Biographers International Organization

At this year’s BIO Conference, photographer Brennan Cavenough captured the event as never before, taking photos of members and panelists that make us wish we were at the conference all over again. Those photos are now available for viewing and purchase through Smugmug. Click here to see the photos and find instructions on how to buy digital downloads or paper prints of your favorite shots. … Read More »

UPDATE: A recording of this event is now available here.  Biographers International Organization (BIO) is pleased to announce that Michael Korda will receive its Editorial Excellence Award for 2023. Established in 2014, this annual award honors an editor for outstanding work in the service of biography and literature. Korda will be presented with the award on Wednesday, November 1 at the Skylight Room of the CUNY Graduate Center in New York. BIO’s Awards Committee,… Read More »

Biographers International Organization (BIO) rejects censorship in all its guises. Since its inception, BIO has sought to support writers and readers of biography who are committed to finding the facts of lived existence and the many truths of history. As expressed in our mission statement, we are committed to cultivating a diverse community of biographers. Furthermore, BIO believes in the fundamental right of free expression and in the importance of a diversity of viewpoints.   While… Read More »

On May 22, following the 2023 BIO conference, Steve Paul became the new president of BIO, succeeding Linda Leavell, who had served two terms in office. (Leavell’s presidency, which brought many beneficial changes to BIO, will be explored in a future edition of The Biographers Craft.) Paul is the author of biographies of Ernest Hemingway and Evan S. Connell. The latter won the 2022 Society of Midland Authors Award for “best biography or memoir.”… Read More »

Jennifer Homans’s Mr. B: George Balanchine’s 20th Century(Random House) is the winner of BIO’s 2023 Plutarch Award for the Best Biography of 2022. The Plutarch is the only international prize of its kind. Named after the famous Greek writer, the Plutarch is awarded to the best biography of the year by a committee of five distinguished biographers, and this prestigious prize comes with a $2,000 honorarium. “For the Plutarch judges, Jennifer Homans’s… Read More »

Biographers International Organization (BIO) is thrilled to announce a gift of $1 million, to be given in increments of $200,000 over five years starting June 1, 2023, from famed biographer Kitty Kelley. BIO’s president Linda Leavell formally accepted the gift on May 20, 2023, during BIO’s annual Conference at the Leon Levy Center for Biography. BIO’s Long-range Planning Committee will oversee the gift and make recommendations for its application to the Board of Directors. This… Read More »

The 2023 BIO Conference is now underway at the CUNY Graduate Center in New York. You can view the digital conference program here. The following events and sessions will be live-streamed for virtual attendees: Friday, May 19, 2023 4:00pm – 4:45pm: Member Readings: BIO members read excerpts from their recent biographies. 4:45pm – 5:30pm: Presentations of the Biblio Award, Robert & Ina Caro Research / Travel Fellowships, the Chip Bishop Fellowship, the Frances “Frank”… Read More »

The 2023 Hazel Rowley Prize honoring the best book proposal by a first-time biographer has been awarded to Alec Pollak, who is at work on a biography of the American writer Joanna Russ. This year’s Rowley Prize Committee was comprised of Gretchen Holbrook Gerzina (chair), Carl Rollyson, and Paula Whitacre. Of this year’s award, Gerzina said, “Our committee unanimously selected Alec Pollak’s proposal for a biography of Joanna Russ, which was very well-written and compelling,… Read More »