Massachusetts General Hospital nurse-turned-author Karen Winn often writes in the Boston Athenaeum, watching tours pass by.

One day, in 2023, she joined one. And the seed for her next novel was planted.

“We passed by an oil portrait of Thomas Handasyd Perkins, a major benefactor to the Athenaeum in the 1800s. The docent alluded to this dark history as to how he’d amassed a large portion of his fortune in the opium trade,” she tells me. 

“The tour group moved on — but I was stuck there thinking. I went home and fell down this rabbit-hole of research and learned, to my surprise, just how many of the Boston Brahman families made their fortune in the opium trade. It was fascinating.”

I went down a similar rabbit-hole. The Boston Brahmin opium fortunes are well-documented, including a past Harvard Art Museum exhibit, articles, books and website info including, speaking of Perkins, the Perkins School for the Blind.

Winn, who lives on Beacon Hill and was in a secret society (I asked) added bits and pieces from her own life into the novel-creating mixing bowl: What if there was a secret society built on old opium money in Beacon Hill, and a Mass General nurse was somehow involved? 

“The Society” was born.

If you’re looking for a Boston-set page-turner — an “alternate universe Beacon Hill,” as Winn puts it — to kick off your summer reading, add this suspense to your beach bag.

Nutshell: The Knox, standing proudly on Mount Vernon Street in Beacon Hill, houses meetings of a secret society. Some in Boston believe it’s an elite social club — others believe it hides something sinister.

When Boston antique dealer Vivian Lawrence sees her family fortune vanish, she turns to a family legend that ties her to the Knox, seeking a way into the exclusive secret society.

Taylor Adams, a 20-something Mass General ER nurse who recently moved to Boston, becomes almost obsessed with old-moneyed Vivian, “a creature of wealth,” after Vivian lands in the ER one night. When Vivian disappears from Mass General without a trace, Taylor’s search for answers pulls her into the Knox and its dark history…

What interested me — before I knew anything of Winn’s backstory— was that it felt like it was written by someone who just moved to Boston and was in awe of the city.

Living here, we might think of Rachel Dratch and Jimmy Fallon and Denise and Sully in those old “Boston Teen” SNL sketches, or Casey Affleck as the “King of Dunkin” as summing us up, at least in terms of how outsiders see us.

But Taylor, the Mass General nurse, almost fetishizes Boston, and old-moneyed New Englanders she imagines walking down every street.

Example: when old-Boston-money Vivian lands in the ER: Taylor “swallows, a flurry of excitement building in her chest… she envisioned that the city would be teeming with these ladies… That she would get to move among their world, learn from them, drink in their fanciness… letting that old New England generational wealth rub off on her until she glimmered with something of its gold dust…It is Boston, after all: the city of cobblestones and beauty, of Harvard and MIT, of sophistication and history.”

Winn, who grew up in New Jersey, moved to Boston 20 years ago after meeting her Boston-native husband Gil at UPenn. They now live in the Beacon Hill area with their two kids and 100-pound (yup) Bernedoodle. 

After two decades here, she’s still “in awe.”

“I grew up in a 5,000-person town in New Jersey. When I came to Boston, I was struck by this beautiful city. Beacon Hill is one of the most historic and charming neighborhoods,” she tells me. “Living here, one might almost be inured to it, but I have this awe. I’m always struck by the cobblestone streets and the gaslit lamps.”

Winn even started a TikTok account for @theknoxsociety, documenting life on Beacon Hill.

This is Winn’s second novel, after 2022’s  “Our Little World.” But “I’m not an overnight success by any shape or form,” she says with a laugh. 

“I was a nurse and a nurse practitioner, but always loved writing and wrote on the side,” says Winn, who left Mass General in 2010. “It’s a typical writer’s story: I had hundreds of rejections for short stories.”

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One of those rejections — from JFK Jr.’s “George Magazine” in 2000 — actually landed her in Newsweek recently.

I called Winn to talk opium, strange graveyard tour, a terrifying house fire, TikTok, and more.

Taylor arrives in Boston with a burning curiosity about the city. “What is Boston? Who are these people?” questions swimming in her head.

“Absolutely. When I came to Boston, I was so struck by this beautiful city. In my head, I could very clearly see the Knox building: The front is on Mount Vernon Street, and the back, I imagined to look like Branch Street. Branch isn’t the back of Mount Vernon, so I gave it a fictional name.”

I love that level of detail, though. No one outside Boston — or maybe even Beacon Hill— would ever know: oh, Branch Street isn’t in back of Mount Vernon. You have other specific references, like dining at 1928.

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“I almost wish I’d been a little craftier [with adding more]. For instance, at one point I had Taylor get her knives sharpened at Blackstone’s. And it was just too much detail, so I pared it down. But sometimes I’m like, ‘Oh, I wish I kept that!’ [laughs]”

[laughs] That’s how it goes.

I don’t think I realized the effect each reference would have. There are book clubs now that tour Beacon Hill and go to spots mentioned.  A few toured the Boston Atheneum, or dined at 1928.  I didn’t realize how much people would connect to the sense of place. It feels like it’s been embraced by people in Boston, which is so fun. 

Now 1928 has a cocktail named for your book. What are more specific inspirations that went into the novel? 

“For the Knox, I took inspiration from The Somerset Club and The ‘Quin —  the beautiful room with fireplaces and ornate details. 

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“And I was in a secret society in college: Tabard Society at UPenn.”

Wow, what was that like? 

“I can’t tell you. [laughs]”

[laughs] Fair enough. 

“But I loved that experience. When I was rushing [or trying to get in] you’d find out if you were invited by getting handwritten notes slipped under your door. I tapped into that with The Knox sending notes.”

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You said your husband went with you on midnight strolls through Boston?

“Yes! I dragged him to some graveyard tours. We did one that —it was funny, because I’m not sure how I found it, but it definitely, like, wasn’t very legit.”

[laughs] OK.

“It was just us and this guy — we weren’t allowed inside any of the cemeteries. We’d watch the tours go on the inside, and the three of us would be standing on the outside. [laughs]”

[laughs] Amazing.

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“My husband’s like, ‘Where did you find this guy?’ I don’t know.” 

[laughs] This feels like a “Curb Your Enthusiasm” episode.

“It was quite an experience [laughs] And then, of course, I had to go back. We had to go back and do an official tour.

“And I toured the Nichols House Museum in Beacon Hill, which was neat to see another historic building and learn about family that lived there. I toured the Forbes House Museum in Milton. Forbes family was one of the Brahman families, they made their fortune in the opium trade. 

“Also we had lived, at one point in the South End, and actually had a house fire. We were home at the time. Luckily, we were fine. But our house was a total loss.” 

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Oh my god.

“We each grabbed a kid and ran out at the door. It was pretty traumatic. Five minutes later, we would not have been able to go out that door. So, I tapped into that when I wrote the fire scene.”

Wow. That’s terrifying. 

“As a writer, you store all these things up, and then go into your basket of experiences, and you get to use them.”

You also created a TikTok for the Knox. What sparked that, and how long will you keep that going?

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“I’m having fun with it. I had no expectations when I started. I wasn’t big on TikTok. But having the account for the Knox itself allowed more creative freedom because I wasn’t putting myself out there — I was putting the Knox out there. So I’ve enjoyed creating these videos. Especially since the next novel is brewing in my head.”

What are you working on now?

“My next book focuses on a minor character mentioned in “The Society” — the bookstore owner, Nicholas. I was telling you earlier about those rejections  —  I actually wrote a short story about him years ago that was never published. It’s been living on my computer and in my head for all these years.  I’m ready to tell the story. It will be another very Boston book.”

Catch Karen Winn on July 29 at Quincy’s Next Chapter Books & More. 

Lauren Daley is a freelance culture writer. She can be reached at [email protected]. She tweets @laurendaley1, and Instagrams at @laurendaley1. Read more stories on Facebook here.

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Lauren Daley is a longtime culture journalist. As a regular contributor to Boston.com, she interviews A-list musicians, actors, authors and other major artists.

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On a Wednesday afternoon in late April – tucked inside a quiet brick building in Hartford’s Frog Hollow neighborhood, just a few blocks from the shining gold dome of Connecticut’s State Capitol building – a celebration took place.

On the third floor of The Lyceum – an historic site that at different times in its past housed a box manufacturing company, a punk rock dance club, and a roller-skating business – there were balloons, and there was music. Drinks and hors d’oeuvres. Smiles and handshakes and hugs passed around.

But the celebration wasn’t really about those things.

The celebration was about Hartford, and about a unique partnership with UConn that has been working for five years to uplift, support, and promote all that Hartford has to offer through creators with a new perspective on the capital city: UConn students.

Since 2021, the three-credit course BUILD Hartford, offered by the Connecticut Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation, or CCEI, has engaged cohorts of both undergraduate and graduate students working on a real-world opportunity to hone their business storytelling skills by partnering with Hartford’s business, civic, culinary and hospitality, and entrepreneurial ecosystems.

In the last five years, about 100 UConn students have collaborated with more than 30 diverse businesses and entities in Hartford on innovative and creative social and multimedia projects aimed at supporting and promoting development in the city.

“BUILD Hartford is a hands-on UConn course that turns digital storytelling into real support for Hartford’s businesses,” says Rory McGloin, CCEI’s associate director of entrepreneurial communication and research and the course’s instructor. “Students produce videos, social campaigns, and strategic content while working side-by-side with restaurants, shops, and entertainment venues right here in the downtown area.”

Fresh Perspectives

Just below the surface, there’s more to Hartford than its moniker – the Insurance Capital of the World – would suggest.

The city’s metro region is home to six major industries, and the city itself is home to more than 122,000 people – and its population is growing, increasing more than 2% since the 2020 U.S. Census.

Beyond the Hartford metro’s powerhouse industries, like the insurance, aerospace, and health sectors, is a thriving business climate bolstered by a diverse and educated workforce, an innate appreciation for arts and culture, and an ecosystem of innovation and support for start-up and second-stage companies.

But without storytelling, says McGloin, how will people know about it?

“It’s pretty simple – you’ve got to tell a story,” he says. “Because you can read all the advertisements and billboards all over the state. But if you have a good friend and they told you that they got a good cup of coffee across the street, you can get a great slice of pizza down the road, there’s a cool new retail shop on Pratt Street, then you go check it out.”

And that’s where UConn’s student come in, offering fresh perspectives from both traditional and nontraditional students, all with their own diverse backgrounds and life experiences, some from Connecticut – but many not.

Participating students range from fine arts and digital media majors, to communication and business students, to MBA and MFA candidates, but they all work toward the goal of gaining valuable life and career skills and building their own portfolios while contributing research, branding, storytelling, and exposure for Hartford businesses and civic organizations.

“And that’s what this course is about. We set a mission, we talk about our tactics, we learn what a story is, and then the students are in charge of figuring out how to get the job done,” McGloin says. “And they show up, and they present, and they reap the benefits, along with the community and business partners we get a chance to work with.”

A Little Bit of Everything

Karlas Felix ’26 MA didn’t grow up in Connecticut, and she didn’t know a lot about Hartford before coming to the state for college, first her undergraduate studies at Wesleyan and now UConn, where she’s a first-year communication master’s student.

But what drew the New York native to BUILD Hartford was the opportunity it offered to learn while stepping outside of a classroom setting.

“When I heard about the course, I thought it was the perfect opportunity for me to explore making digital content, and to learn about companies, but also to learn what I like to do and develop my voice in the workplace,” she says. “Because I want to make the most of my degree. Not just get in classes, but also get experiences.”

This year, she was part of a BUILD team partnered with Real Art Ways, a multidisciplinary nonprofit arts organization in Hartford that supports contemporary artists, and she got to collaborate not only with her fellow students but also with the marketing professionals within the organization.

“We came up with a storyboard,” Felix says. “We came up with a noun – the noun was art. We wanted to talk about art in Hartford, and we developed a story around how we could do that. How can we show that?”

They built their story through on-site interviews at Real Art Ways, and created a composed six-minute final video that brings the audience inside where art lives – here, in Hartford.

Felix has signed on to take the BUILD course again next year, and she says she’s taking the course multiple times because even though she’s based in Storrs, it’s worth the trip to Hartford to take part in a real-world experience that “gets you out of your seat.”

“Do you want a course that’s hands-on, or do you want to sit in a lecture?” she asks. “Do you want something that you can actually use and apply? Do you want to learn more about yourself, and even develop the language for networking? If you want an opportunity to get real experience, this is where to get it – this is where you’re supposed to be. You get a little bit of everything.”

Start Yesterday

In its first five years, BUILD Hartford was supported by Shari Cantor ’81 (BUS) and Michael Cantor ’80 (ENG) ’83 JD, but the program has since expanded to also include a BUILD Hartford Fellowship, supported by the state of Connecticut Department of Economic and Community Development’s Office of Statewide Marketing and Tourism.

The fellowship offers an immersive experience where undergraduate and graduate UConn students can engage directly with Hartford’s hospitality, entertainment, and food service sectors.

Abigail Robinson ’25 (CLAS/SFA) ’26 MA participated in the BUILD program before becoming a BUILD Fellow this past academic year. The communication master’s student, a New Hampshire native who majored in digital media and design as well as communication as an undergraduate, says that she was a passionate storyteller even as a child.

“In high school, I did my senior project on telling stories through photography,” Robinson says. “I was focused on telling emotion through portraiture. So, I knew when I was coming to school, applying to schools, I really wanted to be somewhere that would support me in my storytelling journey.”

One of two fellows, Robinson says her role was to essentially become an influencer on behalf of Hartford, starting with the Hartford Taste festival last June.

“It was a huge event, very hot summer day, and I really just got thrown into it,” she says. “I had to learn how to do one-on-one interviews with people, which I had maybe a little bit of experience with, but when you’re at such a big event, you really have to just start going up and being like, ‘Hi, I’m Abbie, can I have an interview?’”

She used that experience to help her jump head-first into projects involving Hartford’s historic Butler-McCook House; collaborations with Hartford Athletic and the local coffee shop, Story and Soil; and a Hartford for the Holidays campaign, launched in coordination with the Hartford Chamber of Commerce.

“Every single connection I have made has been extremely meaningful and impacted me in so many ways,” Robinson says.

But the value of BUILD isn’t only limited to what the students get out of it – the partners benefit as well, according to Ben Dubow, the executive director of Forge City Works.

One of the first local partners to agree to work with BUILD students, Forge City Works is a nonprofit organization that operates The Lyceum as well as several other social enterprises in Frog Hollow, including The Grocery on Broad Street and the Fire by Forge restaurant.

“We said ‘yes,’ because entrepreneurs often say ‘yes,’ and you led with ‘free,’” says Dubow. “But the value we got, the questions that you asked, caused us to think differently about our own businesses.

“In the real world, unlike most of the fictional world, great storytelling isn’t about creating or making up stories. It’s about finding them, and making them come alive. And these folks helped us tell our story.”

In addition to recruiting students for its next cohort, BUILD Hartford is currently searching for additional supporters and partners to be part of the ongoing collaborations between its students and the city – collaborations that current partners ringingly endorsed during the celebration at The Lyceum.

“Start tomorrow,” says Rashad Hyacenth, executive vice president of business development for Hartford Athletic, “because these students are the future, and we have some of the brightest students in the country in this program, right here. Simple as that.”

“Start tomorrow,” agrees Jennifer Accuosti, senior marketing manager for the MetroHartford Alliance. “Send that email. It’s been wonderful, and we’ll work with [BUILD Hartford] again in a heartbeat, whether that’s under the chamber, under the MetroHartford Alliance, under any of our initiatives, to tell Hartford’s story.”

“Start yesterday,” says Rachel Lenda, the state of Connecticut’s director of tourism. “We’ve invested a lot into this program on purpose, with intention. We believe in the product. We’ve seen it. And I have felt it here from these incredible young professionals who are going to be working for you in this room.

“And you’re going to be so excited to have them on your team when they do.”

All digital storytelling projects produced by BUILD Hartford students are available to view on YouTube, courtesy of the Connecticut Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation.

For more information about BUILD Hartford and the entrepreneurial and business accelerator opportunities available through CCEI, visit ccei.uconn.edu.