Molly Shapiro

I grew up in Kansas City, Missouri, eating barbecue and Winstead’s burgers, hanging out on the Plaza and going to lots of Royals games. I earned my bachelor’s degree in semiotics from Brown University, where I also studied filmmaking, creative writing and pottery. I took a semester abroad in Rome, and loved it so much decided to return after graduation. Living in a fifth floor walk-up in the old Jewish ghetto, I spent my days teaching English to military men and my nights at a wine bar in Campo di Fiori. When I returned to the States I was hired by a New York City film production company to write screenplays, including a biopic of Bob Marley, which took me to Jamaica to interview Bob’s family and friends. Later I moved to San Francisco, where I learned the art of technical writing and the glories of the Bay Area. From 1994-1996, I attended Columbia University’s creative writing program and wrote my first book of short stories, Eternal City, winner of the Willa Cather Fiction Prize. After graduating from Columbia I moved to Seattle, where I fell in love with the great Northwest, participated in the Internet boom and became a mom. I moved back to Kansas City in 2003, where I live with my two children and go to far fewer Royals games.