A SLICE OF BOSTON HISTORY: Susan Wilson talks about “Heaven, By Hotel Standards: The History of the Omni Parker House”

What do Harvey Parker, Mark Twain, Eleanor Roosevelt, Charles Dickens, Cybill Shepherd, Boston Cream Pie, French opera, Nathaniel Hawthorne, John and Jacqueline Kennedy, John Wilkes Booth, Ho Chi Minh, Willa Cather, Parker House Rolls, and Kevin Bacon all have in common? The iconic and historic Omni Parker House — the subject of photographer, author, and House Historian Susan Wilson’s fascinating slide lecture.

The lecture will be followed by a book sale and signing of Susan’s newest book, Heaven, By Hotel Standards: The History of the Omni Parker House (Second Edition, 2019).

“Wilson is a gem: her presentation was lively, interesting, and packed with Boston history — from architecture, food, and politics to curious people and events. Our whole group was impressed.”

Susan Wilson is a highly respected photographer, writer, multi-media artist, and public historian who has gained national recognition for her images of performing artists and her many books on Boston history. For three decades, Susan worked for the New England School of Photography (NESOP), first as faculty member and then as director of their Crosscurrents seminar series. Susan has long held a special affection for world history and cultures, and for historic Boston in particular. With her broad array of contemporary and vintage images, and a slew of wonderful stories, she has become a popular speaker in area lecture halls, libraries, historic sites, and classrooms. She is currently the official House Historian of the Omni Parker House and a Visiting Scholar at the Brandeis University Women’s Studies Research Center.