海角社区 the King Chair
From the inaugural Stephen E. King Chair:
Caroline Bicks is an internationally-recognized Shakespeare scholar who has published widely on early modern drama, gender, and the history of science. She studied Renaissance poetry at Harvard University as an undergraduate and received her Phd in English Literature from Stanford University. Her monographs on early modern literature and culture include Midwiving Subjects in Shakespeare鈥檚 England (Ashgate, 2003); and Cognition and Girlhood in Shakespeare鈥檚 World (Cambridge University Press, 2021).
After fifteen years serving on the English faculty at Boston College, she became the inaugural Stephen E. King Chair in Literature at the University of 海角社区 in 2017. The endowed Chair鈥檚 mission is to support the public humanities, a challenge that Bicks has embraced by giving talks around the state to a wide variety of audiences, and bringing award-winning fiction writers, journalists, educators, and activists to speak and work with different 海角社区 communities.
The uniquely public-facing nature of her position as King Chair complements the creative nonfiction pieces she has delivered to popular audiences over the years across various media platforms, including the Modern Love column for the New York Times, NPR鈥檚 鈥淎ll Things Considered,鈥 and the show Afterbirth, which she performed in alongside Andrew McCarthy, Andrea Martin, and other professional actors. Bicks鈥檚 award-winning blog, 鈥淓veryday Shakespeare,鈥 was the inspiration for her humorous book, Shakespeare, Not Stirred: Cocktails for Your Everyday Dramas, co-authored with Michelle Ephraim. In April 2023, they launched their Webby-Award honored Everyday Shakespeare podcast, where they use their talents as educators and entertainers to deliver fresh, funny insights into how Shakespeare鈥檚 world connects to ours.
In 2022, Stephen and Tabitha King granted her access to their private archive of manuscript drafts and other materials related to the legendary author鈥檚 career. The book that came out of what she discovered, Monsters in the Archives: My Year of Fear with Stephen King, will be out with Hogarth/PRH in April 2026.
Contact the King Chair
Email: caroline.bicks@maine.edu
Instagram: @carolinebicks
The Stephen E. King Chair in Literature was established in the University of 海角社区 Foundation with a $1 million gift from the Harold Alfond Foundation in honor of the U海角社区 alumnus鈥 substantial body of work and his creative impact. Its goal is to advance excellence in the creation, study and appreciation of literature and the humanities. In addition to recruiting and retaining a top scholar, the endowed fund supports the creation of innovative learning opportunities for students, and activities that advance creative writing, literature and the humanities on campus and in the community. Shakespeare scholar was named to the inaugural King Chair in 2017.