Dani Shapiro (born April 10, 1962) is an American writer, the author of six novels including Family History (2003), Black & White (2007) and most recently Signal Fires (2022) and the best-selling memoirs Slow Motion (1998), Devotion (2010), Hourglass (2017), and Inheritance (2019). She has also written for magazines such as The New Yorker, The Oprah Magazine, Vogue, and Elle. In February 2019, she created an original podcast on iHeartRadio called Family Secrets.

Early life and education

Shapiro was born Daneile Shapiro on April 10, 1962, in New York City. She is the daughter of Paul Shapiro, from an Orthodox Jewish family (who, she later learned through a recreational DNA test, was not her biological father), and Irene Shapiro, from South Jersey. Shapiro attended a Solomon Schechter Jewish day school through 6th grade, after which she attended the Pingry School in New Jersey. She attended Sarah Lawrence College, where she was taught by Grace Paley.

Career

Writing

Shapiro's novels include Playing with Fire, Fugitive Blue, Picturing the Wreck, Family History, Black & White, and Signal Fires. Her best-selling memoirs include Slow Motion, Devotion, Still Writing: The Perils and Pleasures of a Creative Life, Hourglass: Time, Memory, Marriage, and most recently, Inheritance: A Memoir of Genealogy, Paternity, and Love. Signal Fires was named a best book of 2022 by Time, Washington Post, and others, and is a national bestseller. Angela Haupt writes: "On a cold night in 2010, a retired doctor sits underneath an ancient oak tree with the unusual little boy who lives across the street. The boy points out the constellations, and what they represent. The man—unlike anyone else in the boy’s life—listens. Though the boy doesn't know it, this isn't the first time their lives have intersected, and they’ll soon become linked again in a way that will endure time and distance. Signal Fires, Dani Shapiro's first novel in 15 years, follows the man and his family, and the boy and his parents, across decades, lyrically examining the ways a single event can alter many lives forever." In Inheritance, Shapiro writes about her experience of learning through a recreational DNA test that her biological father was not Paul Shapiro; rather, she had been conceived by the primitive practice of mixing Paul's sperm with that of an anonymous donor, whom she later was able to identify. Inheritance debuted at number 11 on the New York Times Best Seller list and Ruth Franklin called it "beautifully written and deeply moving." The San Francisco Chronicle described Inheritance as "as compulsively readable as a mystery novel, while exploring the deeper mysteries of identity and family and truth itself… a story told with great insight and honesty and heart." And Pulitzer Prize winning author Jennifer Egan wrote that "Inheritance is Dani Shapiro at her best: a gripping genetic detective story, and a meditation on the meaning of parenthood and family." The memoir was included on several best-of-the-year lists, including that of Vanity Fair, Oprah Magazine, Lit Hub and Wired. Inheritance is being adapted for film by Shapiro's husband, journalist and screenwriter Michael Maren, in development with Killer Films. In addition to The New Yorker, The Oprah Magazine, Vogue, and Elle, Shapiro's writing has also appeared in Salon, and n+1, among others.

Screenwriting

In 1999, Shapiro adapted Oscar Wilde's The Happy Prince for an episode of the HBO animated anthology series Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every Child. In 2000, she co-wrote a screenplay based on her memoir, Slow Motion, with Michael Maren. Shapiro is currently adapting Sue Miller's bestselling novel Monogamy for film for Killer Films and Yellow Bear Films. She is also adapting Signal Fires for its television adaptation.

Teaching

Shapiro has taught writing classes and workshops at NYU, Wesleyan University and Columbia University as well Kripalu Center for Yoga and Health, 1440 Multiversity, and Fine Arts Work Center. On March 31, 2020, she launched her first digital course, "Writing for Inner Calm: Methods & Exercises", on the Skillshare online learning platform. She also co-founded the Sirenland Writers Conference, which takes place annually in Positano, Italy.

Podcasting

In collaboration with iHeartRadio, Shapiro launched the original podcast Family Secrets in 2019. Each episode of this iTunes Top 10 podcast features a conversation between Dani and a guest who's experienced a family secret and its effects. The podcast's seventh season premiered on September 1, 2022 the podcast has more than 30 million downloads. In addition to Family Secrets, Shapiro created and hosted another podcast with iHeartRadio, The Way We Live Now, which launched in April 2020 and concluded in July 2020. The podcast examined the way people from all walks of life have coped during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Personal life

Shapiro has been married since 1997 to screenwriter Michael Maren, and they have a son, Jacob. In the early 2000s, Shapiro and her family moved from Brooklyn, NY to Litchfield County, Connecticut.

Books

Appearances (selected)

Awards