Episode 48: Four Decades of Writing Biography episode artwork

EPISODE · Apr 21, 2025 · 47 MIN

Episode 48: Four Decades of Writing Biography

from Writing It! · host The Center for Jewish Studies at the University of Florida

When Mary Dearborn finished her doctorate at Columbia University she knew she wanted to write biography. She went on to a forty-plus year career in writing biographies whose subjects including Peggy Guggenheim, Norman Mailer, Henry Miller, Ernest Hemingway, Anzia Yezierska, and most recently Carson McCullers. We talk about the challenges of writing biography for trade press publications; writing the trade press book proposal; changes in the publishing industry; reaching a broader readership; struggling with self-promotion and changing social media norms; and why it’s invigorating to remember that presses actually need good writers. Don't forget to rate and review our show and follow us on all social media platforms here: https://linktr.ee/writingitpodcast Contact us with questions, possible future topics/guests, or comments here: https://writingit.fireside.fm/contact

Episode metadata supplied by the publisher feed · Published Apr 21, 2025

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Episode 48: Four Decades of Writing Biography

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