Stephanie Schorow

Stephanie Schorow wasn’t born in Boston, but the day she moved here in 1989, she knew she had come home.

Ms. Schorow is the author of four books on Boston and the co-author of another. In November, she and writing partner Bev Ford will release The Boston Mob Guide: Hit men, Hoodlums & Hideouts, published by the History Press. A seasoned reporter, she now works as freelance writer for a host of publications and institutions, including the Boston Globe, the Harvard Gazette, and many others.

Her expertise includes covering news, general features, science and health issues, lifestyle trends, pop culture, technology and social issues. Her passions include fire history, Boston Harbor lore, politics and cats of all kinds. She now teaches freelance writing classes at the Cambridge Center for Adult Education.

For 12 years, she was a lifestyles editor and writer at the Boston Herald. She reviews restaurants for the Boston Globe's North section and new CDs for the Chicago Blues Guide. She also writes and takes photographs for her books.

Ms. Schorow wrote the popular nonfiction account of a famous heist, The Crime of the Century: How the Brink's Robbers Stole Millions and the Hearts of Boston, published in February 2008 by Commonwealth Editions.

Her book on the Boston Harbor Islands, East of Boston: Notes from the Harbor Islands, (July 2008, History Press), is a humorous and insightful look at the 34 islands that dot Boston Harbor, illustrated by many of her own photos.

Still drawing rave reviews are: Boston on Fire: A History of Fires and Firefighting in Boston and The Cocoanut Grove Fire, both published by Commonwealth Editions.

See the Works section of this web site for more information on these titles.

Stephanie was the editor of Boston's Fire Trail: A Walk Through the City's Fire and Firefighting History (2007). She contributed research and copy to two books published by the Boston Globe: Great New England Storms of the 20th Century and Ted Kennedy: Scenes from an Epic Life.

Stephanie has a degree in journalism from Northwestern University and a master’s degree from New York University. She worked at newspapers around the country until moving to Boston to work for the Associated Press. She briefly worked for the TAB newspapers before making the switch to Wingo Way. As Assistant Lifestyles Editor for the Boston Herald, she supervised freelance writers, wrote features and contributed a weekly technology column.

In 2005, she joined the ranks of freelance writers and likes to joke that she stands at street corners with a cardboard sign saying, “Will Write For Food.” For three years, Stephanie wrote two weekly columns for the Globe's Sidekick section, the "Behind the Scenes" column for Globe Northwest and also contributed music reviews, celebrity interviews and other features. She now writes restaurant review for the Globe North section.

Stephanie has written travel stories about safaris in South Africa, beach combing in Mozambique, tracking elusive jaguars in Belize, carnival in Mexico, chocolate tasting in Paris, and trying the pot bars in Amsterdam. She was a Boston correspondent for the 2007 Moon Metro Boston guidebook, focusing on historical sites, museums and buildings. From 2004 to 2006, she wrote travel stories on assignment from the Boston Herald and was a Boston correspondent for Fodor’s travel guidebooks from 1997 to 2000. She is an avid hiker and backpacker and clay artist.

Stephanie frequently speaks at libraries and other community centers in the Greater Boston area, including appearances at the Old South Meeting House and three appearances at the Massachusetts Superior Court. She has appeared as an expert in documentaries about fire including "Damrell's Fire," first broadcast in 2006, a look at the Great Boston Fire of 1872; and in a segment on the Cocoanut Grove fire for the "Modern Marvels" series on the History Channel broadcast in 2004. She has also appeared three times on "Greater Boston" with Emily Rooney on WGBH-TV.

She is a board member of the Boston Fire Historical Society, an organization dedicated to preserving Boston's fire history. She is also on the board of the Volunteers and Friends of the Boston Harbor Islands, an advocacy and volunteer group

A clay potter working at the Mudflat Studio in Somerville, she also teaches pottery at the Cambridge Center for Adult Education and sells her work through the Mudflat Gallery in Porter Square and at bi-annual Mudflat sales.

As part of Boston's first Fire History Month, the fire engine that saved Old South Meeting House during the Great Boston Fire of 1872 returned on the anniversary of the fire to almost the exact spot where it once made a last stand. On Nov. 9, 2010, members of the Boston Fire Historical Society brought back the Kearsarge, now undergoing restoration by Andy Swift of Hope, Maine. It was incredible how many people stopped to relate to this old technology -- dozens of IPhones were clicking all day, capturing the old steam engine in photos and video.

The Kearsarge is not yet fully restored. Someday Andy hopes to have the old machine fully functional, which means that it will burn coal or wood to build up pressure. Water hooked to an external source-- i.e. a hydrant -- would then be sprayed out of attached hoses. This technology, awkward as it may seem today, was responsible for saving many cities and towns from burning in the 19th century. Previously, such "masheens" as they were called, were pumped by hand.

We hope to bring back the fully restored Kearsarge to Downtown Boston in two years. If any groups are interested in co-sponsoring such an event, please contact Stephanie.

For a slide show on the Kearsarge of photos taken by Stephanie, please click the caption under the photo.

REMEMBERING THE COCOANUT GROVE AND THE GREAT FIRE
November marked the anniversary of two fires that changed Boston history: The horrific Cocoanut Grove nightclub fire of Nov. 28, 1942, which killed nearly 500 people, and the Great Boston Fire of Nov. 9-11, 1872, which devastated downtown Boston.

Stephanie Schorow has uncovered new photographs and information about these seminal events that she has incorporated into a multi-media presentation available for libraries and local venues. She can speak about the legacy of the Cocoanut Grove fire which impacted fire safety codes, manslaughter law and medical treatment for burns and lung injuries. She has new information about a “hero” of the 1872 fire – a New Hampshire fire engine that raced to Boston and saved the Old South Meeting House. She has incorporated her research into a presentation that draws links between past and present and shows how tragedies may lead to innovations that save lives.

To book Stephanie for an appearance, please email her
at sschorow (at ) comcast.net.