Thayer Alum Kirsten King Named ‘Writer To Watch’

Publishers Weekly has named Kirsten King ’10 one of its “Spring 2026 Writers To Watch.”

King — whose debut novel A Good Person is scheduled for publication this March — made the list of notable fiction debuts with nine others in the literary fiction category; the venerable trade magazine, founded in 1872 and considered “the Bible of the book business,” also named five authors in the category of children’s fiction. 

In a profile written by Matt Seidel, King said that her debut novel somehow feels different from her other writing. 

“It’s the most direct version of my voice that I’ve ever put out there,” said King, a Los Angeles-based screenwriter who co-wrote the 2022 film Crush with Casey Rackham. “There’s no one to hide behind.” 

Without giving too much away, King’s A Good Person involves Lillian — described as an “antiheroine” — who goes to extreme lengths to transform a boyfriend into a fiancé. When that scenario doesn’t occur, a drunken hex is cast and things get … well … complicated. 

King is the daughter of Upper School English Faculty Denise King P ’08, ’10, who expressed pride in her daughter’s journey as a writer. 

“Kirsten has pursued her writing career with dedication, hard work, and a willingness to take creative risks,” she said. “Her storytelling is courageous, often exploring complex characters and stories with fearless tenacity.” 

From her daughter’s earliest days at Thayer, she added, the future author strove to be the best writer, thinker, and person possible, whether that meant writing personal essays in Upper School English Faculty Kate Hayman’s class or crafting articles for Voice, the Upper School’s student-run magazine. 

“Seeing her well-deserved success is all a mom could ask for,” the longtime faculty member said. “My heart is full.” 

In February of 2023 Kirsten King spent two days at her alma mater as guest author for Thayer’s seventh annual Bailey-King Author Series, the first graduate to earn such an honor. She discussed both the pleasures and pitfalls of screenwriting before explaining that overcoming frustration is simply part of a writer’s life. 

“My number one thing is persistence,” said King, who told that night’s audience that she learned to write scripts by reading as many as she could over a period of years. “I’m just not going to stop writing.”