In 1974, Stephen King burst onto the literary scene with the publication of the spine-chilling novel, Carrie. In the decades since, King has delivered a prolific, terrifying, and memorable oeuvre, further cementing his position as one of America’s most famous writers. Now — 50 years after the publication of that seminal horror classic — King still sits atop the pantheon of master storytellers, wielding enormous influence across the literary landscape.

To celebrate 50 Years of Stephen King, join bestselling authors Richard Chizmar, CJ Leede, Catriona Ward, and Chuck Wendig for an evening of storytelling as they reflect on King’s influence, work, and legacy across half a century of writing. In addition to a public reading of an excerpt from Carrie, the authors will discuss their newest novels, followed by a book signing.

This is a ticketed event. Every ticket includes a signed copy of one of the author's books and one general admission seat. Doors will open at 6:00pm, and the event will begin at 7:00pm. Seating is general admission; first come, first served. Book signing to follow conversation. Additional books by all authors will be available for purchase at the event. This event is sponsored by Horror on Main.

*Stephen King will not be present at this event

• All book festival events, unless otherwise noted, will take place at the Midtown Scholar Bookstore.

• A public book signing will immediately follow the discussion. Purchasing an author’s new book from the Midtown Scholar Bookstore is required for entry to the signing line. (Additional copies of a book may also be signed if time permits).

About the Authors:

Richard Chizmar is the coauthor (with Stephen King) of the New York Times bestselling novella Gwendy’s Button Box and Gwendy’s Final Task, and the solo novella Gwendy’s Magic Feather. Recent books include the New York Times bestsellers Becoming the Boogeyman and Chasing the Boogeyman, The Girl on the Porch, The Long Way Home, his fourth short story collection, and Widow’s Point, a chilling tale about a haunted lighthouse cowritten with his son Billy Chizmar, which was recently made into a feature film. Chizmar’s work has been translated into more than fifteen languages throughout the world.

CJ Leede is a horror writer, hiker, and Trekkie. She is the author of Maeve Fly and American Rapture. Her debut novel Maeve Fly won the Golden Poppy Octavia E. Butler Award and Splatterpunk Award, and earned a Bram Stoker Award nomination. When she is not driving around the country, CJ can be found in LA with her boyfriend and rescue dogs.

Chuck Wendig is the New York Times bestselling author of Wanderers, The Book of Accidents, and Wayward, and over two dozen other books for adults and young adults. A finalist for the Astounding Award and an alum of the Sundance Screenwriters Lab, he has also written comics, games, and for film and television. He’s known for his popular blog, terribleminds, and books about writing such as Damn Fine Story. He lives in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, with his family.

Catriona Ward was born in Washington, DC, and grew up in the United States, Kenya, Madagascar, Yemen, and Morocco. She studied English at the University of Oxford and later earned her master’s degree in creative writing at the University of East Anglia. Ward is a three-time winner of the August Derleth Award for Best Horror Novel: for The Girl from Rawblood, her debut; Little Eve; and The Last House on Needless Street. Little Eve also won the Shirley Jackson Award for Best Novel. Ward is the international bestselling author of The Last House on Needless Street and Sundial.