Major Works
Katherine and Margaret King hold copies of their books at Starkville Public Library in 2014. Photo by Nancy Jacobs
- Boo! (September, 2015)
- Kicking and Screaming (July, 2015)
- Backyard Campout (April, 2015)
- Our Josephine (2014)
- which is which? (2013)
- y’all twins? (2012)
Biography
Identical twins Katherine Cecile King and Margaret Elizabeth King were born in Vicksburg, Mississippi, on May 24, 1948. Katherine, also known as Kat, is the older by 25 minutes and is the dominant one. Shortly after their first birthday, they moved with their parents and older brother Bill to Oxford, Mississippi. A sister Kirk and another brother Allan were born while they lived in Oxford. Growing up, the children were a handful for their strict mother, who took care of them while their father worked.
y’all twins? Photo by Nancy Jacobs
The older twin Katherine graduated from Ole Miss in 1970. She received a Bachelor of Arts in Secondary Education with a major in math. In 1971, she got a M. Ed. in Guidance and Counseling, also from Ole Miss. Earning a Master of Science in Mathematics in 1986, she has twice been named Star Teacher at Northwest Community College and won other outstanding teacher awards as well. Currently, she teaches at the Oxford Campus of Northwest Community College as a math instructor.
The King sisters prepare for a show. Photo by Nancy Jacobs
Graduating in 1971 from Ole Miss with a Bachelor of Arts in Education and an emphasis in history, Margaret became a courtroom clerk with U. S. District Judge Orma R. Smith for whom she worked for nine years. She then went to work for the Farmers Home Administration/Rural Development where she twice received The Distinguished Service Award. She has also received the highest civilian award given by the military, The Department of Army Commander’s Award for Public Service. She is now semi-retired and works for Oxford University Bank.
Growing up in the United Methodist Church, both women serve their community. Both are members of the Oxford Exchange Club, and Margaret is a former board member of the Boys and Girls Club. She also began Backpacks for the Homeless in the Oxford area. Katherine began Santa Cause at NWCC, a program to provide Christmas gifts for the children of students.
The two began to write their childhood antics down after their own children asked them to write some stories to be passed down in the family. Their first book, y’all twins?, published in 2012, begins when the two were having their first grade school pictures taken, the second is a story about the famous William Faulkner, who also lived in Oxford and whom they often saw around town and whose wagon they jumped on. The two girls got away with a lot and had experiences only twins can enjoy as they frequently took advantage of the fact they looked alike. The humorous stories in the first book cover first grade to sixth during the 1950’s.
The second book of stories which is which? (2013) continues the mischievous and lovable stories of their childhood years with additional William Faulkner stories. Apparently, he was one person who could always tell them apart! The stories are funny and entertaining.
Josephine by the King Sisters. Photo by N. Jacobs
Their third book Our Josephine (2014) is the story of a week in the summer of 1957 when the twins were nine years old. They spent a week visiting their grandmother in Vicksburg, Mississippi. There they met Josephine, a sixteen-year-African-American who took care of the twins’ great-grandmother and who taught them about love, race relations, and sin. Recently the twins reunited with Josephine, who is now Mrs. Josephine Harris Sanders, and the book is the result of this visit.
On their blog, the twins say they are “passionate about laughter,” and their books are funny. In person they often talk to audiences about their books, and they rap!
The King Sisters rap! Photo by Nancy Jacobs
Their book, Backyard Campout, was released in April of 2015, and another book, Boo! was published in September of 2015.