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If a black person shows up in a King novel they stand a 50% chance of possessing a supernatural ability. Further, he seemed to relish the use of Magical Negroes almost exclusively as a framing device when it came to utilizing black characters at all. Initially I assumed this was all just an occasional fixation on a popular device, an eye-rolling and gluttonous use of the Magical Negro trope. On the other hand, you have to admit that Stephen King has a recurring problem, and it exceeds his frequently suspect deus ex machina endings: King creates black characters that often make you want to burn libraries to the ground. There is a duality you must navigate because on the one hand, you love the work – the ideas are compelling, the characterizations memorable, the craftsmanship clear…a good Stephen King novel is a joy. If, however, you happen to be a black Stephen King fan this relationship can often feel dirty. King is more institution than writer in my household. King is serious business with me and this ritual plays out to the tune of about one or two books a year. I am such a disciple that rather than have the book delivered to my feet for free, I expend gas to drive out to an actual brick and mortar store and purchase it. I could be reading a new Stephen King novel by lunch without having gone an inch out of my daily routine. Whenever King publishes anything I have the ability to reserve a copy in such a way that when titles hit bookstore shelves on release day, a copy could be waiting for me first thing in the morning when I show up for work, absolutely free. Here’s how big a Stephen King fan I am: I work in one of the largest public libraries in the country. Stephen King’s Magical Negro Problem Isn’t Magical (2015) It is the basis for the “Stephen King’s Magical Negroes” reading/lecture that I do.Īnd someone tell Stephen King I’m still a fan, but we got to talk. So I’m posting the essay here as submitted for posterity. I wrote this essay for Union Station Magazine in 2015 but the journal has since gone to that great internet cloud in the sky, which meant any links to it there have since gone dark.