Biographers International Organization Conference

The 2026 Biographers International Organization (BIO) Conference will be held on May 28 and May 29 at the CUNY Graduate Center in New York City; select events will also be streamed online. Programming includes panels on craft and current issues in biography, including archival research; how 1776 speaks to us today; biography for teens; writing about troublemakers, musicians, queer subjects, and forgotten lives; and the sixties revisited. The presenters include biographers and nonfiction writers Nicholas Boggs, Ron Chernow, Carla Kaplan, Stacy Schiff, Amanda Vaill, Ted Widmer, and Brenda Wineapple. Participating publishing professionals include editors from trade and university presses and agents Amelia Atlas (Creative Artists Agency), Tanya McKinnon (McKinnon Literary), and Rita Rosenkranz (Rita Rosenkranz Literary Agency). Biographer T.J. Stiles will deliver the keynote address. The cost to attend the conference in person is $395 ($345 for BIO members); the cost for online registration is $99 ($49 for BIO members). The registration deadline is May 28. Visit the website for more information.

Accessibility accommodations include public transportation near the venue, elevators in multilevel event spaces, closed captioning for online programming, and assistive listening devices (with advance request). Contact the executive director via e-mail for additional accessibility details.