Karen Lee Oliver was born October 1, 1959 in Poughkeepsie, New York and spent the first thirteen years of her life growing up in rural New York State. She moved to New York City for an extensive study in ballet which included a scholarship with the American Ballet Theater.

Ms. Oliver began writing poetry during college where she received a Bachelor of Arts degree in English Literature from the State University of New York at Albany. Since then Ms. Oliver has spent most of her free time writing poetry and believes her writing to be a deep expression of her inner self as well as the world around her.