About this Event
“A treat for fans of Stephen King.”—Paul Tremblay
“A master class in craft—and a peek behind the curtain.”—Stephen Graham Jones
“Illuminating and original.”—Amy Tan
“It will be treasured by admirers of King’s novels and is a must read for anyone curious about how great books get written.”—James Shapiro, Professor of English, Columbia University
A LIT HUB MOST ANTICIPATED BOOK OF THE YEAR
After Caroline Bicks was named the University of Maineʼs inaugural Stephen E. King Chair in Literature, she became the first scholar to be granted extended access by King to his private archives, a treasure trove of manuscripts that document the legendary writerʼs creative process—most of them never before studied or published. The year she spent exploring King’s early drafts and hand-written revisions was guided by one question millions of Kingʼs enthralled and terrified readers (including her) have asked themselves: What makes Stephen King’s writing stick in our heads and haunt us long after we’ve closed the book?
Bicks focuses on five of his most iconic early works—The Shining, Carrie, Pet Sematary, ʼSalemʼs Lot, and Night Shift—to reveal how he crafted his language, story lines, and characters to cast his enduring literary spells. While tracking King’s margin notes and editorial changes, she discovered scenes and alternative endings that never made it to print but that King is allowing her to publish now. The book also includes interviews Bicks had with King along the way that reveal new insights into his writing process and personal history.
Part literary master class, part biography, part memoir and investigation into our deepest anxieties, Monsters in the Archives—authorized by Stephen King himself—is unlike anything ever published about the master of horror. It chronicles what Bicks found when she set out to unearth how King crafted some of his scariest, most iconic moments. But it’s also a story about a grown-up English professor facing her childhood fears and getting to know the man whose monsters helped unleash them.
About the speakers:
Caroline Bicks is the Stephen E. King Chair in Literature at the University of Maine, where she teaches courses in Shakespeare, early modern culture, and horror fiction. She is the author of Cognition and Girlhood in Shakespeare’s World and Midwiving Subjects in Shakespeare’s England; co-author of Shakespeare Not Stirred: Cocktails for Your Everyday Dramas; and co-host of the Everyday Shakespeare podcast. Her essays and humor pieces have appeared in the Modern Love column of the New York Times, McSweeney’s Internet Tendency, and the show Afterbirth. She lives in Blue Hill, Maine, with her family.
Nat Cassidy writes horror for the page, stage, and screen. His acclaimed novels, including When the Wolf Comes Home (USA Today Bestseller; called "a classic" by Stephen King), Mary: An Awakening of Terror (one of Audible's "Top 100 Horror Novels of All Time"), Nestlings, and Rest Stop (Bram Stoker Award nominee), have been featured in best-of lists from Esquire, Harper's Bazaar, NPR, the Chicago Review of Books, the NY Public Library, Amazon, and more, and he was named one of the "writers shaping horror’s next golden age" by Esquire. His award-winning horror plays have been produced throughout New York City and across the United States. He won the NY Innovative Theatre Award for his one-man show about H. P. Lovecraft, another for his play about Caligula, and was commissioned by the Kennedy Center to write the libretto for a short opera (about the end of the world, of course).
Event guidelines:
Each ticket includes either a copy of MONSTERS IN THE ARCHIVES or a $15 Twisted Spine gift card.
Limited additional copies of the books will be available for purchase at the event.
A signing will follow the discussion.
If you have any questions about the guidelines or to request accessibility accommodations, please contact [email protected].
Event Venue & Nearby Stays
The Twisted Spine, 306 Grand Street, Brooklyn, United States
USD 17.85 to USD 35.73
