About the Poet
Karen Jean Matsko Hood began writing as a shy author, but has now developed a voice all her own. Her writing always exhibits a unique story as well as a voice of empathy and purpose. Hood’s writing is strong-minded. She is a meticulous wordsmith and combines stories with compassion. Hood has always loved children and is devoted to their needs. It is only natural that she would channel her efforts to include children’s books and poetry.
Hood reminds us of the importance of our links with nature and environment in our daily lives. Her writing carries urgency and outrage with areas of current social injustice and inequality. The recurring theme in Hood’s work is to provide a voice for those whose struggles cannot be heard. Hood’s writing brings poignancy to the most hopeless of situations. She is romantic in her vision for a quest for dignity and social justice.
Hood also writes about personal and spiritual themes. She is passionate both as a feminist and as an active children’s rights advocate. Hood also works to encourage literacy for all ages. Her blend of traditionalism and modernism brings a current freshness and uniqueness to her own poetic voice. She is versatile in her writing style and is able to incorporate a wide range of themes and topics. Her poems have been published in a myriad of magazines and publications.
Karen Jean Matsko Hood was born in Great Falls, Montana, where she attended St. Gerard's Elementary School and graduated from Great Falls Central Catholic High School. Hood received scholarships from the College of St. Benedict, St. Joseph, Minnesota, and also attended St. John's University in Collegeville, Minnesota.
After student teaching high school biology in Minneapolis, Minnesota, for four years, she married James G. Hood, her college sweetheart, in her home state of Montana. From there, Hood and her husband moved to St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands, where they both taught junior high and high school math and sciences. They then moved to Iowa City, Iowa, where she worked as a research assistant and a part-time teacher for four years.
In 1980, Hood and her husband moved to Spokane, Washington. She currently lives in Greenacres, Washington with her husband, sixteen children, and foster children. Her many experiences have inspired her to continue to conduct research and write amidst her busy family and professional schedule.
Ms. Hood has continued her education by taking a variety of postgraduate classes at Eastern Washington University, Cheney, Washington; University of Washington, Seattle, Washington; Spokane Community College, Spokane Washington; Spokane Falls Community College, Spokane, Washington; Taylor University, Fort Wayne, Indiana; Lewis-Clark State College, Coeur d'Alene, Idaho; North Idaho College, Coeur d’Alene, Idaho; and University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa. She is currently working to complete her Ph.D. in Leadership Studies through Gonzaga University in Spokane, Washington.
Ms. Hood is an active child advocate and has worked as a Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) in the Spokane Juvenile Court System. She and her husband have also provided a home for many foster children. Along with their five biological children, they have adopted eleven children into their family from the United States, Korea, India, and Ethiopia.
Hood resides in Greenacres, Washington, along with her husband, seventeen children, and foster children. Her interests include writing, teaching, and volunteering as a court advocate in the juvenile court system for abused and neglected children. Hood is a literary advocate for youth and adults. Her hobbies include cooking, baking, collecting, photography, indoor and outdoor gardening, and the cultivation of unusual flowering plants and orchids. She enjoys raising several specialty breeds of animals including Icelandic horses, bichons frisés, cockapoos, Icelandic sheepdogs, and a few rescue cats. Hood also enjoys bird-watching and finds all aspects of nature precious.
She demonstrates a passionate appreciation of the environment and a respect for all life. Karen Hood welcomes you to blog with her at www.karensblog.net. She also invites you to visit her at www.karensbookstore.com and www.karenjeanmatskohood.com.
