Karl Bjorn Erickson
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[edit] Children's Writer and Essayist
Karl Bjorn Erickson [1] is a children's writer and published religious and political essayist. Raised in Washington State's bountiful Yakima Valley and having attended Seattle Pacific University [2] and the University of Kansas [3], Karl Erickson resides today in Salem, Oregon with his wife and two children. Karl's wife, Kimberly Erickson [4], is an illustrator and the daughter of celebrated illustrator and sculptor John Collier (sculptor). Karl currently works for the State of Oregon.
In addition to his two children's books (Tristan's Travels, Scared Spitless [5] and Toupee Mice), Karl enjoys writing on a variety of topics [6]. An article entitled "Mysterious Tools" recently appeared in America, The National Catholic Weekly [7], one of the country's premier religious magazines. The story of his conversion to the Catholic Church appeared in the "Damascus Road" section of the January '07 issue of This Rock [8], Catholic Answers' popular magazine of Catholic apologetics. His essays have also appeared in Seattle Pacific University's Response [9] (an alumni magazine), as well as the Episcopal Church News.
A political satire piece was recently published in The Portland Tribune [10] --along with a photo of his politically-minded cat. Shorter pieces of writing have also appeared in the "Letters" section of many magazines and newspapers across the country-including Christianity Today, This Rock, Response [11], and the Statesman Journal.
Besides writing, Karl represented the State of Oregon seveal years ago when he appeared in a live telivision news segment which was broadcast throughout Oregon. He also enjoys speaking before groups. The mayor of Salem recently appointed him to serve on the city's Board of Ethics. Karl and his wife also enjoy the opportunity to speak before groups in the Pacific Northwest. In his spare time, he enjoys hiking, saling, and exploring the Oregon Coast--especially the beautiful coastline between Newport and Astoria. His children also keep him busy!
Karl recently joined with other writers to form something called the Catholic Writers' Guild [12]. It is still in its early stages, but the idea is to form an online community of Catholic writers and artists to share their works and expertise. There is also hope that it might eventually offer its members services similar to that of a literary agent.
As C. S. Lewis, one of Karl's favorite authors, reminds us in Of Other Worlds, the best books for children are also loved by adults. Karl Erickson's stories obey this wise advice and are crossover works everyone can enjoy.
