The Central York School Board in southern Pennsylvania has rescinded a book ban that had gone into effect in October 2020 after peaceful protest from students and the community. The banned books included biographies of Rosa Parks, Sonia Sotomayor, Ruby Bridges, and Nelson Mandela for young readers.  FULL STORY

The New York Public Library has reversed its decision to retire its Picture Collection from circulation. The library describes it as “an extensive circulating collection and reference archive, the largest of its kind in any public library system” covering over 12,000 subjects with well over 1 million pieces. The New York Times saw the potential loss of the collection as representing “the longstanding tension between accessibility and preservation.”

Penguin Random House CEO Markus Dohle announced that competitive bidding for projects would be allowed between PRH and Simon & Schuster (S&S) once the merger between them is completed. Typically, when a house is merged or bought editors of different imprints can’t compete with each other, reducing the options for biographers. FULL STORY

The Phi Beta Kappa Society recently announced the winners of their 2021 Book Awards. Two of their prize shortlists featured a biography as a contender. FULL STORY

The Ballie Gifford Prize, the United Kingdom’s premier prize for nonfiction books, has announced its longlist. Among the 13 titles named two are biographies: Fall: The Mystery of Robert Maxwell by John Preston (Penguin UK) and Burning Man: The Ascent of D. H. Lawrence by Frances Wilson (Bloomsbury Publishing). The shortlist for the prize will be announced October 15 and the winner will be announced November 16. The entire longlist is available here.

The longlist for the Kamaladevi Chattopadhyay New India Foundation Book Prize 2021 has been announced. Two biographies appear on the longlist of 12: Naoroji: Pioneer of Indian Nationalism by Dinyar Patel (Harvard University Press) and Jugalbandi: The BJP Before Modi by Vinay Sitapati (Penguin Random House). Jugalbandi focuses on the relationship between Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Lal Krishna Advani. The shortlist of six titles for the prize will be announced in the last week of October. Additional information is here. 

This fellowship at the Writers’ Colony at Dairy Hollow invites writers to explore the African American experience. The work may be in any literary genre: fiction or nonfiction, poetry or prose, or a combination. Two fellowship winners will each receive a two-week residency at the WCDH to allow the recipients to focus completely on their work. The deadline is midnight on Monday, November 29. For more information, click here.  

*Note: This award is different than BIO’s Hazel Rowley Prize and is offered exclusively to writers in Australia. 

The Hazel Rowley Literary Fellowship is open to Australian citizens and permanent residents. Up to $15,000 is awarded for travel and research to further a writing proposal or work in progress. It may not be used to pay for a research assistant or to subsidize a publication. The focus is on biography, but extends to any aspect of cultural or social history compatible with Hazel Rowley’s interest areas. Preference is given to projects that are about “risk-taking” and expanding horizons, promote discussion of ideas, and make a significant contribution to public intellectual life. Applications are due by November 16. Click here for more information.  

The Steinbeck Fellows Program at San Jose State University (SJSU), open to emerging writers of any age and background, offers the opportunity to pursue a significant writing project while in residence at SJSU. The emphasis of the program is on helping writers who have had some success but have not published extensively, and whose promising work would be aided by the financial support and sponsorship of The Martha Heasley Cox Center for Steinbeck Studies and the university’s creative writing program. Fellowships include a stipend of $15,000. Currently, SJSU offers one-year fellowships in Steinbeck scholarship and in creative writing, including fiction, drama, creative nonfiction, and biography. The deadline is January 3. Click here for more information.

Carol Michel recently shared some excellent ideas for the Jane Friedman blog that can inspire all writers to successfully leverage social media without becoming fully immersed in it. Read more here. 

Real Simple recently interviewed a book strategist, a children’s book author, a ghostwriter for celebrities, and the CEO of a proofreading firm to try to answer once and for all the question: “Is self-publishing worth the money?” The answer is, no surprise, “it depends,” but some of the caveats these book professionals came up with will likely spark new thinking about traditional- and self-publishing.  

by Nicole Evelina
sold to Globe Pequot
by Amy Collins at Talcott Notch Literary

by Peniel E. Joseph
sold to Basic
by Gloria Loomis at Watkins Loomis

More titles HERE

Vladimir Alexandrov
Martha Ackmann
Debby Applegate
Patricia Bell-Scott
Marcia Biederman
Matteo Bortolini
Kathleen Brady
Patrick Dean
Iris Jamahl Dunkle
Nicole Evelina
Adam Henig
Gretchen Holbrook Gerzina
Alexis Greene
Anya Jabour 
Peniel E. Joseph
Kitty Kelley

Kate Clifford Larson
Megan Marshall
Roberta Marshall
James McGrath Morris
Jon Meacham
David Michaelis
Andrew Morton
John Oller
Tanya Paperny
Louis Ray
Lance Richardson
Gabrielle Selz
David O. Stewart
William Souder
Claire Tomalin

Whatever state your biography’s in—vague idea, proposal, well underway—BIO’s experienced biographers can help. BIO offers a one-hour coaching session via phone or email for the member discounted rate of $60. (Coaches may charge more for subsequent hours.) Learn more about the program here.

Are you a student, or do you know one who is interested in biography? BIO now has a special student membership rate. Visit the BIO website to find out more.