Public Speaking

Karen Berger is an articulate public speaker, teacher, workshop leader, and radio and television guest.

She has been a guest speaker at the Smithsonian, the Appalachian Trail Conservancy, the Appalachian Long Distance Hikers Association, MENSA, the Appalachian Mountain Club, and the Berkshire Festival of Women Writers, and at outdoor equipment trade shows, libraries, book groups, writers groups, schools, universities, summer camps, bookstores, and outdoor retailers.

Karen  has given presentations on outdoor skills and gear, long-distance backpacking, and travel and outdoor writing.

She can:

  • Inspire an audience of people only casually interested in the outdoors to start thinking about planning their own dream adventures.
  • Get a group of device-addicted teenagers excited about spending three nights in a cell-phone free wilderness.
  • Bring an audience to rollicking laughter with tales of wilderness adventure and mis-adventure.
  • Communicate to an audience why we should care about protecting and preserving our wild places.
  • Clearly teach the skills needed to thrive in the unfamiliar wilderness environment,
  • And occasionally, bring an audience to tears with presentations combining words, music, and pictures that help people connect with their feelings about beautiful landscapes and wild places.

Over the last 20 years, Karen has also taught a variety of publishing,  writing, and on-line communications classes at colleges and at professional development venues for publishing professionals, academic authors, and journalists. As the Professional Development Chair for the Society of American Travel Writers Freelance Council (2011 – 2015) she organized professional development lectures and workshops at meetings in Israel, Mexico , Peru, and at several locations in the USA. She has also served as a frequent professional development speaker for SATW programs.

She has been widely interviewed on radio, including  Sirius-XM shows, Outside Magazine’s syndicated radio network, and NPR stations. For more on her media presence as a subject expert in travel and adventure, please visit the media page.

If you’d like Karen to speak at your event, please contact her using the form on this website.