Stephen King made a promise last November to Maine’s middle school students. Now he’s going back on that promise.

King said he would teach a computer seminar on writing, utilizing the state program that puts laptops in the hands of seventh- and eighth-graders.

On Thursday, a spokesman for the famous horror writer said that he just didn’t have time to honor his commitment for at least a year, maybe longer.

Scrunched in between his column for Entertainment Weekly, his work producing a 15-hour television movie (15 hours!) and his sojourns to Fenway Park to cheer on the beloved Red Sox, surely he could find time to honor his commitment to the next generation of Maine authors.

In September, King received a National Book Award for lifetime achievement. Because he’s a genre writer, and a horror writer at that, much of the book world was appalled. An elitist outcry erupted.

Established in 1988, the award is given to “an American author who has enriched the literary landscape through a lifetime of service or body of work.”

King has done a lot of good things for the state and its residents. He was one of the first major writers to embrace e-books and to take on the powerful publishing industry. He writes enthralling stories. And he has been generous. His body of work deserves recognition.

But if he wants to silence some of his critics and “enrich the literary landscape” of Maine, King should keep his word to the state’s kids.

A year or two delay for him might not seem like a big deal, but for the classes of students – the future authors among them – who miss out, it is a big disappointment.
Genetic privacy


The U.S. Senate, after years of gridlock, moved Tuesday to protect genetic privacy.

The legislation prevents discrimination based on the results of genetic tests by insurance companies and employers.

Maine Sen. Olympia Snowe was one of the driving forces behind the bill, which encourages people to take advantage of genetic screening and therapies without fear that the information will be used to deny them a job or health insurance. It was the compelling story of a Mainer that got Snowe involved in the issue.

“In 1997, when Bonnie (Lee Tucker) wrote to me about her fear of having the BRCA test for breast cancer, even though she has nine women in her immediate family who were diagnosed with breast cancer, and she herself is a survivor. She wrote to me about her fear of having the BRCA test, because she worried it would ruin her daughter’s ability to obtain insurance in the future. And Bonnie Lee isn’t the only one who has this fear,” Snowe said.

According to Snowe, citing numbers from the National Institutes of Health, 32 percent of women who are offered advanced genetic tests for breast cancer risk refuse to take it, citing fears of being stigmatized.

The insurance industry opposes the protections, and the bill does not have the support in the House to force a vote. Hearings are planned, but they likely won’t take place until next year.

Advances in medical technology give us new opportunities to detect and treat life-threatening diseases. It’s a terrible shame that fear of financial ruin is part of the screening process.

The House should join the Senate and protect genetic privacy.
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