Karen Rile is the author of Winter Music (Little, Brown), a novel set in Philadelphia, and numerous works of fiction and creative nonfiction. Her writing has appeared in literary journals such as The Southern Review, American Writing, Creative Nonfiction, Other Voices, Superstition Review, Tishman Review, and has been shortlisted among The Best American Short Stories. Karen has published articles and essays in The San Francisco Chronicle, The New York Times, the Philadelphia Inquirer, The St. Louis Post-Dispatch, and others. She is the founding and chief editor of Cleaver, an online literary magazine and book review and the Faculty Director of Cleaver Workshops.

Karen lives in Philadelphia and teaches fiction and creative nonfiction at the University of Pennsylvania. She has also taught at Webster University in St. Louis, LaSalle University in Philadelphia, and at numerous writing conferences. She holds a BA from the University of Pennsylvania, an MFA from Bennington College, and a certificate in satire from The Second City. She is also the mom of four adult daughters with more interesting careers than her own: an aerialist, a glass artist, a violist, and a playwright.

Subscribe to her newsletter Embodied Resistance to read about stuff we humans deserve to know about our own bodies, with a focus on functional movement and the brain. Follow her on Instagram @whatkindofdog.

Email Karen Rile.

Join Karen for Yoga!

Embodied Resistance. It’s a metaphor; it’s a concrete concept. Resistance training is the key to longevity and long-term mobility. Join us for a Sunday afternoon functional yoga class to reconnect your body to your mind. We’ll practice a combination of movement, bodyweight resistance, brain mapping, and breathing for a fun, low-impact, anatomy-based workout. This class is based on the LYT Method (pronounced as in “litmag”), which combines the mindfulness of yoga with the intelligence of physical therapy to improve core strength, flexibility, and balance for humans of every age. You don’t need to be a writer, and you don’t need yoga experience to attend. 

Our brains were designed to move; the better you move, the better you think.

This class will be conducted on Zoom. You’ll need a yoga mat and two yoga blocks. If you have knee pain, have a blanket or towel nearby. If your wrists bother you, you can use a pair of dumbells (any weight) for support. You don’t need to turn on your camera, but if you set up your mat and camera so I can see you, I may be able to give you live feedback. Questions? Email me. Each session costs $5 and happens on the third Sunday of every month. If cost is a barrier, email me directly and you’ll be added to the list, no questions asked. Make the commitment to yourself. Register here. 

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