Karen Hayes first full collection, THE HOUSE ALONG THE WALL--a Pembrokeshire poetry cycle, was published by Holland Park Press in 2018. Her second collection, A SENSE OF TIPTOE-AND OTHER ARTICLES OF FAITH, was also published by Holland Park Press in 2020. Karen spent the early part of her working life as an actor and musician and became an ensemble member and lyricist and later artistic director of the Bristol-based theatre collective Public Parts. From theatre she moved towards lyric and libretto writing and poetry and found herself creating verbatim texts with marginalised groups, most particularly with people living with dementia. She has produced two anthologies of 'dementia poetry' as well as two opera libretti and a song cycle, each dealing with aspects of living with dementia. I Had an Angel, written with composer John O'Hara, was produced live and also as an opera film for WNO. The Bargee's Wife, also written with John O'Hara, was produced as a community Opera for the 3 Choirs Festival as was their song cycle I Can Hear You Waiting. She created a libretto for an Oratorio with composer Thomas Johnson The Street of Bugles which was performed at the 3 Choirs Festival and a cycle of poetry to accompany an arts installation A Cargo of Curiosities with fellow writer and film-maker Chris Salt.