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 12, 2015 | Blog, Interviews
Easy Listening: The Interviewer’s Art By Michael Shapiro Introduction: Interviewing is something most writers do, yet doing it well is challenging. A successful interview combines thoughtful questions, rapt attention, and deft spontaneity. It brings out 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...
by Michael Shapiro | Aug 8, 2015 | Blog, Food, Interviews, Music, Sports, Stories, Travel
Sometimes, if you’ve worked with an editor for a while, she approaches you with an assignment. And occasionally she opens the door to your dream story. When my editor at Inspirato suddenly had an opening for a feature and asked me to pitch a story about Chicago,...
by Michael Shapiro | May 23, 2015 | Interviews, Music, Stories
Martin Scorsese is the executive producer of a forthcoming doc about the Dead, but it may not be released for a while. To read the story on the Press Democrat’s site, click here. BY MICHAEL SHAPIRO FOR THE PRESS DEMOCRAT If you happened to visit Olompali...
by Michael Shapiro | May 13, 2015 | Blog, Music, Stories
As a kid in the ’70s, I enjoyed Boz Scaggs’ hits, such as “Lido.” But it wasn’t until I heard his blues classic “Loan Me a Dime” that I realized what a masterful musician he is. It was a pleasure to interview the easygoing and...
by Michael Shapiro | Apr 8, 2015 | Blog, Food, Interviews, Stories, Travel
It’s no secret that many of the cooks making New York City’s best ethnic food didn’t grow up eating smoked salmon or corned beef sandwiches. On the upper east side I found two Chinese brothers selling fantastic sturgeon and the guys making the...
by Michael Shapiro | Mar 17, 2015 | Blog, Sports
Below are excerpts from the recent “I hate cyclists” blog post by Sebastopol meat company owner Adam Parks. I read this on his site on Saturday. It’s no longer up, but I can post excerpts and my responses to this despicable rant in which he suggests...
by Michael Shapiro | Sep 6, 2014 | Blog, Stories, Travel
My first New York Times story was a piece about Wine Country real estate: Destination Guide | Napa and Sonoma Vineyards With Vistas By MICHAEL P. SHAPIRO Published: July 26, 2006 An hour to 90 minutes north of San Francisco, the Napa and Sonoma Valleys...
by Michael Shapiro | Aug 7, 2014 | Blog, Interviews, Stories
Patrick Amiot’s carousel in Sebastopol, Calif., where he built it in during late 2013 and early 2014. He recently dismantled it for shipping to a suburb of Toronto. Photo courtesy of Sonoma magazine.[/caption] I met Patrick Amiot in 2002, just after he began to...
