Biography Fellowships

Established by a generous gift from the Leon Levy Foundation and envisioned as a hub for writers, scholars, students and readers of biography, the Leon Levy Center for Biography at the CUNY Graduate Center offers four resident fellowships for the academic year beginning September 2013. Awards will include writing space, full access to research facilities, and a stipend of $60,000.

Generously funded by the Leon Levy Foundation, the Leon Levy Center for Biography aims to cultivate a lively interdisciplinary discussion about the craft of biography in our time, both within and outside the academy. Applications are thus welcome from established and emerging biographers, writers moving to biography from other genres, and artists working on biography in film or other media.

Biography Fellows will devote their time to their projects and participate in monthly seminars. They are expected to attend the annual lecture and the annual conference of the Leon Levy Center for Biography, and are encouraged to join in the dynamic intellectual community at the CUNY Graduate Center. Fellows may not teach or partake in other full-time employment during their academic year-in-residence.

The 2013-2014 Biography Fellowship application deadline is November 1, 2012. Applications require a resume or CV, a narrative account of the applicant's career (250 words), a project description (750 words), a sample of the proposed biography (maximum 2500 words), and four letters of reference.

Decisions will announced in mid-April 2013.

Download the fellowship application forms here

Download the fellowship application guidelines here

Dissertation Fellowships

The Leon Levy Center for Biography also offers Dissertation Fellowships for two PhD candidates at the CUNY Graduate Center. Applications are welcome from students in any discipline, but an applicant's dissertation project must be devoted to biography in order to be considered. Dissertation Fellows are provided with writing space, and participate in the monthly biography fellow seminars. They will also be expected to attend the Leon Levy Center for Biography's annual lecture and the annual conference.

Application forms will be available from the Provost's office in late October 2012. The application requires a statement of purpose to the Leon Levy Center for Biography, a dissertation proposal, a bibliography, two letters of reference and a CV. Applications are due to the Provost's Office by December 17, 2012, and are reviewed by the Leon Levy Center for Biography.