Stephen King--the Philanthropist

Stephen King is not only a writer of horror and the supernatural but Stephen and his wife Tabitha are very involved in their community and in several charities and foundations.  The Stephen and Tabitha King Foundation established in 1986, is a nonprofit organization that promotes strengthening and supporting local communities.  This foundation helps organizations and people with fewer resources to find help on community based initiatives in the state of Maine.  Their main support is for literacy, community service, and the arts so the local people can give back to their own communities.

The King’s Barking Foundation helps students that lack funds to pursue a college education.  Fifty of these awards are handed out each year. Participants receive a three thousand dollar a year grant and can reapply each year as long as they have a 3.0 grade point average.  This is very god example of King’s success and generosity in giving back to the community, giving all partakers a chance to go to school in Maine or whatever school they choose.

One of Stephen King’s most profoundly foundations is The Haven Foundation.  It was started after King was hit by a car while walking alongside the road and was critical injured.  Soon thereafter Frank Muller, King’s favorite audio book reader, suffered a brain injury in a motorcycle accident.  Frank Muller was never able to work again because of the accident.  Stephen King started the fund to give aid to freelance artist, writers, readers and others that work in the publication industry that are unable to work. King feels that his brush with death was a sign, and feels fortunate to recover from his accident--he continues to advocate this charity as it sits close to home.

Stephen and Tabitha King have used their names and fortune to help so many people.  Because of their generosity freelance artist, communities and students receive a helping hand and perhaps with this inspiration they will continue King’s work

Stephen King at the Movies



  Many of Stephen King’s books have been made into movies, some good, and some not so good.  If you have read any of King’s books and then watched the movie you will see that the movie does not always follow the book.  This is largely due to Stephen King not being involved in writing the screen plays.  Two movies that did follow the books well, and in which King was involved were The Shawshank Redemption and The Green Mile.

Stephen King’s short story “Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption” was published in the book Different Season.  It is the story of a young banker, Andy Dufresne which is wrongly convicted of his wife’s murder and sentenced to life at Shawshank Prison.  After nearly twenty years in prison, Andy escapes by tunneling out of the prison using a rock hammer and hiding his escape route behind a poster of Rita Hayworth.  The young film maker Frank Darabont had secured the film adaptation rights from Stephen King, and King gave him technical advice during the production.   The film was nominated for several Academy Awards but lost out to Forest Gump.  Even though  The Shawshank Redemption did not win big during the Academy Awards it has become one of the best one hundred films of all times according to the American Film Institute.  I truly feel that Stephen King’s inputs while filming the movie greatly influenced the later success of the film. 

                        

The Green Mile was another great movie that followed the book well.  Originally it was published into six small paperbacks released over a six month period.  The Green Mile was set in a Louisiana prison during the Great Depression.  A man named John Coffy is brought to the prison to be put to death via the electric chair for killing two small girls. Soon the prison guards find out the John Coffy is not just an ordinary man and has the powers of healing.   Again Frank Darabont asked King to give him first dibs on making the movie.  After he read the books Darabont drove to where King was on another project to say “yes” he wanted to make the movie.  He asked King to be on sight to ensure the movie was what King would want the movie to depict from his writings.  Stephen King was often at the set of the movie giving advice to the director.  Again, this movie was nominated for several Academy Awards including Best Picture but lost to American Beauty.   Although these movies did win any awards they are still two of the best movies of all times.  The success of these movies can be directly contributed to having King on set conveying his visions.  I have watched a lot of older King movies where he is not involved, and they often do not follow the book, making the film a disappointment for fans.  To me, not all books are meant to be made into movies but when the author is involved with the process it makes a huge difference in the overall outcome.  

The Rock Bottom Remainders

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Most know Stephen King for bestselling books and films; however, there is another side of him that people do not see--his passion for rock music and the band he plays in. Yes, Stephen King plays in a rock band called the Rock Bottom Remainders.  The Remainders were founded toward the end of the last century by Kathi Kamen Goldmark.  The founding members of the all-author rock band is an American author, columnist, publishing consultant, radio and music producer, songwriter, and musician. 

Stephen King plays the rhythm guitar, and sings and is one of the bands prominent leaders.  This band includes some of today’s most shining literary lights and between them, they have published more than one hundred and fifty titles, sold more than one hundred and fifty million books. The rest of these literary rockers include:  Mitch Albom: keyboards and vocals, Dave Barry: lead guitar, vocals Sam Barry: harmonicas, Roy Blount, Jr.: Critics Chorus, Matt Groening: Critics Chorus, and Greg Iles: guitar and vocals, and founder Kathi Kamen Goldmark.  "In the fine rock and roll tradition, the Rock Bottom Remainders were conceived in a car,” says Kathy. “As a semi-pro musician with a day job in book publicity, I spend a lot of time driving touring authors around San Francisco…I decided to form a band of authors!"  Although the band are really all famous authors, one week a year, they are rock stars--artist-access-only, laminate-wearing, security-escorted rock stars with roadies and groupies. Four ringers help them out: American singer-songwriter and drummer Josh Kelly, Erasmo Paolo, professional saxophone player, Sam Barry on harmonica and Janine Sabino on vocals--they have fun!

Hailed by critics as having “one of the world’s highest ratios of noise to talent,” the Remainders have no music videos, no record contract, no Grammy nominations--but do have over one hundred and firty-nine thousand hits on Google and have donated all of their millions ( and yes millions) to charity.  The band has changed over the past years adding and deleting literary rock stars want to bees.  King enjoys jamming and will continue to play with the band to raise money for his foundations and the charities of the band.  For those interested, it looks like the band will be going on tour in April of 2012:  the master of horror rocking--a must see!

Stephen King the Man

Stephen Edwin King was born in Portland, Maine in 1947. After his parents were separated--he was raised by his mother. Stephen attended the grammar school in Durham Maine and then Lisbon Falls High School, graduating in 1966. From his sophomore year at the University of Maine at Orono, he wrote a weekly column for the school newspaper, THE MAINE CAMPUS. He graduated from the University of Maine at Orono in 1970, with a B.A. in English. Stephen is of Scots-Irish ancestry, stands 6'4" and weighs about 200 pounds and has worn glasses since was a child.  He and Tabitha Spruce married in January of 1971. The Kings have three children: Naomi Rachel, Joe Hill and Owen Phillip.

Stephen made his first professional short story sale ("The Glass Floor") to Startling Mystery Stories in 1967. Throughout the early years of his marriage, he continued to sell stories to men's magazines--many of these were later gathered into the Night Shift collection.   In the spring of 1973, Doubleday & Co. accepted the novel Carrie for publication. Stephen learned from his editor that the major paperback sale would provide him with the means to write full-time--Carrie was published in the spring of 1974.  The Kings moved southern Maine, and Stephen wrote his next-published novel, originally titled Second Coming and then Jerusalem's Lot, before it became 'Salem's Lot, in a small room in the garage.

Over the past 30 plus years Stephen King has written hundreds of books, short stories and some poems--he is known as the “Master of Horror”. Many of his books have been made into movies such as: Carrie, Salem’s Lot, the Shawshank Redemption, and Green mile. Many don’t know that Carrie was made into a Broadway play; however, it was shut down after the first night due its graphic content.   He has made cameos appearances in several of his film adaptations—Creepshow and The Stand are just a few.  1982 Stephen made his directorial debut, as well as writing the screenplay, for the movie Maximum Overdrive. In 1985 Stephen King received: The 2003National Book Foundation Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters. Stephen and Tabitha provide scholarships for local high school students and contribute too many other local and national charities.  Stephen and Tabitha currently reside in Bangor Maine