Listen Up! BIO Has a Podcast

March 1st, 2019

Hear what biographers have to say about their work in BIO’s new, weekly podcast. You can find out more about the podcast and listen to an interview with James Atlas, author of The Shadow in the Garden: A Biographer’s Tale, here.  … Read More »

BIO Announces Finalists for Plutarch Award

February 15th, 2019

A distinguished panel of judges, all eminent biographers, has selected the final four titles in contention for the Plutarch Award, honoring the best biography of 2018. The Plutarch is the only international literary award judged and presented by biographers. Following the announcement of the four finalists, BIO voting members around the world will choose the winning biography. The winner will be announced on May 18, 2019, at the 10th Annual BIO Conference in New York.… Read More »

The Plutarch Award Finalists for 2019

February 14th, 2019

Here are the four finalists for the 2019 Plutarch Award, honoring the best biography published in 2018, listed in alphabetical order by author: 2019 Plutarch Jury members: Megan Marshall, chair; Peniel E. Joseph, Susan Quinn, Will Swift, Amanda Vaill… Read More »

James McGrath Morris Wins 2019 BIO Award

February 7th, 2019

BIO co-founder James McGrath Morris, a writer, a teacher, and a mentor to other biographers, is the winner of the 10th annual BIO Award. BIO bestows this honor on a colleague who has made a major contribution to the advancement of the art and craft of biography. Previous award winners are Jean Strouse, Robert Caro, Arnold Rampersad, Ron Chernow, Stacy Schiff, Taylor Branch, Claire Tomalin, Candice Millard, and Richard Holmes. Morris will receive the honor… Read More »

Registration Opens for 2019 BIO Conference

February 1st, 2019

Registration for the Tenth Annual BIO Conference (#BIONYC2019), to be held May 17-19 at the Graduate Center, City University of New York, is now open. You can get more information, see a complete program and list of participants, and register here.… Read More »

BIO Announces Long List for Plutarch Award

January 14th, 2019

A distinguished panel of judges, all eminent biographers, has nominated ten books for the Plutarch Award, honoring the best biography of 2018. The Plutarch is the only international literary award judged and presented by biographers. Following the announcement of the ten nominees, BIO’s Plutarch jury will narrow the list to four finalists, and BIO voting members around the world will choose the winning biography. The winner will be announced on May 18, 2019, at the … Read More »

The Plutarch Award Longlist for 2019

January 11th, 2019

Here are the nominees for the 2019 Plutarch Award, honoring the best biography published in 2018, listed in alphabetical order by author: Commended Books In a year when an abundance of fine biographies went to press, the 2019 Plutarch Award Jury would also like to honor the following eight works: An American Odyssey: The Life and Work of Romare Bearden by Mary Schmidt Campbell, Oxford University Press Invisible: The Forgotten Story of the Black Woman … Read More »

Mayborn/BIO Fellowship Winner Hones Her Work

December 15th, 2018

Alison Owings knew she wanted to write about homelessness, but she wasn’t sure how to approach the topic. Then, on a walking tour of San Francisco’s notorious Tenderloin neighborhood, she met Del Seymour, an elderly African American man leading a group of curious whites through the streets he knew so well. After all, he had earned the unofficial title of “the mayor of the Tenderloin.” As he recounted some of his experiences as a homeless… Read More »