Poet and violinist Karen Bjork (formerly Karen Bjork Kubin) has been exploring the tensions and connections between language and music for as long as she can remember. Her chapbook, These Walls Are Starting to Glow, was published by dancing girl press of Chicago in 2023. poems and essays have appeared in Spillway, Cider Press Review, Whale Road Review, Ruminate, Relief, and other journals, as well as several anthologies. She teaches English and creative writing at Truman State University and is Program Coordinator of the Clayton B. Ofstad Visiting Scholar Program.