Podcast #251 – “Four Paths, One Impossible Dream,” Part II: The Work
About this episode
The episode features updates from four authors on their biographical writing journeys.
In the second episode of our special six-part miniseries, the authors share updates on their research and writing. “Four Paths, One Impossible Dream” follows four authors navigating the challenges of writing biography. Over eight months in 2025, BIO Podcast producer Jenny Skoog spoke with comedian Sara Benincasa, tackling Abraham Lincoln; professor Kate Culkin, working on a book about Ralph Waldo Emerson’s daughters; historian Kevin McGruder, who has spent decades researching Harlem Renaissance writer Rudolph Fisher; and journalist Katie Rose Quandt, on the challenges of completing a book proposal while pregnant.
People in this episode
Host: Jenny Skoog
Guests: Sara Benincasa, Kate Culkin, Kevin McGruder, Katie Rose Quandt
Topics covered
- biography
- writing challenges
- author interviews
- research updates
- creative process
Keywords
- biography
- writing
- authors
- research
- challenges
Mentioned in this episode
Books & works: Four Paths, One Impossible Dream, Abraham Lincoln, Ralph Waldo Emerson’s daughters, Harlem Renaissance writer Rudolph Fisher
More episodes of Biographers International Organization
- Podcast #256 – Gayle Feldman
- Podcast #255 – “Four Paths, One Impossible Dream,” Part VI: Still Writing
- Podcast #254 – “Four Paths, One Impossible Dream,” Part V: Community and Solitude
- Podcast #253 – “Four Paths, One Impossible Dream,” Part IV: Challenging the Canon
- Podcast #252 – “Four Paths, One Impossible Dream,” Part III: The Business of Biography
- Podcast #250 – “Four Paths, One Impossible Dream,” Part I
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