Karen Polinsky - Biography, Historical Fiction
Karen Polinsky is a former journalist and Bainbridge High School English teacher for nineteen years. Currently, she's a writer of non-fiction, novels and more than a dozen staged plays. She has two recent books.
Ian's Ride, A long Distance Journey to Joy (2025) was the city-wide read for Port Townsend in March 2026. Ian Mackay, while studying as a biology undergrad at UC Santa Cruz, crashed his bike into a tree on campus. Paralyzed from the shoulders down, Mackay adapted to his new life with the help of his dedicated family, particularly his mother, Teena Woodward, and a group of quirky friends.
Dungeness (2026) is historical fiction novel spanning the latter half of the nineteenth century. It is a coming-of-age novel that unfolds in the form of a historian's notebook. Protagonist and narrator Millie Langlie (daughter of a S'Klallam maiden and a Norwegian mariner) is an adventurous girl with a curious mind. The latest edition has a new cover and an essay by an elder of the Jamestown S'Klallam tribe.
