Biographers International Organization

The longlist for the 2024 Plutarch Award has been determined, and you are the first to know. The committee for this year’s prize is composed of Carol Sklenicka (chair), Patricia Albers, Vanda Krefft, William Souder, and Ethelene Whitmire. Sklenicka said of their work, “The 2024 Plutarch Award Committee received some 200 books by first-time and experienced biographers, issued by small and large publishers, on subjects who made their lives in worlds as vastly different as… Read More »

BIO is now accepting applications for its three fellowship programs.   The Frances “Frank” Rollin Fellowship awards $5,000 each to two authors working on a biographical work about an African American figure (or figures), whose story provides a significant contribution to our understanding of the Black experience. This fellowship also provides the recipients with a year’s membership in BIO, registration to the annual BIO Conference, and publicity through BIO’s marketing channels. The fellowship is open to… Read More »

On January 20, 2024, join award-winning biographers James McGrath Morris, Janice P. Nimura, and Ray A. Shepard for an online forum on the craft of biography. And don’t miss Kai Bird’s plenary session entitled “My Wild Ride as a Biographer.” Free for BIO members and students. $60 General Admission. Register now! Schedule: Kai Bird, “My Wild Ride as a Biographer” (The prerecorded address can be viewed any time after 8:00 a.m.) 10:30 – noon:  Janice… Read More »

BIO is pleased to announce the rescheduled date for our online discussion of the 2023 Plutarch Award winner, Mr. B: George Balanchine’s 20th Century by Jennifer Homans. The event will take place on Monday, December 18, from 7:00 to 8:00 p.m. Eastern, with author Jennifer Homans. Amanda Vaill, author of several biographies, including Somewhere: The Life of Jerome Robbins, will interview Homans about the way she crafted the book, followed by ample time for… Read More »

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 »