Karen is a Librarian who spent 33 years with The New York Public Library at
5th Ave/42nd Street, managing the DeWitt Wallace Periodical Room. There, she built a rich and distinctive collection of small presses, literary magazines, zines/chapbooks, and curated creative programming and special exhibitions promoting them. Karen also managed the library’s annual Helen Bernstein Book Award for Excellence in Journalism, which honors working journalists and champions the role of investigative reporting in a free and democratic society. She and her husband Leonard Polletta fell in love with Lakeville back in 2016 and have been part-time residents ever since. In addition to a lifelong love of libraries and books, Karen enjoys spending time hiking, practicing yoga and meditation, singing, and writing.