Tagged Biography and Autobiography
IN-PERSON - Misty Copeland | The Wind at My Back: Resilience, Grace, and Other Gifts from My Mentor, Raven Wilkinson
TICKETS In conversation with Tamala Edwards, anchor, 6abc Action News morning edition The first African American principal dancer in the history of the elite American Ballet Theatre, Misty Copeland is one of the world’s most…
IN-PERSON - Patti Smith | Songs and Stories
TICKETS AUDITORIUM SOLD OUT. IN-LIBRARY SIMULCAST/OVERFLOW TICKETS AVAILABLE. Heralded as the “punk poet laureate” for her unique fusion of rock, poetry, and visual arts, Patti Smith won the 2010 National Book Award…
IN-PERSON - Neal Gabler | Against The Wind: Edward Kennedy and the Rise of Conservatism, 1976-2009
TICKETS Neal Gabler is the author of Catching the Wind: Edward Kennedy and the Liberal Hour , a “rich and insightful” ( The New York Times ) account of the figure known as the most complex of the Kennedys. His other…
IN-PERSON - George Lakey | Dancing With History: A Life for Peace and Justice
TICKETS In conversation with Varshini Prakash Active in grassroot campaigns for social change for more than seven decades, sociologist and Quaker organizer George Lakey was first arrested at a civil rights demonstration in 1963…
Ralph Macchio | Waxing On: The Karate Kid and Me
TICKETS In conversation with Jason Freeman, author events producer and editor Ralph Macchio is best known for his portrayal of Daniel LaRusso in the 1984 film The Karate Kid . This iconic piece of pop culture has spawned a slew of…
IN-PERSON - Stacy Schiff | The Revolutionary: Samuel Adams
TICKETS In conversation with Tracey Matisak Acclaimed for her “balanced, perceptive, thoroughly researched and exceptionally well written” ( The New Yorker ) nonfiction portraits of historical figures, Stacy Schiff…
IN-PERSON - Charlayne Hunter-Gault | My People: Five Decades of Writing about Black Lives
TICKETS In conversation with Dorothy Roberts Referred to by Jelani Cobb as “a Dean of American journalism,” Charlayne Hunter-Gault has chronicled some of the past half-century’s most important moments in Black…
IN- PERSON - Tom Felton | Beyond the Wand: The Magic and Mayhem of Growing Up a Wizard
SOLD OUT! Tom Felton became internationally famous for his role as the bleach-blond bad guy Draco Malfoy in the Harry Potter movie series. More than a decade after the premiere of the last film in the series, he and the other performers…
No Easy Answers: The Difficult Case of Senator Dianne Feinstein
Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) has devoted her entire life to public service. When she entered the U.S. Senate in 1992 at the age of 59, Ms. Feinstein had a reputation as one of the smartest and most capable people in American…
Famous Asian Americans
Biographies and collective biographies on Asian Americans.
LGBTQ - Biographies and Autobiographies
Biographies and Autobiographies of important and influential members of LGBTQ community.
Memoirs and Reminiscences by African American Authors
Autobiographical selections.
LitFinder *
Discover literature content from more than 150,000 full-text poems, 840,000 poem citations and excerpts, 7,100 full-text short stories and novels, 3,800 full-text essays published in the 16th-20th centuries, 2,400 full-text speeches, and…
Literature Criticism Online
This extensive compilation of literary commentary represents a range of modern and historical views on authors and their works across regions, eras, and genres. Covers Children’s, Classical, Contemporary, Drama, Poetry, Shakespearean,…
HistoryMakers Digital Archive
The HistoryMakers Digital Archive is the nation's largest African American video oral history collection. It provides high-quality primary source content, with fully searchable transcripts, from thousands of people from a broad range of…
Gale Literary Sources (formerly Artemis)
Cross-search all of Gale’s literature databases from a single digital space to find biographies, primary sources, contextual reference, and criticism. Includes Dictionary of Literary Biography, Something About the Author, LitFinder,…
Gale In Context: Biography
Comprehensive online biographical reference database in the areas of literature,science,multicultural studies,business,entertainment,politics,sports,government,history,arts and newsmakers from around the world and throughout history.
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Discover reliable and trusted information on a variety of topics to support middle school student research for government, U.S and world history, geography, literature, sciences, and social issues. Research In Context offers…
Gale in Context | Elementary (formerly Kids InfoBits) *
Elementary students in kindergarten through grade five will find age-appropriate content covering a broad range of educational topics such as animals, arts, geography, health, literature, people, social studies, technology, etc. Kids…
Books & Authors *
Discover fiction and non-fiction books that match your interests! Books and Authors (powered by Gale's popular What Do I Read Next? series) is for readers from every level of reading proficiency and enables users to explore the endless…
AskART
Tommie Smith, Derrick Barnes, Dawud Anyabwile | Victory. Stand! Raising My Fist for Justice
In conversation with Tracey Matisak, award winning broadcaster and journalist Tommie Smith and John Carlos made history at the 1968 Mexico City Olympics when they stood at the winners’ podium and raised their black-gloved fists to…
Jann Wenner | Like a Rolling Stone: A Memoir
In conversation with David Fricke, senior editor for Rolling Stone and SiriusXM host The co-founder, co-editor, and publisher of Rolling Stone , Jann Wenner has influenced the ways in which the world perceives music, politics, and pop…
Buzz Bissinger | The Mosquito Bowl: A Game of Life and Death in World War II
In conversation with Mark Bowden A Pulitzer Prize–-winning journalist and author of four books, Buzz Bissinger is perhaps best known for the New York Times bestseller Friday Night Lights , the 1990 nonfiction chronicle of a Texas high…
Jenifer Lewis | Walking in My Joy: In these Streets
In conversation with Tracey Matisak, award-winning journalist and interviewer Co-star of the ABC mega-hit show Black-ish , Jenifer Lewis’ nearly 35-year career has featured roles in some of Hollywood’s most beloved films and television…
Adam Schiff | Midnight in Washington: How We Almost Lost Our Democracy and Still Could
In conversation with Tracey Matisak, award winning journalist and broadcaster The United States Representative for California’s 28th Congressional District and the Chairman of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, Adam…
Patrick Radden Keefe | Rogues: True Stories of Grifters, Killers, Rebels and Crooks
In conversation with Karen Heller, national features writer for The Washington Post, formerly a metro and features columnist for the Philadelphia Inquirer , and a finalist for the 2001 Pulitzer Prize in commentary. “A master of…
Valerie Biden Owens | Growing Up Biden: A Memoir
Meelya Gordon Memorial Lecture In conversation with Marjorie Margolies, President, Women's Campaign International and author of And How Are the Children?: Timeless Lessons from the Frontlines of Motherhood The younger sister of…
Gene Andrew Jarrett | Paul Laurence Dunbar: The Life and Times of a Caged Bird
In conversation with Herman Beavers Gene Andrew Jarrett is the author of Representing the Race: A New Political History of African American Literature and Deans and Truants: Race and Realism in African American Literature . He is the…
Bo Seo | Good Arguments: How Debate Teaches Us to Listen and Be Heard
In conversation with Tracey Matisak, award winning broadcaster and journalist A two-time world champion debater and a former coach of the Harvard College Debating Union and the Australian national debating team, Bo Seo has won the World…
Maxine Hong Kingston | The Woman Warrior, China Men, Tripmaster Monkey, Other Writings
In conversation with volume editor, Viet Thanh Nguyen Acclaimed for her contributions to feminism and Chinese American literature, Maxine Hong Kingston won the 1976 National Book Critics Circle General Nonfiction Award for her first…
Bill McKibben | The Flag, the Cross, and the Station Wagon: A Graying American Looks Back at His Suburban Boyhood and Wonders What the Hell Happened
“The world’s best green journalist” ( TIME ), Bill McKibben gave one of the earliest cautions about climate change with his 1989 book The End of Nature . His many other bestselling books about the environment include Falter , Deep…
Chloé Cooper Jones | Easy Beauty: A Memoir
In conversation with Isaac Fitzgerald Freelance journalist Chloé Cooper Jones was a 2020 Pulitzer Prize finalist in feature writing for “Fearing for His Life,” a profile of the man who filmed NYPD officers killing Eric Garner. Also a…
Margo Jefferson | Constructing A Nervous System: A Memoir
In conversation with Tamala Edwards, anchor, 6ABC Action News morning edition “A national treasure” ( Vanity Fair ), Margo Jefferson won the National Book Critics Circle Award for her memoir Negroland , an examination of her upbringing…
Lawrence Jackson | Shelter: A Black Tale of Homeland, Baltimore
In conversation with Solomon Jones. Lawrence Jackson ’s award-winning books include The Indignant Generation: A Narrative History of African American Writers and Critics , biographies of Chester Himes and Ralph Ellison, and a memoir…
Marie Yovanovitch | Lessons From the Edge: A Memoir
In conversation with Mitchell Orenstein, Department Chair and Professor of Russian and East European Studies, University of Pennsylvania In 2019, U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Marie Yovanovitch was the focus of international interest when…
One Book, One Philadelphia 2022 Kickoff Celebration
To launch the 20th annual program season of One Book, One Philadelphia, join us for a conversation with Quiara Alegría Hudes, author of My Broken Language--the 2022 One Book featured title--and Lilliam Rivera, author of Never Look Back,…
Neil Lanctot | The Approaching Storm: Roosevelt, Wilson, Addams, and Their Clash Over America’s Future
In conversation with John M. Cooper Historian Neil Lanctot is the author of Campy: The Two Lives of Roy Campanella and Negro League Baseball: The Rise and Ruin of a Black Institution , a “prodigiously researched” and “enormously…
Jeremy Denk | Every Good Boy Does Fine: A Love Story, in Music Lessons
In conversation with Peter Dobrin, classical music critic and culture writer, The Philadelphia Inquirer One of classical music’s most celebrated pianists, Jeremy Denk has performed with ensembles such as the National Symphony…
Fintan O’Toole | We Don’t Know Ourselves: A Personal History of Modern Ireland
A Dublin native and a 34-year columnist and drama critic for The Irish Times, Fintan O’Toole is the author of nearly two dozen books, including A History of Ireland in 100 Objects , Enough is Enough: How to Build a Republic , and …
Harvey Fierstein | I Was Better Last Night: A Memoir
In conversation with comedienne, actor, and author Catherine "Cat" Cohen An acclaimed playwright, screenwriter, and actor, Harvey Fierstein is the Tony Award–winning author of Torch Song Trilogy and La Cage aux Folles . His play A…