Dr. Karen Petit is the author of Paw Dream Mazes

Dr. Karen Petit

An article by Meg Fraser has more information about Karen: "Petit's Dreams Come True with Debut Novel." This article appeared in the 5/19/2013 Cranston Herald.

Dr. Karen Petit is the author of four books of poetry (Paw Learning Mazes, Paw Dream Mazes, Amazing Holiday Paws, and Holidays Amaze) and four novels: Banking on Dreams, Mayflower Dreams, Roger Williams in an Elevator, and Unhidden Pilgrims. All of Petit's books have historic elements, pictures, Christian content, and dream/reality sections, which illustrate some of the connections that people can make between their dreams, past history, and reality. Historic elements include scenes happening in such places as Plimoth Patuxet, Roger Williams Park, Brewster Gardens, the Jeremiah Dexter House, the Mount Hope Bridge, the Rhode Island State House, and Washington, D.C. The pictures include images of animals, historic statues, monuments, and museums.

Petit's books also have suspenseful action, romance, and methods of dealing with such problems as fighting, anxiety, nightmares, quitting smoking, separation, and pet/human interactions. No graphic content and no profanity are included in Petit's novels or poetry. For many years, this author has been enjoying her writing activities, educational activities, and many author events.

Karen Petit was born in Providence, Rhode Island. As she grew up with her six brothers and two sisters, she continually loved reading and writing. Five months after graduating from high school, she got married and had two children before getting a divorce. While continuing to raise her children, Karen Petit started to attend the Community College of Rhode Island. She then transferred to the University of Rhode Island, where she was a full-time student and mother, as well as often being a part-time employee at different jobs. She received her bachelor’s, master’s, and doctorate degrees from the University of Rhode Island. While attending the University of Rhode Island, Petit received a second runner-up "Certificate of Achievement" award from the Academy of American Poets.

Not only did this author learn about the theoretical aspects of writing through her education, but she also learned about the practical aspects of writing while teaching for over twenty years at many of the colleges near her home: the Community College of Rhode Island, Bristol Community College, Massasoit Community College, Rhode Island College, Worcester State University, Quinsigamond Community College, Bryant University, Roger Williams University, New England Institute of Technology, the University of Massachusetts at Dartmouth, and the University of Rhode Island.

For more than fourteen years, Dr. Petit has been the full-time Writing Center Coordinator and an adjunct faculty member at the Community College of Rhode Island. Karen is also the creator of many helpful online resources available on the CCRI Writing Center's website. These resources include multiple handouts and PowerPoint presentations.

In addition to writing novels and helping others to write, Dr. Petit has been writing poetry and academic documents. She also has been a presenter at multiple academic conferences, including at the CCCC Conference in 2005 and at the NEWCA Conference in 2013. Some of Petit's author presentation topics are available on her author website: drkarenpetit.com.

Karen Petit is a descendant of the Reverend John Robinson, the pastor to the Pilgrims. Her lineage is listed on her Website for Mayflower Dreams. Karen has a large family, including her son, daughter, brothers, sisters, aunts, uncle, cousins, nieces, and nephews. Her family and friends have been the focus of her dreams and her reality for many years.