Barbara Shapiro will speak at the Beacon Hill Civic Association’s (BHCA) 91st Annual Meeting on May 20 with an engaging talk about her widely acclaimed novel, The Art Forger. Shapiro’s latest book is a literary thriller about the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum heist that spans three centuries of forgers, art thieves, and obsessive collectors, revealing both the beauty of the artist’s vision and the ugliness the desire for great art can unleash. She is also the author of five other novels (The Safe Room, Blind Spot, See No Evil, Blameless and Shattered Echoes), four screenplays (Blind Spot, The Lost Coven, Borderline and Shattered Echoes), and a non-fiction book (The Big Squeeze). Before pursuing her writing career, Shapiro directed research projects for a residential substance abuse facility, worked as a systems analyst/statistician, headed the Boston office of a software development firm, and served as an adjunct professor teaching sociology at Tufts University and creative writing at Northeastern University.
Also on the Annual Meeting agenda is the election of 24 residents to serve as members and officers of the BHCA board of directors, and the presentation of the 17th annual Beacon Award. This award is presented to an individual or group deserving of particular recognition for their significant and sustained contribution to the Beacon Hill community.
Friends and neighbors are invited to attend the Annual Meeting and to join together for a reception and book signing immediately following on Monday, May 20, at the Union Club, 8 Park Street. The doors will open at 5:30 p.m., and guests are encouraged to allow extra time to check in so that the meeting can start promptly at 6 p.m.