Resources
ORGANISATIONS THAT MAY BE OF USE:
For courses, tuition, mentoring, grants, awards, events, writing retreats, conferences and more …
Arvon Foundation
https://www.arvon.org/about/arvon-home-of-creative-writing
Faber Academy
https://faberacademy.com
National Centre for Writing
https://nationalcentreforwriting.org.uk
Oxford Centre for Life Writing (OCLW)
https://oclw.web.ox.ac.uk/home
Kings Network for Life Writing Research
https://www.kcl.ac.uk/research/centre-for-life-writing-research
The University of Buckingham (in London) – Biography Programme (MA by Research/ PhD)
https://www.buckingham.ac.uk/courses/research/ma-research-biography/
University of Sussex Centre for Life History and Life Writing Research
https://www.sussex.ac.uk/research/centres/centre-for-life-history-and-life-writing-research/index
RSL: Royal Society of Literature
https://rsliterature.org
The Authors’ Club
https://www.authorsclub.co.uk
BIO: Biographers’ International Organisation
https://biographersinternational.org/
IABA – International Autobiography Association
https://sites.google.com/ualberta.ca/iaba/home
Kitty Kelley Dissertation Fellowship in Biography
Biographers International Organization
Deadline for Submissions: May 1, 2026
Biographers International Organization (BIO) invites applications for the Kitty Kelley Dissertation Fellowship in Biography. The fellowship provides $25,000 to a doctoral student in any department who is writing a dissertation in English focused upon the life of another person or upon the lives of two or more individuals. Ideally the project should combine the rigor of doctoral research with the art of storytelling. The work cannot be fictionalized nor should the focus be primarily autobiographical. The fellowship is endowed by Kitty Kelley, a founding member of BIO, the author of seven best-selling biographies, and a long-time advocate for biography and biographers.
For the fellowship starting September 1, 2026, the deadline to apply will be January 15, 2026, and the winner of the $25,000 scholarship will be announced no later than May 1, 2026. The request for applications is now open. For more information, please visit: https://biographersinternational.org/award/kitty-kelley-dissertation-fellowship-in-biography/
BIO is a nonprofit, tax-exempt 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to promoting the art and craft of biography, cultivating a diverse community of biographers, encouraging public interest in biography, and providing educational and fellowship opportunities that support the work of biographers worldwide.
Podcast: Life Sentences – Author Caroline Baum interviews biogaphers
Looking for a Researcher?
I am a freelance historical researcher with a particular interest in garden and literary history. If you are looking for a researcher, please email us at [email protected] with details of your project.
Camilla Anderson MA (University of Bristol) contact is: [email protected]
What all biographers need to know
Maggie Fergusson spoke to leading biographers – including several winners of the Biographers’ Club Exceptional Contribution to Biography award – as well as to publishers and agents to gain their insights into the nature of the genre
OCLW’s Life-Writing Research Network
What is it? The Life-Writing Research Network is a thriving global academic community for anyone engaged in life-writing research. Through exclusive events, they provide a platform to share research, exchange ideas, learn about life-writing research taking place worldwide, and build lasting connections.
Why join? Engage: discuss your practice at termly online seminars with global participants. Network: attend exclusive events, including seminars, workshops, and private receptions. Collaborate: connect with leading academics, authors, and researchers.
Who can join? The network is open to anyone conducting life-writing research; there are no restrictions on discipline, location, or career stage. OCLW welcomes academics, students, authors, and independent scholars
Membership: £57 per year
Find out more here: https://oclw.web.ox.ac.uk/research-network