Karen Finley

Karen Finley (born 1956) is an American performance artist, musician and poet. Her theatrical pieces and recordings have often been labeled obscene due to their graphic depictions of sexuality, abuse, and disenfranchisement. Finley is currently a professor at the Tisch School of the Arts at New York University.

Among Finley's books are Shock Treatment, Enough Is Enough: Weekly Meditations for Living Dysfunctionally, the Martha Stewart satire Living It Up: Humorous Adventures in Hyperdomesticity, Pooh Unplugged (detailing the eating and psychological disorders of Winnie the Pooh and his friends), and A Different Kind of Intimacy - the latter a collection of her works. Her poem "The Black Sheep" is among her best-known works; it was displayed as public art in New York City for one month. Finley's poetry is included in The Outlaw Bible of American Poetry.

Biography

Finley was born in Chicago and raised in Evanston, Illinois. She is a relative of the American humorist and writer Finley Peter Dunne. Her father was of Irish and Scottish descent and her mother was of Native American, Romani, and Jewish ancestry.