by Michael Shapiro | Jan 8, 2016 | Blog, Gambling, Interviews, Stories, Travel
In 2012, the World Series of Poker held its most expensive tournament ever: it cost $1 million to buy into it and the top prize was more than $18 million. Antonio Esfandiari, who emigrated from Iran to the U.S. when he was a boy, finished on top and instantly became...
by Michael Shapiro | Jan 6, 2016 | Blog, Interviews, Stories, Travel
After failing to get through the gates to paradise years ago, I finally made it to Esalen. To see the story on The Press Democrat’s site with some pictures, click here. By MICHAEL SHAPIRO I couldn’t wait to get to Esalen on the Big Sur coast. I love hot...
by Michael Shapiro | Nov 11, 2015 | Blog, Sports, Stories, Travel
There are a number of places in Alaska where you can see bears, but when I heard that Admiralty Island near Juneau has a protected bear reserve and that the best way to get there is by paddling a kayak for a couple of days, I couldn’t resist. The irony: it took...
by Michael Shapiro | Nov 11, 2021 | Blog, Interviews, Stories, Travel
One of the most remarkable migrations on our planet is the journey of the sandhill cranes. Some fly all the way from Siberia to Texas. And they’re remarkable for all sorts of other reasons. This is one of the stories I most enjoyed writing, in Alaska...
by Michael Shapiro | Aug 14, 2015 | Blog, Interviews, Literature, Stories, Travel
Went to Yosemite in July with my wife to visit a photographer friend who introduced me to Evan Russel, the curator of the Ansel Adams gallery. Our visit with Russel and the gallery became the centerpiece of my story about Yosemite’s 125th anniversary in the...
by Michael Shapiro | Aug 9, 2015 | Blog, Books, Interviews, Literature, Stories, Travel
I first interviewed Paul Theroux in 2004 for my book, A Sense of Place, a collection of interviews with the world’s leading travel writers. Though some consider him brusque, blunt and — this irritates him the most — curmudgeonly, I found him to be...
