"At 5 Rivers" Painting

Personal Statement

Born in NYC in 1949, I grew up on Long Island, and was part of the Manhattan downtown scene during the 1970s, making music, writing & performing poetry, and painting. My poems have been published in small press journals since 1975, including Bound, Calling All Poets (CAPS 2020), Coal, Downtown, Heroin Love Songs, Home Planet News, Manhattan Press, MisFit, Momoware, Newsletter Inago, New Voices, OM, Poetry Motel, Rag Shock, Salonika, 2, Title I, and Torture House USA. Three books have also resulted: Dancing Bears (Bright Hill Press, 2011), Seeing You Again (Grey Book press, 2014), and Between Canal & Ida (Sleepy Grrrl Press, 2022). My paintings have been exhibited in Seattle, New York City, Washington, DC, and the Capital District of New York.

Because people ask, I should say that, prior to late 1996, these activities were enacted under my dead (birth) name, Mike Krischik. I had gender reassignment surgery (GRS – sex change surgery) in 2001, after 4.5 years’ transition. I mention this because:
1) you won’t find a mention of Karen Fabiane before 1997, perhaps causing you to doubt my credentials if you check these earlier credits, and
2) I’ve heard all kinds of accounts about my life and gender status from people I’ve never met (nor would seek), which are almost always never true (not even close).
So, these words to clarify and wash the shit away.

Other examples of my work may be found @ .

Moved from Brooklyn to Delaware County in 1989, I currently live in Troy.