Shut Out From the Library of Congress

Study desk Library of Congress

Bruce and I are now a 100-percent furloughed household. He’s in a “non-essential” federal job and thus on unofficial R&R. And here’s what the government shutdown looks like from my little spot in the universe. It’s my tiny “study desk” room at the Library of Congress, on the fifth floor of the Adams Building. I’ve…

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How to Be a Successful Biographer

Panelists at 2012 Jaipur Literary Festival

What does it take to be a successful writer of biographies? The question discussed at a literary festival this weekend in Jaipur, India, caught my attention. As a first-time biographer, I need to know the answer. There’s no formula for how to go about it, so am I on the right track? Paul Beckett of…

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