Compleat Biographer Conference Program Set;
Registration to Open Soon

December 27th, 2012

The Roosevelt Hotel, in midtown Manhattan, is slated to be the home of the fourth annual BIO conference.

The 2013 Compleat Biographer conference, scheduled for May 17 through May 19 in New York City, will include 20 panels, three or four on-site research workshops, and four master classes, according to program committee chair Brian Jay Jones.
“The program committee has put together an outstanding lineup of subjects for the conference,” said BIO vice president Jones. “There will be not-to-missed panels for all biographers, seasoned professionals as well as those just starting.”

The preliminary list of panels includes such topics as Getting (Too) Close to Your Subject, the Politics of Blurbs and Reviews, Beginnings and Endings, Biography for Your Audiences, the Art of the Partial Biography, University Presses, Lesser-Known Relatives, Writing the African-American Biography, and Biography on Film. The latter panel will include a screening of a biographical film about Father Michael Lapsley by Melvin McCray, a longtime editor at ABC News.

As with each conference, the keynote address will be given by that year’s BIO Award winner. The 2013 winner will be announced in the January 2013 issue of TBC. Past winners have been Jean Strouse, Robert Caro, and Arnold Rampersad.

The Friday of the conference weekend will feature research workshops at leading libraries and archives in New York City. Four master classes will be held Sunday morning; the topics are Writing a Proposal, the Art of the Interview, the Beginning Biographer, and the Art of Self-Publishing.
Places in all panels, workshops, and classes will be limited, and BIO members are encouraged to register early. “Not only do we expect a record attendance,” said James McGrath Morris, BIO president, “but we should have an outstanding lineup of editors, agents, and publicists at the conference by virtue of being in New York City.”
At press time final arrangements were being made with the Roosevelt Hotel to host the conference. The site committee will aggressively seek out inexpensive housing options and will also create a program of room sharing.
BIO members should watch their email later this month for the complete conference lineup and instructions for registration.

2013 BIO Conference Set for NYC

November 14th, 2012

The program committee of Biographers International Organization, acting on the recommendation of the site committee, just announced that the fourth annual Compleat Biographer Conference will be held from May 17 through May 19, 2013, in New York City. The committee is still hashing out details for the conference site and the panels to be offered, as well as pre- and post-conference events; Hurricane Sandy delayed finalizing the conference site selection.

BIO president James McGrath Morris had nothing but high praise for the decision, saying the New York location should make this conference the best yet. “The response to holding it in New York City has been overwhelmingly positive,” he said. “Editors and agents are lining up to join us. Our conference has a reputation as one of the finest gatherings of writers in the country, and they won’t miss out on attending the meeting when it’s held in their backyard.”

Morris added that biographers from as far away as South America plan to attend because of the ease of reaching the city. “I’m betting that for the first time we will have to limit attendance.”

The program committee is chaired by BIO vice president Brian Jay Jones. Serving with him are Barbara Burkhardt, Cathy Curtis, Greg Daugherty, Oline Eaton, Barbara Fisher, Ted Geltner, Beverly Gray, Will Swift, and Felicity Yost. BIO members should thank them for their hard work and begin planning for a fun and informative weekend in the Big Apple.

The site committee, which handles all logistical matters relating to the conference, is still looking for members. Drop Morris a note if you live around New York and would like to help out.