Helene Stapinski is the author of three memoirs, Murder in Matera, Baby Plays Around, and the bestselling Five-Finger Discount: A Crooked Family History, which was made into a documentary for Public Television, which she helped write and produce. Her latest book, The American Way: A True Story of Nazi Escape, Superman and Marilyn Monroe was released in 2023 by Simon & Schuster, based on a story she wrote for The New York Times and has been optioned for a limited series.
She’s a regular contributor to the The New York Times‘ Op-Ed, Book Review, Dining, Weekend, Travel and Metropolitan sections, where she wrote the Works in Progress column for two years. Stapinski teaches journalism at her alma mater, New York University. She has also taught creative writing at Fordham and has lectured at Columbia University, where she received her MFA in Creative Writing. Her pieces have also appeared in the The Washington Post, Travel & Leisure, Food & Wine, Salon, Columbia Journalism Review, Real Simple, and dozens of other newspapers and magazines.
Stapinski has been a featured performer with The Moth spoken word series. Her books have been featured on The Today Show and National Public Radio. She’s also been a radio deejay in Alaska and a drummer in a rock band. She got her start at the Hudson Reporter in Hoboken and as a columnist for The Jersey Journal.