About this Event
On November 28, 1942, fire roared through Boston’s famed Cocoanut Grove nightclub during what was supposed to be a high-spirited Saturday night. By midnight, more than five hundred people were dead, dying or maimed for life. Local author Stephanie Schorow probes the club’s history, the circumstances leading to the fire and the tragedy’s lingering impact. The inferno reached deep into the city’s social structure––its politics, medical care and legal system––and touched nearly everyone in the Boston area, even those who had never set foot in the club. In this newly updated and revised edition, Schorow has added new photographs, interviews and insights into the worst nightclub fire in American history.
Mike Hanlon will present the work and status of the Cocoanut Grove Memorial, that will be erected at Statler Park, a block away from the location of the former Cocoanut Grove nightclub.
Stephanie Schorow is a journalist, writing instructor, and the author of nine nonfiction books on a variety of topics in Boston history, including: The Cocoanut Grove Fire: A Boston Tragedy (History Press); The Great Boston Fire: The Inferno that Nearly Incinerated the City (Globe Pequot); and Boston on Fire: A History of Fires and Firefighting in Boston (Commonwealth Editions). She has worked as an editor, reporter and/or freelance correspondent for the Boston Herald, the Associated Press, the Boston Globe, and numerous other publications. She has appeared in documentaries and on TV as an expert spokesperson on topics covered in her books. She has been a featured speaker at the Boston Book Festival, the 2022 NFPA Conference and other events. She currently serves as a communication writer for Ariadne Lab, an innovation lab, in Boston. See www.stephanieschorow.com.
For those who find cost to be a barrier to attendance, there will be a limited number of tickets made available to the community free of charge at the door compliments of BXP.
Event Venue & Nearby Stays
The Hub on Causeway Community Room, 52 Causeway Street, Boston, United States
USD 8.00
