The joys and challenges of producing biographies of Black subjects will be the focus of a major national conference March 21-22, 2025, in Montgomery, Alabama, presented by BIO in collaboration with Troy University-Montgomery.
Telling the Stories of Black Lives through Biography is believed to be the first conference of its kind since the 1980s. Through talks, panel discussions, and opportunities to tour Montgomery’s major civil rights memorials, the conference is intended to appeal to writers and readers of biography and history along with teachers and students from throughout the Southeast region.
Registration:
Early registration is $95 for BIO members until Feb. 1, when the fee goes up to $125. Non-member registration is $140, and students can attend for $30. All registration fees include admission price to Civil Rights sites operated by the Equal Justice Initiative, including the Legacy Museum, the National Memorial, and the Freedom Movement Sculpture Park.
What to Expect:
Site tours are recommended on Friday, March 21, though sites can be visited through the weekend, for those staying in the area through Sunday. Other historic sites, including the Rosa Parks Museum and the Edmund Pettis Bridge, are accessible in and around Montgomery. Keynote talk, four panel discussions, and other events will fill the day on Saturday, March 22, at the downtown Montgomery campus of Troy University, concluding with a dinner and talk in the evening.
Schedule
(Please note that all times are U.S. Central Daylight Time)
Friday, March 21
9 a.m. Registration opens. Sign up for one of two Legacy Museum tours. Other Equal Justice Initiative sites can be accessed at your leisure. A museum shuttle can transport attendees to a riverboat for access to the Freedom Monument Sculpture Park. The riverboat leaves every hour on the half-hour, 9:30 am – 4 pm.
10 a.m. Group 1 attends the Legacy Museum
1 p.m. Group 2 attends the Legacy Museum
5 p.m. – 7 p.m. Friday, March 21: Welcome reception at The NewSouth Bookstore, 105 S. Court Street, Montgomery, AL 36104.
Saturday, March 22
All sessions at Troy University – Montgomery, 231 Montgomery St.
8:30 a.m. Registration opens; coffee service
9 – 10 a.m. Conference Keynote: A’Lelia Bundles.
10:15 a.m. – 11:15 a.m. Panel 1: “Looking Past Icons: Eyeing Unsung Figures as Vital Biography Subjects”: Rachel Swarns, Kevin McGruder, Eric K. Washington (moderator).
11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. Panel 2: “Black Women’s Biographies and the Gaps They Fill”: Maryemma Graham, Alexis Pauline Gumbs, Tamara Payne (moderator).
12:45 p.m. – 2 p.m. Luncheon with featured speaker: David Greenberg
2:15 p.m. – 3:15 p.m. Panel 3: “Approaching Research/Filling in the Gaps”: Hannah Durkin, Tanisha C. Ford, Carla Kaplan (moderator).
3:30 p.m. – 4:30 p.m. Panel 4: “Writing Biography: A Discussion on Craft”: Tamara Payne, Ray Anthony Shepard, Eric K. Washington, Steve Paul (moderator).
5 p.m. – 7:30 p.m. Reception and closing dinner.
Lodging
BIO has reserved rooms at the Staybridge Suites, 275 Lee Street, in downtown Montgomery (334-532-0700) at a group rate significantly cheaper than rates of other comparable hotels on Thursday and Friday nights, March 21 and 22, 2025.
After you click the link above:
Enter group block dates 3/20-23, 2025
Drop down screen under Rate Preference – unclick are you a Travel agent? It will then say no
Group code is (bbc) already populated.
Fill out the information.
Rooms are $189 double and $169 single plus tax. Reserve before Feb. 15 to get the group rate. The hotel is one block from the conference facilities at Troy University-Montgomery.
If driving, email here to arrange free parking at the university. And also email Kirk Curnutt if you have any questions or issues about the hotel reservation process.