Karen Fischer has been an independent writer and reporter since 2020 when she quit her last day job during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. You can find her bylines in publications such as The Verge, Eater, Business Insider, Prism Reports, Outrider Foundation, Next Avenue, and CQ Researcher, as well as on her website, kfischerwrites.com. Her work has been supported by entities such as the Association for Health Care Journalists, the Clean Air Task Force, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. She has contributed to projects that have won Neal Awards and International Regional Magazine Awards. She is also a member of the Society of Environmental Journalists and the National Association of Science Writers. She produces The Gumbo Pot (thegumbopot.substack.com), a weekly Substack of independent reportage on education, health, culture, infrastructure, food, and energy.
SubjectsEducation, Health, Culture, Infrastructure, Energy, Food, and the business of all of the above.
SkillsAn article examining radio stations broadcasting in the Navajo language in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.
An article about the roadside industry for piñon nuts around Gallup, New Mexico.
A deep-dive into community paramedicine policy in Colorado and the federal level.
An 8,000 word report on the current debates around the European rearmament process.
An article exploring what volunteer and nonprofit digital literacy initiatives will do in rural New Mexico with federal funding cancelled.
An article covering a new foie gras ban in Brookline, MA and where bans on the product may go next.
An article outlining profiles of lawyers who have worked to protect public access to reading materials throughout censorship in local communities.
An interview with a Parkinson's researcher about a new treatment and barriers to implementation.
A profile of a Fierce50 award nominee in the Innovation catagory.
An essay about wolf-watching in Yellowstone National Park and the ecological benefit of apex predator reintroduction.
