Nigel I Iamilton President
Charles J. Shields Vice President Dear Colleague,
Board of Directors We'd like to get to know you: exchange ideas with you, invite you to Carol DeBoer-Langworthy social events, and provide you with access to expertise available Gayle Feldman nowhere else. Anne Heller Kitty Kelley Andrew Lownie Biographers International Organization (BIO) is the first-ever Paul Maher international organization to represent the professional interests of J.W. Renders biographers: those who've already published and those working on Carl Rollyson biographies— in every medium from print to film. Stacy Schiff Will Swift The cost of joining? As low as $45 annually ($30 for associate Steve Weinberg membership).
Advisory Council Debby Applegate, chair BIO was formed when subscribers to The Biographer's Craft, a Deirdre Bair monthly online newsletter begun in 2006 by James McGrath Douglas Brinkley Morris, biographer of Joseph Pulitzer, recognized that biographers Robert Caro typically work without the support of university-level or Doris Kearns Goodwin professional organizations. That was in 2009. Since then, Joan I Icdrick biographers on five continents have joined the new organization. Michael Molroyd Justin Kaplan Rric Lax Last May, we held our first annual conference, The Compleat David Levering Lewis Biographer, at the University of Massachusetts in Boston. It was a John Matteson remarkable assemblage of more than 150 speakers, panelists, and William S. McFeely attendees, among them such noted biographers as Debby Jon Meacham Applegate, author of The Most Famous Man in America: The Marion Meade Nancy Milford Biography of Henry Ward Beecher (Pulitzer Prize); Justin Kaplan, Andrew Morton Mr. Clemens and Mark Twain (Pulitzer Prize and National Book Martin J. Sherwin Award); T. J. Stiles, The First Tycoon: The Epic Life of Cornelius T.J. Stiles Vanderbilt (Pulitzer Prize); Kitty Kelley, Oprah; Kenneth William Taubman Silverman, The Life and Times of Cotton Mather (Pulitzer Prize); Terry Teachout and BIO's president, Nigel Hamilton, author of American Caesars: Brenda Wineapple Lives of Presidents from Franklin D. Roosevelt to George W. Bush. The keynote speaker was Jean Strouse, recipiënt of the first annual BIO Award for Lifetime Contribution to Biography.
The Compleat Biographer Conference 2011, at the National Press James McGrath Morris Executive Director Club in Washington, D.C. on May 21, will be equally exciting. Robert Caro, recipiënt of the 2011 BIO Award and our keynote speaker, will launch a daylong series of workshops devoted to the P.O. Box 33020 art and craft of biography, focusing on practical topics from Santa Fe, NM research techniques and narrative writing to marketing and the use 87594 505-983-4671
www, bio grapher sinternational. or g of social media. (For more details, visit
http://www.biographersinternational.org/conference.html.)
Membership in BIO offers: • A subscription to the monthly electronic newsletter, The Biographer's Craft. ('The first thing I open when I see it in my inbox,' says Robin Gerbcr, the biographer of Katherine Graham.) • Access to lists of grant-giving organizations, speaking forums, and networking resources on the members-only portion of the BIO website. • A 10% discount on the Compleat Biographer Conference and advance notice of hotel discounts. • Participation in Agents Read-&-Speed Dating. • A free personal web page to help you connect with others. • Help in finding or creating a BIO discussion group in your area. • As a special bonus, those who become active members by May 15 will receive a free copy of Hermione Lee's Biography: A Short Introduction, a value of $11.95. • Students: Join by May 15 and you'11 receive $5 off the associates' membership fee.
The greatest benefit of joining BIO is the ability to reach out to others who understand and share the passion for biography.
To become a member, go to http://www.biographersinternational.org and download the membership form, along with a sample issue of The Biographer 's Craft and the program for the Compleat Biographer Conference 2011.
Join now and begin enjoying the benefits and friendships of belonging to an international organization concerned exclusively with the art and craft of biography.
Sincerely,
Charles J. Shields, Vice-President and Chair of Membership Committee