Portland-based writer Karen Vitt always is up for an adventure, especially when it makes a good story. Whether it’s learning to kayak the Columbia River, parading her Bengal cat down a fashion runway or riding a horse through high desert country, she's eager for new experiences to share with readers.

The native Portlander has covered Northwest style, shopping, culture and travel for more than a decade, and her byline has appeared in local and national publications, in print and online. In addition to writing feature articles, Karen has worked in marketing, advertising and public relations for several well-known Oregon companies. "My experience writing creative Web content, feature articles, advertisements, marketing materials, press releases and internal communications has taught me to use words effectively for multiple purposes, whether it's to inform, to entertain or to drive sales," she said.

Until spring of 2009, Karen split her time as the Portland style correspondent for national shopping bible Lucky magazine, and as a staff creative marketing copywriter and Masthead editor for The Oregonian newspaper.

She now continues her writing career in Portland as a fashion freelancer and Web producer, recently launching The Neat Sheet, a daily style news site covering Portland fashion, shopping, events and topics of interest to Oregon women. Editors interested in hiring Karen for freelance projects or Portland media appearances as a local fashion and shopping expert, please e-mail karenvitt (a) gmail.com.