Copyeditor
I’m a full-time BELS-certified freelance copyeditor in the scientific, technical, and medical industry. I specialize in journal copy, and I have particular expertise in the following topics: allergy, infectious diseases, oncology, rehabilitation, sports medicine, and transplantation. I edit books for university presses on a wide range of general- and special-interest topics, such as war and presidential studies, critical theory, and fossils.
Acafan
My PhD is in English from the University of Kansas, where I studied science fiction literature with James Gunn. I have authored two books and a number of articles and have coedited three books. Most of my work is service within the fan and SF scholarly communities, usually focusing on project management and book or journal production.
Current projects
I am currently working on televisual representations of the alternate history and audio dramas. I remain particularly interested in the Eighth Doctor and Big Finish audio dramas.
Journals
I am founding coeditor of the academic journal Transformative Works and Cultures.
Books
- Karen Hellekson and Kristina Busse, eds., The Fan Fiction Studies Reader (Iowa, 2014).
- Karen Hellekson, Craig Jacobsen, Patrick Sharp, and Lisa Yaszek, eds., Practicing Science Fiction: Critical Essays on Writing, Reading and Teaching the Genre (McFarland, 2010) [abstracts]
- Karen Hellekson and Kristina Busse, eds., Fan Fiction and Fan Communities in the Age of the Internet (McFarland, 2006) [abstracts] [bibliography]
- Karen Hellekson, The Alternate History: Refiguring Historical Time (Kent State University Press, 2001)
- Karen Hellekson, The Science Fiction of Cordwainer Smith (McFarland, 2001)
Teacher
I am not teaching any English classes.
Since 2023 I am an ACE-certified personal trainer and since 2001 an AFAA-certified group fitness instructor.
Since 2015 I often teach Tai Chi for Healthy Aging and Better Balance to a 60+ population.
I am certified for All the Zumba Things, with my Zumba journey beginning in 2009.