Stephen King speaks at UMass Lowell

[Bev Vincent]

For one night only, King will take to the stage at the Tsongas Center at UMass Lowell, offering fans the chance to hear King read his work, ask him questions and listen to him discuss his passion for writing and his advice for aspiring authors. “A Conversation with Stephen King” – set for Friday, Dec. 7 at 7:30 p.m. – will be moderated by Andre Dubus III, bestselling author and professor in UMass Lowell’s English Department, the program’s co-sponsor.

http://www.stephenking.com/promo/umass_event/

[RichardX]

For one night only, King will take to the stage at the Tsongas Center at UMass Lowell, offering fans the chance to hear King read his work, ask him questions and listen to him discuss his passion for writing and his advice for aspiring authors. “A Conversation with Stephen King” – set for Friday, Dec. 7 at 7:30 p.m. – will be moderated by Andre Dubus III, bestselling author and professor in UMass Lowell’s English Department, the program’s co-sponsor.

http://www.stephenking.com/promo/umass_event/

Any idea if there will be a book signing? It would take quite a bit to get me there in bleak December!

[EXPLORER]

For one night only, King will take to the stage at the Tsongas Center at UMass Lowell, offering fans the chance to hear King read his work, ask him questions and listen to him discuss his passion for writing and his advice for aspiring authors. “A Conversation with Stephen King” – set for Friday, Dec. 7 at 7:30 p.m. – will be moderated by Andre Dubus III, bestselling author and professor in UMass Lowell’s English Department, the program’s co-sponsor.

http://www.stephenking.com/promo/umass_event/

Any idea if there will be a book signing? It would take quite a bit to get me there in bleak December!

NOT IF U R A REAL FAN

[Brice]

LOL

[CyberGhostface]

This is so surreal, I just graduated from there. Dubus was one of my professors.

[Bev Vincent]

There's no indication that he will sign -- I wouldn't be shocked if he didn't.

[Ari_Racing]

I also doubt it'll be a signing for that event, but who knows :)

[CyberGhostface]

Got my ticket today. :)

[sgc1999]

Im looking for floor seats if anyones got an extra or 2 i will be happy to pay a little more for it or them:)

[sgc1999]

This is so surreal, I just graduated from there. Dubus was one of my professors.


huh huh....huh huh.... "Dubus" :cool:

[Nerak]

they sold out of the floor seats fast...went there at 10:20 and they were all gone

[sgc1999]

I think they were sold out before they were available to the public:(

[Brice]

I'd guess they were more held back than actually sold out.

[mae]

http://bostonherald.com/entertainment/books/view/20221124fright_night_author_stephen_king_opens_uma ss_lowell_speaker_series

What frightens horror master Stephen King?

Public speaking.

“I do some colleges, but I don’t do a lot of stuff,” King told a handful of reporters last week. “Frankly, it’s kind of scary.”

King will make an exception Dec. 7 and discuss his work with a capacity crowd at the University of Massachusetts Lowell’s Tsongas Center. Author and UMass Lowell professor Andre Dubus III (“House of Sand and Fog”) will moderate the event, the first of the school’s Chancellor’s Speaker Series.

“I’m a writer. I’m not a performer. When I get out in front of a bunch of people I get a little bit nervous and self-conscious. It’s strange to me that people want to come out and see someone who is not Justin Bieber,” said King, a Maine native.

The best-selling author will also hold a master class with UMass Lowell creative writing students before his appearance. King is also donating his speaking fee to the school for a scholarship in his and wife Tabitha’s names.

“When someone says fee to me, I go pale,” he said. “I think to myself, ‘This isn’t what I do for a living.’ I’m not like Patton Oswalt who can tell jokes.”

But the prolific writer known for spine-tingling novels “Carrie,” “It” and “Misery” ventured into new territory earlier this year. The musical “Ghost Brothers of Darkland County,” on which King collaborated with Midwestern rocker John Mellencamp and producer T-Bone Burnett, premiered on stage in April.

“The only play I’d written before ‘Ghost Brothers of Darkland County’ was for my Boy Scout troupe when I was 12,” King said. “I like the idea of putting something on stage without doing all the movie magic. I was taken by the idea of doing something completely simple.”

The project was more than a decade in the making. The soundtrack, featuring music by Elvis Costello, Kris Kristofferson and Rosanne Cash among others, goes on sale March 19.

King continues to test new ground, with his online comic “The Little Green God of Agony” and pulp stories for Hard Case Crime. The literary icon told the Herald he believes his career would have the same trajectory if he started writing today.

“I think people have a hunger for things that are scary and the fantastic. That goes into everyday life,” said the 65-year-old. “There’s always a market for it. I think if I started now, it would probably be the same career arc ... I’m a believer that history repeats itself.”

General admission tickets are sold out, but sponsorship tickets, starting at $1,000 for two premium seats and a preshow reception with Stephen King, are available. Go to uml.edu/Chancellor/Speaker-Series/Sponsorship.aspx to learn more.


Hope there will be video of the event later, like the last couple of times.

[TwistedNadine]

For 1000 you get two VIP tickets. For 2500 you get 5 VIP tickets and "autographed book" but doesnt say if one book or five. I posted this elsewhere:

VIP RECEPTION WITH STEPHEN KING

I've been keeping tabs on this event to see if there would be any signings. They've added a VIP reception to meet Stephen King. For $1000 you get 2 VIP tickets. For $2500 you can get 5 VIP tickets as well as an autographed book (but doest clarify if EACH ticket holder gets a signed book (five), or if its just one signed book).
Also doesnt say if you can bring your own book or if book is their choice and pre-signed (I will be calling them Monday to find out)

Five people can split the 2500 so cost is 500 each. Double the price of the Mason M&G but....

http://www.uml.edu/chancellor/speake...onsorship.aspx

[jhanic]

Here's a better link:

http://www.uml.edu/Chancellor/Speaker-Series/Stephen-King.aspx

John

[TwistedNadine]

Thanks John.

The link I originally posted should be to the sponsorship levels. Lets see if this one works

http://www.uml.edu/Chancellor/Speaker-Series/Sponsorship.aspx

[jhanic]

That one works!

John

[mae]

http://www.lowellsun.com/whatdouwannado/ci_22088926/kings-speech

Stephen King is famous for his horror stories, but it's his disarming sense of humor that also will be on display when he speaks at the Tsongas Center at UMass Lowell. "When you go to places like UMass, they have a lecture fund and give you a fee. If I turn my fee over (to them), they can turn it into a scholarship," said King recently on a conference call with a small group of reporters. "So if someone says, 'You sucked,' I can say, 'Yes, but I sucked for free.' "

"A Conversation with Stephen King," the inaugural event of UMass Lowell's "Chancellor's Speaker Series," will take place Friday, Dec. 7, at 7:30 p.m. at the Tsongas Center. King will donate his fee which, along with $5 from every ticket sold, will endow a scholarship fund in his and his wife Tabitha's name.

Moderated by author and UMass Lowell professor Andre Dubus III, the program will include a Q&A with King, who also will read his work and share his views on his career and his craft to the audience -- even though the thought of doing so scares him more than anything out of Salem's Lot.

"I don't do a lot of this stuff because frankly it's kind of scary," said King, 65. "I'm a writer, not a performer. When I'm in front of a bunch of people, I get a little nervous and self-conscious."

King's career should speak for itself. Having written more than 60 books which have sold 350 million copies, King is one of the most popular fiction writers of all time. His first novel, 1974's
Carrie, immediately put him on the map, an achievement he thinks would happen again today if he had to do it all over again.

"In the case of Carrie, it was a good book to start with because it was about a misift, and it really struck a nerve because the story is so universal," said King. "If none of the other books existed, I think it would have the same impact -- I'm a believer in the idea that history repeats itself."

He followed up Carrie with a string of successful horror novels, including Salem's Lot, The Shining and The Stand. He's been called a horror writer (sometimes with derision), but he doesn't consider this characterization an insult.

"The horror genre is always looked at as one that appeals to low tastes, but it's also an extremely adaptable genre, so people come to it and it feels like a mirror for their anxieties," said King. "I don't call myself a horror writer, but as long as the checks don't bounce, they can call me whatever they want."

At this point, "horror writer" may be too narrow a term. Over the course of his 40-plus year career, King has written a Tolkien Western (The Dark Tower series), a time-travel novel (11/62/63), prison stories (The Green Mile and the novella Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption), a memoir (On Writing), a Red Sox book (Faithful), a pop culture column for Entertainment Weekly, and a musical with John Mellencamp (Ghost Brothers of Darkland County). But if his next two projects (Joyland, a thriller set in an amusement park, and Doctor Sleep, his sequel to The Shining) are any indication, he's not going to give up scaring people anytime soon.

"You can always leave the movie theater or close the book, like an ostrich burying its head in the sand, but people like to be entertained," said King. "And me? I like to make it as unsafe a scare as possible."

General admission tickets for "A Conversation for Stephen King" are sold out; corporate sponsorship is available. For information on sponsorship opportunities, contact Louise Griffin at 978-934-3243 or at Louise_Griffin@uml.edu.

http://extras.mnginteractive.com/live/media/site105/2012/1129/20121129_062337_STP_1129_P-1_NOfree.jpg

[mae]

http://blog.thephoenix.com/BLOGS/laserorgy/archive/2012/11/30/q-amp-a-stephen-king-on-fear-and-politics.aspx

Stephen King knows as much as anyone really can know about the power fear has over people. In terms of politics, fear is an incredible weapon since it can't -- unlike the fictional fear he deals in -- be placed under what the 65-year-old author calls a "glass lid." This fear, especially the fear of the other, was on King's mind when I spoke with him by telephone before Thanksgiving ahead of his December 7 appearance at UMass Lowell.

How do you think fear manipulates large groups of people? More specifically, what's the difference between the fear elicited in fiction writing and the fear that is elicited in the news media?

It depends on how much of a news junkie you are. When you see something like what's going on in Gaza and in Israel right now ... that is a fear of some kind of escalation, of things getting out of control. And it's a kind of pervasive thing, it's like a whole-body fever. There's a feeling that you can't do anything about it. That you're sort of a helpless spectator to [it]. The only thing that you can do with a real-life situation like what's going on right now in the Middle East is to turn off the TV, and that's a little bit akin to an ostrich burying its head in the sand. The difference is that with make believe, you're really in charge of the thing and you know on some level that this isn't happening, that it's all a fiction.

So you can step outside of it?

Right. You can step outside of it. It's interesting for somebody like me who's dealt with fear and paranoia for [his] whole career to watch the political campaign that just took place and see how people play on [other] people's fears. It's a little bit depressing in a way to see people saying not "You should vote for me because I'll do this and make it better," but, "You should vote against the other guy because he's gonna do these terrible things." That sort of installation of fear. It's very 1984.

That's the ‘lesser of two evils', right?

Yeah.

What experiences or authors have cultivated this belief in you? In other words, what informs your view?

The first one who spoke to me that way was William Golding in Lord of the Flies. It's enough to keep you awake at night because he shows how thin the veneer of civilization is. In a political sense, I think one of the great horror novels of all time is 1984, because it shows what happens if politics runs wild. I mean, you can talk about it being either a novel that talks about the horrors of communism or the horrors of some sort of right-wing dictatorship but what it really is talking about is what happens when the government takes complete control over individual lives.

And the more time that goes by, the more it starts to look like the life that we're living right now where there are video screens everywhere and, a lot of times, when you're looking at the video, the video is looking back at you.

I'm glad you mentioned George Orwell. If you've read Politics and the English Language the point is that when you don't know how to use words, you can't think very well and, like Lewis Lapham said, that leads to bad politics. That leads to "The War on Terror", which is kind of a nebulous term, right?

Right, and a lot of different catch phrases. Or before Michael Crichton came along with some of those novels, which I think are disguised horror novels, about technology. You've got a book like Colossus by D.F. Jones. And it talks about (and this is long before macs and PCs and all that) computers taking over the world. So we get a chance to look at these things in fiction and it's kind of fun, but there is a reality subtext here.

Yeah. Space Odyssey, too.

Right. "Don't turn me off, Dave."

[mae]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/horror-master-novelist-stephen-king-gives-writing-class-lecture-at-mass-university/2012/12/07/770d8534-40cf-11e2-8a5c-473797be602c_story.html

Stephen King loves scaring people, but one student at University of Massachusetts Lowell tried to find out Friday what scares him.

“Spiders, snakes ... my mother-in-law,” the writer said with a grin.

The author of international bestselling books including “Carrie” and “The Shining” came to the college to talk with writing students.

English Department professor Andre Dubus III, another bestselling author and an old friend of King’s, shared the stage for about an hour as students asked questions about their craft.

King told the crowd of about 125 students that his goal is to write stories that sizzle with emotion.

“I’m a confrontational writer. I want to be in your face. I want to get into your space. I want to get within kissing distance, hugging distance, choking distance, punching distance. Call it whatever you want. But I want your attention.”

He got that Friday, plus some laughs.

Wearing jeans and a black T-shirt, the 65-year-old writer from Maine peppered his talk with profanity and promised students he was just a regular guy.

He said they shouldn’t be in awe like he was when he was a University of Maine freshman and heard a talk from “Catch-22” author Joseph Heller.

“It’s not like being U2, you know what I’m saying?” King said.

The author told students he knows where he gets his writing ideas about half the time, and his fascination for horror stories didn’t come from childhood trauma.

During his lecture and in an interview later, King also talked about two books he’s finished that will be published in 2013.

The author’s crime novel “Joyland” will be out in paperback in July, followed in September by the book “Doctor Sleep,” a sequel to his thriller “The Shining.”

The story is set in a New Hampshire hospice, where now all-grown-up character Danny Torrance works.

King said he had reservations about writing a sequel, but people always wanted to know more about the little boy from “The Shining.”

“People used to ask me, years later after ‘The Shining,’ what ever happened to that kid? ... I’d say ‘I don’t know.’ But it started to kind of kick around in my brain, you know?”

Because Torrance can read minds, King said he was intrigued by the idea of having the character work in a hospice as someone who helps people cross over from life to death.

The author encouraged students to be people-watchers and pick up on traits that would let them create their own characters.

King also warned them against becoming discouraged about publishers’ rejection slips and said not to use notebooks for story ideas. He said the stuff that’s worth writing stays in your head.

“My method for starting anything is I tell myself the story when I’m laying in bed at night, waiting to go to sleep,” King said.

The no-notebook idea made an impression on sophomore Joshua Beverage, who said later he’d give the method a try. The 19-year-old creative writing major said he’s been reading King’s stories and seeing movies based on them since he was 8.

“I never thought I’d actually be in his presence. That was really big for me,” he said.

Sophomore literature major Chelsea Graham said she was impressed King said it should be up to readers to decide what books are important to them.

“I liked how he said it’s a good book when it sort of takes over your life,” the 19-year-old said.

Dubus, who joined King on another UMass Lowell stage later Friday for a talk before an audience of 3,000, said the earlier lecture meant a lot.

“He gives these students the sense that the university is important, where they are is important, what they’re doing is significant, and that they count,” he said.

But for as much writing advice as King shared with students, the horror master also left them with some mystery.

“I’ve always wondered who I am when I write,” King said, “because once I’m doing it, I’m not in the room with myself.”

[CyberGhostface]

Alright I wasn't allowed to say anything prior for obvious reasons but hopefully it's okay if I mention it now. Earlier today King gave a smaller (hour long) speech/Q&A session to a group of English majors and I was able to attend.

I tried asking him if we'd see Flagg again but his answer was something like "Well, Flagg's always there" and then went on a bit further. I'll post the video if people want to see it but the a/v is pretty crappy.

He actually told about an idea of a novel that started as a short story that he's working on. Something about a guy in a car who ran over several people because he got off on it (kind of reminded me of Death Proof) and was never caught; the police expected him to do it again but he only did it once, and he basically writes a letter to the lead investigator taunting him about it.

[herbertwest]

Apparently he read a bit of "AFTERLIFE" apparently... >>> on Twitter: #StephenKing is reading the world debut of a story at #UMassLowell called "Afterlife."

[mae]

Holy fuck!

[Ari_Racing]

Well, people...start checking youtube...we gotta find that reading of Afterlife! :)

[herbertwest]

Do you have a link in mind? :)

Also, i thought that AFTERLIFE was presented/mentionned in the Marvel Spotlight essay by King, but i dont seem to find it in the text? Does anyone have, somewhere a presentation of the text?

[mae]

I would love to see a video of the reading of Afterlife, and really the entire event.

[mae]

Also, i thought that AFTERLIFE was presented/mentionned in the Marvel Spotlight essay by King, but i dont seem to find it in the text? Does anyone have, somewhere a presentation of the text?

http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/life/comics/2010-09-29-stephenking29_ST_N.htm?loc=interstitialskip

And he is toying with another comic book idea called Afterlife. "It's something I'd like to try," he says. "But then on the other hand, I'd also like to learn how to be a gourmet cook, so who knows?"

[Ari_Racing]

It was a long reading! 30 minutes:

http://www.uml.edu/News/stories/2011-12/king-scares-up-great-night.aspx#.UMN-JLn77pk

[mae]

I guess it was the entire short story. Hopefully we'll be hearing about where it will be published soon. Maybe the year-end issue of The New Yorker?

[Bev Vincent]

From Ms. Mod (May 2012) "The story is written but I don't know where it is at as far as doing it as a comic."

[mae]

Hopefully, it won't be a comic, and it sounds like it won't. I prefer the written word.

[Randall Flagg]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BJLcGXK5VEw

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BG16xmZwIuc

[mae]

I really like that mural behind King - 1990s books!

[mae]

UMass has also posted a series of "prelude" promo videos:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qKXJmVQpSAI

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TnBiRa-9asM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FD7Yao0DYXs

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fK4PIxwlGwo

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UtW2w9U9Qek

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-A6jd07b8Ys

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hpht3vH0hYc

[you ever seen a ghost?]

L30. Afterlife - In 2010, King first mentioned this idea for a comic book series. In May 2012, it was confirmed that he had written a short story based on this idea.

I forget what the 2010 source was, but did he mention a plot outline then?

-justin

[mae]

L30. Afterlife - In 2010, King first mentioned this idea for a comic book series. In May 2012, it was confirmed that he had written a short story based on this idea.

I forget what the 2010 source was, but did he mention a plot outline then?

-justin

That was the USA Today link above, Justin. Just a mention of the title for a comic, nothing about the plot at all.

[mae]

Also, i thought that AFTERLIFE was presented/mentionned in the Marvel Spotlight essay by King, but i dont seem to find it in the text? Does anyone have, somewhere a presentation of the text?

No, the Marvel Spotlight piece described the idea that would become 11/22/63.

[sgc1999]

happy for all that could attend. Hope to make the next appearance.
thanks for the links! :)

[CyberGhostface]

Here's his answer to my question about Randall Flagg. Sorry for the poor video quality.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=59qrUupyrKY&feature=youtu.be

[mae]

It's not so much video as audio that's poor :)

[herbertwest]

I asked Umass about a possible video, and the answer was : "Stay tuned :) "

[herbertwest]

Also, i thought that AFTERLIFE was presented/mentionned in the Marvel Spotlight essay by King, but i dont seem to find it in the text? Does anyone have, somewhere a presentation of the text?

No, the Marvel Spotlight piece described the idea that would become 11/22/63.


Yes that's what i noticed. But i was certain that there was, at some point (not necessarily in this issue), a description of the plot for AFTERLIFE....

[sgc1999]

the video is up on the umass site now.
http://www.uml.edu/

[mae]

the video is up on the umass site now.
http://www.uml.edu/

Here's a direct link:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WOhDul96XiI

Hopefully we'll see the entire event soon.

[herbertwest]

On twitter they said that the full video will be online early this week :)

[Roseannebarr]

I had a great time at the event. Best event ever.

I posted elsewhere, but i picked up programs from the event (30) if you want me to send you a copy feel free to PM me. Good while supply lasts. They are lacking in material, but has SK picture, date on front. I have a PDF version as well if you want to send me your email address I can forward you what they look like.

They cost me $1500 airfare, hotel, rental car, registration, dining etc... But you can have 1 for free!

[TwistedNadine]

I had a great time at the event. Best event ever.

I posted elsewhere, but i picked up programs from the event (30) if you want me to send you a copy feel free to PM me. Good while supply lasts. They are lacking in material, but has SK picture, date on front. I have a PDF version as well if you want to send me your email address I can forward you what they look like.

They cost me $1500 airfare, hotel, rental car, registration, dining etc... But you can have 1 for free!

Glad you had a good time! Were you able to get anything signed?

[Ari_Racing]

Afterlife full Video:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j--hDgtmQIw

[Bev Vincent]

A collection of videos from this appearance: http://www.uml.edu/Chancellor/Speaker-Series/Stephen-King-Videos.aspx

[Bev Vincent]

I think that's one of the best Q&A sessions I've seen in a long, long time.

[mae]

I really liked that short story. Not a new theme for King, but of course masterfully written. Hopefully it'll be published soon. I can also this as the closing piece to his next collection.

[mae]

The other two videos posted by UMass:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pZTCl4pVlLk

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yRv9TDMxKmo

Hopefully, they'll also post the pre-event talk with the students as well.

P.S.: I can't even recall how many times I've heard King recite that Cujo story :)

[mae]

The complete event in one video:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NLfINvRut4I

[mikeC]

What's was up with the guy screaming at the end?

[Roseannebarr]

What's was up with the guy screaming at the end?


We were in the third row and that was very scary! Andre Dubois said he would take care of the guy and get something signed and two people came down. The guy screaming and a man in a military outfit. There were several ushers surrounding the screaming guy so that he could not go up on stage, they both manipulated the situation in order to get signatures. Very Odd and a little frightening to others around us. People were ready to jump him if necessary. ONe of the ushers did take his poster and the other guys two books backstage for signature.

Stephen King was very, very friendly and available to his fans on this trip!

[Bev Vincent]

It sounded Pythonesque: I'll crawl up there on my hands and knees!

[TwistedNadine]

LOL!


It sounded Pythonesque: I'll crawl up there on my hands and knees!

[mikeC]

Thanks for that info. Yea that is crazy. They handled it very well.
Steve rules. His bathroom autograph story is one I never heard, I laughed for quite a while. It was very nice/smart of them to tape it and post it the way they did.

[herbertwest]

Wondering if there is, somewhere, a transcript of Stephen King's reading of AFTERLIFE?

His reading : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j--hDgtmQIw