Steven D. Stark

Steven D. Stark (born November 21, 1951) is an American author and educator, specializing in the areas of cultural commentary and U.S. law. He has worked as the cultural commentator for CNN, and written regularly for publications such as The New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, and The Atlantic. He has also contributed to The World, a radio program co-produced by the BBC World Service and WGBH.

Stark is the author of four books, including Glued to the Set: The 60 Television Shows and Events That Made Us Who We Are Today (1997), Writing to Win: The Legal Writer (1999), and Meet the Beatles: A Cultural History of the Band That Shook Youth, Gender, and the World (2005).

Early life and career Stark grew up in Washington, D.C. In addition to writing for The Boston Phoenix, Stark contributed as an op-ed columnist to The Boston Globe Stark's first book, Glued to the Set: The 60 Television Shows and Events That Made Us Who We Are Today, was published in 1997. Among the endorsements for the book, Laurence Tribe described it as an "invaluable" work that would benefit students and most practicing lawyers alike.

Stark's book Meet the Beatles: A Cultural History of the Band That Shook Youth, Gender, and the World was published in 2005 by HarperCollins. Three years before its publication, he moved to Chester, near Liverpool, in the north of England, to carry out research into the Beatles phenomenon. By contrast, James Rosen of The Washington Post appreciated the author's focus on how the Beatles' feminine qualities were a key factor in the group's appeal, and said the book was a "thoughtful, provocative and ultimately valuable contribution to the literature of the Beatles". Don Aucoin wrote in The Boston Globe that in analysing the band's impact, "[Stark] captures also the sheer waves of joy the Beatles sent through the world, how they transformed youth culture, legitimized rock 'n' roll as an art form, and hastened the globalization of business and communications."

Stark has lectured in law at Harvard Law School. poetry in the chapbook format, and exhibited as an artist. He currently lives in Boston, Massachusetts and works as a consultant to the legal and other professions, teaching courses on speaking and writing. He married Sarah Wald, also a lawyer and academic, in October 1979, and the couple have two sons.