in their race against evil forces. This is book number four the Privateers saga.
Connections, Running for her life, a private investigator discovered that God was the only one with her who wasn’t talking smack, trying to kill her or get into her pants. As she and her friends try to figure out who framed them, they all discover that there was more to each other than they thought they knew.
When You Forget Your Phone, a devotional that challenges the reader to memorize God’s word. It recognizes that it is easier to stand on His promises when your world is turbulent, if you know His word.
Caught in the Crosswinds, a devotional that examines the attributes of God as she has experienced Him.
Destiny’s Dilemma, a historical novel that tells the story of an African American woman in 1912 having to choose between a life of segregation with her family or leaving them and experiencing freedom the rest of the world offered.
Privateers, the first story in the series where a young woman encounters modern day cyber pirates.
How To Raise God Wise Kids In A Satan Rich World, a devotional that has ideas of how to help your children have a personal relationship with God.
In addition to writing and filmmaking, she is also a photographer and podcast host. You can see her artwork at BlackGyrlArt.com. She does a podcast with her sister, Regina TV Talk with the Sistas.
UPP Creative Media 