Carrying forward a writing legacy

“I think it's almost impossible to edit something to death. I think you can make things better almost indefinitely.” – Owen King

Born in Maine on this date in 1977, King is the son of author Stephen King and also a successful writer in his own right.  Growing up in Bangor, Maine in what he calls “a surprisingly normal childhood,” Owen King said his first writing efforts were in a game he and his father and siblings played where they would take turn writing sentences on the same story “until we got bored.”

He wrote more in high school and got into it full bore while in college at Vassar and then Columbia, where he earned a Master of Fine Arts degree.  His first book, We’re All in This Together – a collection of three short stories and a novella – came out in 2005 to critical acclaim and has led to a successful career as a short story writer.       Lately, he’s also gotten into writing novels and screenplays, including a novel collaboration with his famous father titled Sleeping Beauties, about a West Virginia women’s prison. He’s currently working with filmmaker Josh Boone on a television movie from Clive Barker’s The Great and Secret Show, a novel for which he wrote the introduction.

Also a creative writing teacher and contributor to 7 anthologies, Owen is married to writer Kelly Braffet, and values her advice.  “I give my work to my wife first to read,” he said.  “Then, I try to find new people who haven't read my work before, to get a new perspective.”

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