2010 Los Angeles Public Library Dinner honors King + Lecture

[mae]

http://www.lfla.org/event-detail/441...son-Foundation

On Wednesday, May 19, 2010, the 15th Annual Los Angeles Public Library Awards Dinner will be held at the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza.

The Library Foundation of Los Angeles hosts the Library Awards Dinner each spring to help augment critical funding. The proceeds of the 2010 Awards Dinner will help the Los Angeles Public Library provide reading enrichment and literacy programs and related books and materials, educational and cultural activities for all ages, and public access to the latest electronic information resources.

During the dinner, two honorees will be celebrated for outstanding achievement:

•The Literary Award is awarded to a writer for his or her contribution to literature. This year the award will be given to Stephen King.
•The Light of Learning Award is given in recognition of an individual or organization that has made outstanding contribution to reading, libraries, and learning. The award this year will go to The Ahmanson Foundation.

Stephen King was born in Portland, Maine in 1947. He made his first professional short story sale in 1967 to Startling Mystery Stories. In the fall of 1973, he began teaching high school English classes at the public high school. Writing in the evenings and on the weekends, he continued to produce short stories and to work on novels. In the spring of 1973, Doubleday & Co. accepted the novel Carrie for publication, providing him the means to leave teaching and write full-time. He has since published over 40 books and has become one of the world’s most successful writers. King is the recipient of numerous awards including the 2003 National Book Foundation Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters, 2007 Grand Master Award from the Mystery Writers of America, American Library Association’s 1978 and 1981 Best Books for Young Adults. King lives in Maine and Florida with his wife, novelist Tabitha King. They are regular contributors to a number of charities including many libraries and have been honored locally for their philanthropic activities.

http://www.fangoria.com/index.php?op...ews&Itemid=167

On May 20, Dr. Seth C. Kadish will host A World of Fright: Alcoholism and the Work of Stephen King, a lecture analyzing the role of substance abuse in King’s life and its effect on his stories. It will take place at 7:30 p.m. at Against the Mainstream Society in Los Angeles (4300 Melrose Avenue), merely a day after King receives The Literary Award at the 15th Annual Los Angeles Public Library Awards Dinner for his vast contributions to horror fiction. King’s battles with addiction are widely known—we’ve seen its influence in such works as THE SHINING and DESPERATION—and this seems a legitimate lens through which to view his work. Admission is $10, and all proceeds will go to Writers in Treatment, a program to help authors under the influence kick the habit. Coffee and tea will be served. Tickets can be ordered here: http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/106803

[Fsmdr]

I am not sure where to post this. Please move this post if necessary.

Stephen to receive award from Los Angeles Library Foundation
Stephen will be receiving an award in recognition of his contribution to literature and the art of storytelling at an event sponsored by the Los Angeles Public and Library Foundation of Los Angeles on May 19th. The event is a fundraiser for the L.A. Public Library and tickets are still available through the Library Foundation's web site: http://www.lfla.org/event-detail/441...o-Stephen-King

[Randall Flagg]

I ordered the $50,000 Diamond ticket. I wonder if King will sign a book for me.

This probably will be moved to The Oracle, but thanks for the heads up.

[mae]

I'm sure I've posted about this a while back in the Oracle...

[mae]

Ah yes, here it is: http://www.thedarktower.org/palaver/...ad.php?t=10463 Was moved to the archive.

[Randall Flagg]

I pulled it back from the archive. Thanks for the info-Pablo, and Fsmdr

[mae]

http://www.fearnet.com/news/intervie...n_shining.html

Last night I had the rare pleasure of chatting briefly with the single most influential living horror writer in the Western world, author Stephen King. King was the recipient of the 15th Annual Los Angeles Public Library Literary Award, a diamond-shaped trophy that King, upon receiving it, remarked would make a terrific murder weapon. Before he took the stage to receive the award in front of four hundred library patrons and employees, King spoke with me for a couple of minutes. He told me he reads FEARnet, which is where he learned about Carriers (reviewed here by our Scott Weinberg), the little-seen thriller starring Chris Pine that he praised last year in his Entertainment Weekly column. I then asked King if he was still planning a sequel to his masterpiece The Shining (as he'd mentioned in a past interview we reported on). He indicated that it's just a matter of finding the time in his busy schedule to do so.

"I'd still like to write the Shining sequel," he told me. "I'd like to write another Dark Tower book too."

"And I'd like to walk on the moon," he added with a grin, "but I don't know if I'll get to do that either."

I also asked King what he knew about Haven, the upcoming SyFy series based on The Colorado Kid, his 2005 novella. He said he didn't know much about it, indicating he wasn't involved in the production.

"It looks like The X-Files," he said. "I don't think it looks like The Colorado Kid."

I congratulated King on receiving the evening's prestigious honor and he thanked me for coming to the ceremony. As he took the stage, King, nattily attired in jacket and tie, informed the audience they were receiving a rare treat.

"I've been in a suit once in fourteen months," he laughed.

Along with his trophy, King received an honorarium of ten thousand dollars. He said that before flying out to LA he'd asked his wife, Tabitha – a member of the board of trustees for the Bangor Public Library – what he should do with the money. She told him to "Give it to the library," an institution that King credited for his career.

"So it's staying in the family," he said.