Kim Herdman Shapiro

As a Journalist

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Kim worked in Canada for many years, with experience in both print and broadcast journalism.  Her book, "Gelato with the Pope" highlights her time as a syndicated travel columnist in the Nineties. In addition to this, she has written feature articles for various publications, edited a monthly children's publication, and is a published poet. She won a Microsoft web design award for 'Footloose', one of the first digital e-zines on the internet. 

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As an Author

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As the author of the popular Wynter Island Mysteries series, Shapiro has mastered the art of the "cozy mystery with a conscience."​ While the books are engaging 'whodunits,' they are also celebrated for their sharp social commentary. Shapiro cleverly weaves themes of social justice, indigenous rights, and the abuse of power into her plots.

 

Critics note that her writing is an extension of her activism. The skills her protagonist uses to solve mysteries—meticulous research, interviewing overlooked witnesses, and challenging authority—are the same skills Shapiro employs in her real-world activist work.

 

As an Activist

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Shapiro is one of the co-founders of No ICE NH, a grassroots activist group that took on ICE and the Department of Homeland Security when they attempted to place an ICE processing facility in New England. No ICE NH is recognized as a landmark example of a grassroots coalition successfully stopping ICE by pairing powerful community organizing with a savvy media campaign.

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She is also one of the most visible leaders of Project World Cup Spotlight, an advocacy group that used the massive global platform of the FIFA World Cup to highlight social and human rights injustices. PWCS held 10 actions across Mexico and the US during the five weeks of the World Cup, their immense "soccer balls for social justice" even showing up on the FIFA social media feed.

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The Connecting Thread

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For Kim Herdman Shapiro, there is no separation between her fiction and her activism. She represents a modern form of activism that is both culturally savvy and deeply principled, leveraging storytelling in all its forms to push for a more just world.