My name is Karen Lowry and I’m a freelance journalist, graphic design lecturer and science-fiction writer. I also suffer from OCD, a condition affecting about 2% of people worldwide.
A bit about my skills
I have ten years experience as a freelance journalist, as well as seven years experience working in UX design, front-end web development, and motion graphics. I’m proficient in HTML, CSS, JavaScript, React.JS and PHP, among others. I specialise in WordPress theme development and eCommerce. I’m also studying a postgraduate certificate in marketing.
Separate to my design work, I have industry experience in event management and am passionate about my work in the creative industries. In 2012 and 2013, I coordinated the WA Poetry Festival for WA Poets Inc, also serving 2 years as co-chair. In 2017, I co-directed the inaugural Literary Youth Festival in Perth, which was held as part of Propel Youth Arts’ KickstART Festival.
I currently work as a design lecturer at SAE Institute in Perth. I have a PhD in creative writing and internet studies from Curtin University, which explored electronic literature and digital poetry. During my time as a PhD student, I was the recipient of the Australian Postgraduate Award and Curtin Research Scholarship. In 2017 I collaborated with author, David Thomas Henry Wright, to create a digital interface for his novella Paige & Powe, which was shortlisted for the 2017 Queensland Literary Awards.
I was highly commended in the 2013 Poetry d’Amour Love Poetry Competition for “Hinge” and have showcased my work at the National Young Writer’s Festival, Noted Festival, Margaret River Readers and Writers Festival, Trobadour Poets, and Paris Lit Up, among others. My creative publications include Australian Poetry Journal, dotdotdash and WRIT Poetry Review. My non-fiction articles have been published in The Guardian and The Conversation.
I also speak at Web conferences around the world, raising awareness and support for #womenintech.
