Tappan Wright King
Encyclopedia
Tappan Wright King is an American
editor
and author
in the field of fantasy fiction, best known for editing The Twilight Zone Magazine and its
companion publication Night Cry in the late 1980s. Much of his work has appeared under a shorter form of his name, Tappan King. He is the grandson of legal scholar and utopian novelist Austin Tappan Wright
and the husband of author and editor Beth Meacham
. He and his wife live near Tucson
, Arizona
.
in Yellow Springs
, Ohio
, where he met his wife, Beth Meacham. They were married in 1978, and in 1980 bought a house on Staten Island
, which they spent eight years rehabilitating. They moved to northeast Tucson, Arizona in 1989, where they resided for 14 years, after which they moved to a 4 acres (16,187.4 m²) ranch south of Tucson close to the village of Corona de Tucson. They keep cats and
horses.
' and Martin Last's SF Review Monthly. He was a consulting editor at Bantam Books
from 1980 to 1985, helping to found the Bantam Spectra imprint, after which he was editor-in-chief of The Twilight Zone Magazine from March, 1986 until its last issue (February, 1989), and editorial director of its shorter-lived companion title Night Cry to its last issue in Fall 1987. He has since worked as a consultant technical writer and editor.
King has written one novel with Beth Meacham, Nightshade (1976,
Pyramid
), and one children's novel with Viido Polykarpus, Down Town (1985, Arbor House
), in addition to a number of short stories on his own. His work has appeared in the magazines Crimmer's: The Harvard Journal of Pictorial Fiction, Ariel, a fantasy magazine, SF Review Monthly, Galaxy Science Fiction
, Locus
, Rod Serling's The Twilight Zone Magazine, Night Cry, and Asimov's, and anthologies Devils & Demons (Marvin Kaye
, ed., 1987), Alternate Presidents
(Mike Resnick
, ed., 1992), Alternate Warriors (Mike Resnick, ed., 1993), More Whatdunits (Mike Resnick, ed., 1993), A Wizard's Dozen (Michael Stearns
, ed., 1993), Alternate Outlaws (Mike Resnick, ed., 1994), Xanadu 2 (Jane Yolen
and Martin H. Greenberg
, eds., 1994), and The Armless Maiden and Other Tales for Childhood's Survivors (Terri Windling
, ed., 1995).
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
editor
Editor
The term editor may refer to:As a person who does editing:* Editor in chief, having final responsibility for a publication's operations and policies* Copy editing, making formatting changes and other improvements to text...
and author
Author
An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
in the field of fantasy fiction, best known for editing The Twilight Zone Magazine and its
companion publication Night Cry in the late 1980s. Much of his work has appeared under a shorter form of his name, Tappan King. He is the grandson of legal scholar and utopian novelist Austin Tappan Wright
Austin Tappan Wright
Austin Tappan Wright was an American legal scholar and author, best remembered for his major work of Utopian fiction, Islandia...
and the husband of author and editor Beth Meacham
Beth Meacham
Beth Meacham is an American writer and editor, best known as a longtime top editor with Tor Books.-Life, education and family:Meacham was born November 14, 1951 in Newark, Licking County, Ohio. She studied Communications in Antioch College in Yellow Springs, Ohio, where she met her husband, Tappan...
. He and his wife live near Tucson
Tucson, Arizona
Tucson is a city in and the county seat of Pima County, Arizona, United States. The city is located 118 miles southeast of Phoenix and 60 miles north of the U.S.-Mexico border. The 2010 United States Census puts the city's population at 520,116 with a metropolitan area population at 1,020,200...
, Arizona
Arizona
Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
.
Life, education and family
King was born in 1950, the son of Lowell and Phyllis (Wright) King. He attended Antioch CollegeAntioch College
Antioch College is a private, independent liberal arts college in Yellow Springs, Ohio, United States. It was the founder and the flagship institution of the six-campus Antioch University system. Founded in 1852 by the Christian Connection, the college began operating in 1853 with politician and...
in Yellow Springs
Yellow Springs, Ohio
Yellow Springs is a village in Greene County, Ohio, United States, and is the location of Antioch College and Antioch University Midwest. The population was 3,487 at the 2010 census...
, Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
, where he met his wife, Beth Meacham. They were married in 1978, and in 1980 bought a house on Staten Island
Staten Island
Staten Island is a borough of New York City, New York, United States, located in the southwest part of the city. Staten Island is separated from New Jersey by the Arthur Kill and the Kill Van Kull, and from the rest of New York by New York Bay...
, which they spent eight years rehabilitating. They moved to northeast Tucson, Arizona in 1989, where they resided for 14 years, after which they moved to a 4 acres (16,187.4 m²) ranch south of Tucson close to the village of Corona de Tucson. They keep cats and
horses.
Literary career
In the late 1970s and early 1980s King and his wife were regular reviewers for Baird SearlesBaird Searles
William Baird Searles was a science fiction author and critic. He was best known for his long running review columns for the magazines Asimov's , Amazing, and Fantasy & Science Fiction . He also did occasional reviews for other publications, including The New York Times, Publishers Weekly, and The...
' and Martin Last's SF Review Monthly. He was a consulting editor at Bantam Books
Bantam Books
Bantam Books is an American publishing house owned entirely by Random House, the German media corporation subsidiary of Bertelsmann; it is an imprint of the Random House Publishing Group. It was formed in 1945 by Walter B. Pitkin, Jr., Sidney B. Kramer, and Ian and Betty Ballantine...
from 1980 to 1985, helping to found the Bantam Spectra imprint, after which he was editor-in-chief of The Twilight Zone Magazine from March, 1986 until its last issue (February, 1989), and editorial director of its shorter-lived companion title Night Cry to its last issue in Fall 1987. He has since worked as a consultant technical writer and editor.
King has written one novel with Beth Meacham, Nightshade (1976,
Pyramid
Pyramid Books
Jove Books, formerly Pyramid Books, is a paperback publishing company, founded in 1949 by Almat Magazine Publishers . The company was sold to the Walter Reade Organization in the late 1960s. It was acquired in 1974 by Harcourt Brace which renamed it to Jove in 1977 and continued the line as an...
), and one children's novel with Viido Polykarpus, Down Town (1985, Arbor House
Arbor House
Arbor House was an independent publishing house founded by Donald Fine in 1969. Specialising in hard cover publications, Arbor House published works by Hortense Calisher, Ken Follett, Cynthia Freeman, Elmore Leonard and Irwin Shaw before being acquired by the Hearst Corporation in 1979 to move into...
), in addition to a number of short stories on his own. His work has appeared in the magazines Crimmer's: The Harvard Journal of Pictorial Fiction, Ariel, a fantasy magazine, SF Review Monthly, Galaxy Science Fiction
Galaxy Science Fiction
Galaxy Science Fiction was an American digest-size science fiction magazine, published from 1950 to 1980. It was founded by an Italian company, World Editions, which was looking to break in to the American market. World Editions hired as editor H. L...
, Locus
Locus (magazine)
Locus, subtitled "The Magazine Of The Science Fiction & Fantasy Field", is published monthly in Oakland, California. It reports on the science fiction and fantasy publishing field, including comprehensive listings of all new books published in the genre. It is considered the news organ and trade...
, Rod Serling's The Twilight Zone Magazine, Night Cry, and Asimov's, and anthologies Devils & Demons (Marvin Kaye
Marvin Kaye
Marvin Nathan Kaye is an American mystery, fantasy, science fiction, and horror author and editor. He has also edited numerous horror anthologies, such as H. P. Lovecraft's Magazine of Horror and Sherlock Holmes Mystery Magazine...
, ed., 1987), Alternate Presidents
Alternate Presidents
Alternate Presidents is a 1992 Tor science fiction anthology, edited by Mike Resnick. Each story is by a different author, and presents a scenario where an individual becomes President of the United States in a way that did not occur in real life.-Stories:...
(Mike Resnick
Mike Resnick
Michael Diamond Resnick , better known by his published name Mike Resnick, is an American science fiction author. He was executive editor of Jim Baen's Universe.-Biography:...
, ed., 1992), Alternate Warriors (Mike Resnick, ed., 1993), More Whatdunits (Mike Resnick, ed., 1993), A Wizard's Dozen (Michael Stearns
Michael Stearns
Michael Stearns is a United States musician and composer of ambient music. He is also known as a film composer, sound designer and soundtrack producer for large format films, theatrical films, documentaries, commercials, and themed attractions....
, ed., 1993), Alternate Outlaws (Mike Resnick, ed., 1994), Xanadu 2 (Jane Yolen
Jane Yolen
Jane Hyatt Yolen is an American author and editor of almost 300 books. These include folklore, fantasy, science fiction, and children's books...
and Martin H. Greenberg
Martin H. Greenberg
Martin Harry Greenberg was an American speculative fiction anthologist and writer.-Biography:Dr. Martin H. Greenberg was born March 1, 1941, to Max and Mae Greenberg in South Miami Beach, Florida...
, eds., 1994), and The Armless Maiden and Other Tales for Childhood's Survivors (Terri Windling
Terri Windling
Terri Windling is an American editor, artist, essayist, and the author of books for both children and adults. Windling has won nine World Fantasy Awards, the Mythopoeic Award, the Bram Stoker Award, and her collection The Armless Maiden appeared on the short-list for the James Tiptree, Jr. Award...
, ed., 1995).
Novels
- Nightshade (with Beth Meacham) (1976)
- Down Town (with Viido Polykarpus) (1985)
Short stories
- "Fearn" (1978)
- "Boogie Man" (1987)
- "Patriot's Dream" (1992)
- "Come Hither" (1993)
- "Flight of Reason" (1993)
- "The Mark of the Angel" (1993)
- "A Most Obedient Cat" (1994)
- "The Crimson Rose" (1994)
- "Wolf's Heart" (1995)
Nonfiction
- The Art of Robert McCall: A Celebration of Our Future in Space (with Robert McCall) (1992)
- "The Image in Motion" (1975)
- "Will the Real Bruce Wayne Please Stand Up?: Chronicle of an Ongoing Identity Crisis" (1976)
- "Introduction (Islandian Tale: The Story of Alwina)" (1981)
- "Profile: Stephen Jay Gould" (1982)
- "Illuminations" (1986)
- "In the Twilight Zone" (1986)
- "The State of the Art" (1986)
- "Illuminations: A Little Night Music" (1987)
- "Illuminations: Dreamland" (1987)
- "Illuminations: Eternal Evil" (1987)
- "Illuminations: Latin Lama" (1987)
- "Illuminations: Leaps of Faith" (1987)
- "Illuminations: Magic Underfoot" (1987)
- "Illuminations: The Creature from the Silt in the Black Lagoon" (1987)
- "In the Twilight Zone" (1987)
- "In the Twilight Zone" (1987)
- "In the Twilight Zone" (1987)
- "In the Twilight Zone" (1987)
- "In the Twilight Zone" (1987)
- "In the Twilight Zone" (1987)
- "The Other Side: Elephant Parts" (1987)
- "The Twilight Zone Gallery: The Art of Jim Burns" (1987)
- "Editor's Notes" (1988)
- "Editor's Notes" (1988)
- "Illuminations: And Now...Twilight Zone - The Game" (1988)
- "Illuminations: Road to the Stars" (1988)
- "Illuminations: The Journey of a Thousand Li" (1988)
- "Illuminations: The Winds of Chaos" (1988)
- "In the Twilight Zone" (1988)
- "In the Twilight Zone" (1988)
- "In the Twilight Zone" (1988)
- "In the Twilight Zone" (1988)
- "In the Twilight Zone" (1988)
- "In the Twilight Zone" (1988)
- "Other Dimensions: Lost in the Stars?" (1988)
- "The Twilight Zone Review: 1987" (1988)
- "Editor's Notes: Inspiration" (1989)
- "Editor's Notes: Still Crazy After All These Years" (1989)
- "Editor's Notes: Synergy" (1989)
- "In the Twilight Zone" (1989)
- "In the Twilight Zone: Television Land" (1989)
- "The Twilight Zone Review 1988" (1989)
- "The Sobering Saga of Myrtle the Manuscript: A Cautionary Tale" (1991, rev. 1997)
- "In Memoriam: Baird Searles, 1936-1993" (with Beth Meacham) (1993)
- "The Story I Hadn't Planned to Write" (1995)
External links
- Bibliography from The Locus Index to Science Fiction
- Bibliography from Author Wars
- Entry at Fantastic Fiction
- Review of King and Meacham's novel Nightshade at The Groovy Age of Horror
- etext of King's article "The Sobering Saga of Myrtle the Manuscript: A Cautionary Tale"
- etext of King's short story "Wolf's Heart"
- Locus interview with Beth Meacham