Biographers International Organization

The 2017 Hazel Rowley Prize Committee has chosen three finalists for BIO’s award for the best proposal for a first biography. They are, in alphabetical order: Eric M. Nishimoto, for Arthur’s War, the story of his uncle, Arthur Nishimoto, a volunteer in the segregated, all-Japanese 442nd Regimental Combat Team that fought in Europe during WWII, becoming the most decorated unit in U.S. history. Diana Parsell, for A Great Blooming, the biography of Eliza… Read More »

From slices of famous lives to cradle-to-grave studies and explorations of linked lives, the spring and summer biographies already generating interest in the publishing world run the gamut. As is often the case, political and literary figures dominate these books and contemporary musicians are also well represented. To see our preview of upcoming biographies, go here.… Read More »

From slices of famous lives to cradle-to-grave studies and explorations of linked lives, the spring and summer biographies already generating interest in the publishing world run the gamut. As is often the case, political and literary figures dominate these books and contemporary musicians are also well represented. We’re highlighting here just some of the books likely to appeal to critics and readers, because of their subject, their author, or both, with the titles taken from… Read More »

BIO is thrilled to announce that Candice Millard has won the 2017 BIO Award for her slice-of-life biographies of Winston Churchill and presidents James Garfield and Theodore Roosevelt. In her bestselling books—Hero of the Empire, Destiny of the Republic, and The River of Doubt—the breadth and depth of her research are matched by her gift for creating fast-paced narratives that bring events in distant eras to vivid life. BIO bestows its… Read More »

Registration is now open for the Eighth Annual BIO Conference, taking place May 19-21 at Emerson College in Boston. For more information, go here.… Read More »

A distinguished panel of judges made up of members of Biographers International Organization (BIO) has selected the four finalists for the 2017 Plutarch Award. The Plutarch is the only international literary award presented to a biography by biographers. BIO members around the world will now vote for the winning biography from among those four distinguished books, honoring a writer who has achieved distinction in the craft. The winner will be announced on May 20 at… Read More »

  Here are the nominees for the 2017 Plutarch Award, honoring the best biography published in 2016, listed in alphabetical order by title:   BIO PLUTARCH AWARD COMMITTEE MEMBERS, 2017: Cathy Curtis Deirdre David John Farrell (Chair) Anne C. Heller Linda Leavell John Matteson Hans Renders David O. Stewart Will Swift Amanda Vaill… Read More »

On May 19–21, the annual BIO Conference returns to Boston, where the organization held its first gathering in 2010. The conference will offer research workshops, a full day of panels, numerous networking opportunities, a conversation between two highly respected biographers, and a keynote address by the 2017 BIO Award winner, whose name will be revealed in February. “This year’s program is bound to please the membership,” said James McGrath Morris, co-chair of the Program Planning… Read More »