The legendary Stephen King has recently announced that he is opening up a writer’s retreat at his property in Bangor, Maine. The retreat is open exclusively for fellow writers and literary scholars. Imagine the inspiration that could come to one’s mind, writing in that place!
King said:
We are in the very beginning of planning the writers’ retreat at the house next door, providing housing for up to five writers in residence at a time. The zoning change getting press coverage was the first step. We are 1 to 2 years away from an operating retreat. There will not be a museum, and nothing will be open to the public.
King and his wife Tabitha put in a request to rezone their home as a non-profit space. Which would allow the property to house five writers at a time and to house an archive of King’s work. The Bangor City Council unanimously approved their request. The archives, formerly held at the University of Maine, will be available to researchers and scholars via appointment only. The city council is grateful for the generosity King’s family has shown, and they are eager to accommodate the family’s plans for the property.
A city councilor, Ben Sprague, explained to Rolling Stone:
The King Family has been wonderful to the City of Bangor over time and has donated literally millions of dollars to various causes in the community. Preserving his legacy here in Bangor is important for this community.
King’s home on 47 West Broadway is in the town that inspired his worldwide bestseller novel “IT,” which is why it became a tourist hotshot destination over the years. Fans often come to snap pictures of his big, blood-red mansion, with iron gates covered In spooky, winged creatures. Now, this mansion is where they will house all of his literary archives.
In a 1983 essay, King explains that the idea for IT began brewing in his mind when he first moved to the town. “I had a very long book in mind, a book which I hoped would deal with the way myths and dreams and stories — stories, most of all — become a part of the everyday life of a small American city,” he wrote. He also details how he visited the town library to research its history. The librarian informed him that Bangor had 12 tomes (large books), but none worth seeing.
King mentioned to the librarian that he wanted to write a book set in the town; she responded, “Wonderful! Just like that fellow Ben Ames Williams! What a nice man he was! Sat in there every day for most of one summer. He was so pleasant and polite!… Whoever would have guessed what awful things he was writing!”
One of the characters in IT goes by the name Ben Hanscom. Perhaps it’s a coincidence they share their first name, or maybe he was inspired by the librarians’ story. Williams was an American novelist and short-story writer. It seems this town has a history of attracting writers; there must be some good creative energy flow in the air.
