Writing Biography: Pleasures and Pitfalls [F-10-55]
| Presenter: | Richard and Janis Londraville |
|---|---|
| Location: | SUNY Potsdam: Maxcy 104 |
| Classes: | 1 Session 2.0 hours |
| Dates: | Wed 1:00 PM 09/15 |
| Status: | CLOSED |
Print Info
When it comes to biography, publishers are looking for new energy that infuses an old form. This seminar will suggest a variety of techniques and styles, and some tricks to try in order to attract publishers. TRY IT: You are invited to write (and share in class) the first few sentences of a biography. Here is the first sentence from the Londravilles’ biography of Adirondack poet Jeanne Robert Foster: “A young lumberman is clinging to a rock in a raging river. On the shore, his wife and daughters watch in horror as the icy water tears his numb fi ngers from their hold. With his last strength, he waves to his family as the torrent carries him to his death.”
Richard and Janis Londraville are the authors of many biographical and critical articles, and six books. Their most recent biography, Jon Corbino from Rubens to Ringling (SUNY Press), will be released in March 2011.
NOTE: Recommended reading: Dear Yeats, Dear Pound, Dear Ford: Jeanne Robert Foster and her Circle of Friends (Syracuse, 2001), or The Most Beautiful Man in the World: Paul Swan, from Wilde to Warhol (Nebraska Press, 2006) – both by the Londravilles.