About

Caroline Shannon’s work has appeared in The Cut, Tonic, Narratively, Catapult, Vice, Women’s Health, and other publications. She is currently an instructor at Catapult, Writing Workshops, and Write or Die, and an MFA candidate in Antioch University’s creative writing program.

Caroline is currently writing a memoir. She lives in Pittsburgh. You can find her on Instagram @bycarolineshannon.

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Caroline Shannon Karasik Testimonials

“As someone who was new to pitching, I didn’t know what I didn’t know—Caroline changed that for me. She made pitching a little less scary by covering all aspects of pitching—from the actual pitch to ways of finding editors, to what happens after the pitch gets rejected or accepted. I needed someone to hold my hand through the process and she was the perfect person to do so. Since taking her intensive class I have continued to work with her on a 1:1 basis. She has helped my writing and my confidence; I without a doubt, recommend taking one of Caroline's classes.”

— Nicole Reed, writer

“I owe Caroline's teaching more credit than I can describe. Her workshops provided the perfect structure to get my pitches streamlined and focused. Looking back at where I started, I can see the improvement. And her feedback has helped me gain the confidence I need to reach the writing goals I SHOULD be setting. I could not ask for a better teacher.”

— Andria Kennedy, writer, and creator of Invisible Inks

“I enrolled in Caroline's class with zero experience pitching and no clue where to begin. By the end of the first class, I had the basic tools to formulate a pitch. By the end of the workshop, I gained confidence in my ability to pitch, and even had a pitch accepted by a dream publication. Caroline is super insightful, knowledgeable, and encouraging. She's also incredibly generous with her time and is deeply invested in helping her students succeed. I can't recommend Caroline enough; she's really the best!”

— Rachel León, writer

“Caroline’s group class on pitching publications was a game-changer for me. She affirmed my editorial ideas and helped me see my stories more clearly. Because of her encouragement and strategic guidance, I was able to persevere with my pitch past the 'not-the-right-fit' rejections and find my story a home. People are still sharing and discussing the piece nearly a year later.”

— Amanda Miller Littlejohn, award-winning PR practitioner and personal branding advisor

“Caroline's class was detailed and action-oriented, and all the while we had a really fun time. Most importantly, I've been landing pitches regularly ever since taking her class. Caroline is also the most thoughtful teacher I've ever worked with. She regularly emails me with pitch opportunities or thoughts about my writing well after our class ended.”

— Patricia Fancher, Ph.D., former student and continuing lecturer in the writing program at the University of California Santa Barbara

“Caroline helped me see the forest through the trees. She took pitching from a mysterious process in which I had no control and provided me with time-tested tools and techniques for communicating my story ideas clearly and effectively. Her enthusiasm is contagious and her recommendations are always spot on. Take her class if you ever have the opportunity. It's a game-changer.”

— Trevor Keaton Pogue, founder of MeatballAmericano.com and freelance writer for Vice, The Seattle Weekly, and Seattle Met Magazine

“Caroline’s 6-week pitch workshop was exactly what I needed! It gave me the skills and confidence to contact editors and publications I would have previously thought out of my reach and opened up so many wonderful opportunities for me. Caroline is a great listener; she has a knack for getting right to the heart of the story you want to tell and showing you how to find it, too. She also goes above and beyond, sharing calls for submissions, providing pitch hand-holding, and being a cheerleader long after class has ended. Whenever I draft a pitch, I now have what I fondly think of as the 'Karasik method' in my head. It just works!”

— Purnima Mani, former student

Caroline's workshop was game-changing for me. I was as impressed by her excellent group facilitation skills as I was with her light-hearted emotional support, which is as energizing as Caroline's publishing expertise.

— Sloane Kali Faye, Ph.D., former student

I really enjoyed Caroline's class on pitching. It was so helpful to review and discuss real-world pitches that worked for her and other writers. The guided pitch workshops—where students brought their own pitches and we discussed them together—were the most helpful part of the class. It helped me refine my pitches to grab editors’ attention, but most importantly, Caroline's encouragement gave me the confidence to just keep pitching even after rejections or worse, no response at all. During the class, I had a pitch accepted! Bon Appetit published my researched personal essay I Grew Up With the Shame of Food Insecurity. Decades Later, I Still Obsess Over What I Eat shortly after class ended.

— Kimi Ceridon, former student

“Caroline is the person you dream of having in your workshop: interested, attentive, honest, and smart. She reads everyone's work like she's reading a much-anticipated debut book: with enthusiasm and great care. And her feedback is always gold because get this — she's also an incredible writer.”

— Stephanie, fellow workshop participant

“Caroline will not only teach you, but she will also unlock what you have already known all along. And then one day you'll be getting coffee or scraping mold off some bread and the perfect pitch you've had inside you will fall out of the secret room in your brain you aren't allowed in. Only Caroline can help gently pull things out of that secret room, she is the pitch witch. “

— Elizabeth Teets, writer, comedian, and host and producer of the Hollywood Theater program "Isn’t She Great"

“Caroline is everything you would hope for in an editor: kind, hopeful, incisive, and thoroughly committed to emotional honesty. In her own writing, she is telling radical truths about women's bodies, about motherhood — about, really, everything that matters. Anyone who has the chance to work with her should grab it.”

— Diane, fellow workshop participant

“Caroline's energy, feedback, and fund of knowledge were remarkable — really inspiring.”

—Stella S., former student