Blog Posts by Subject: Biography

Recently published biographies and memoirs that tell the stories of some of the legendary figures, iconic personalities, and influential activists who have shaped hip-hop music and culture from its early years through the present day.

Art Spiegelman’s Maus brought attention to the validity of graphic novels as a storytelling format. In the decades since, others have come forward with their own stories of survival or their own understanding of events told through graphic novels that allow them to not only write their own stories but also to control the visuals so that we can quite literally see events through their point of view.

When I Was Puerto Rican: A Memoir by Esmeralda Santiago

The author's story begins in rural Puerto Rico, where her warring parents and seven siblings led a life of uproar, but one full of love and tenderness as well. Growing up, Esmeralda learned the proper way to eat a guava, the sound of the tree frogs in the mango groves at night, the taste of the delectable sausage called morcilla, and 

If you had to name an artist or writer from the Beat Generation, the core male group may first come to mind: Huncke, Ginsberg, Burroughs, Kerouac. But a group of women were creating their own literary works, and are considered by some to be the unsung heroes of the movement.

Inspirational biographies never go out of style. As part of Asian Pacific American Heritage Month, kids can learn more about eight notable people who defied racism and made their mark in the arts, film, sports, and more.

Here are some vivid representations of the New York immigrant experience in fiction, as well as a few memoirs and biographies of New Yorkers past and present, who arrived here from all over the world and made their mark on our city.

In honor of International Women's Day, we honor former Schomburg Center Photographs and Prints Division curator, Dr. Deborah Willis. In this interview, Dr. Willis discusses the BLACK PORTRAITURE[S] III: Reinventions: Strains of Histories and Cultures conference, her photography work, and her pioneering work at The Schomburg Center.

New! This series of Schomburg Center Research Guides will provide you with resources related to various topics and subjects related to the Global Black Experience. This research guide will provide you with an overview of the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture’s holdings related to Black dance pioneer, Katherine Dunham.

Oscar award winning rapper, and actor, Common, recites this heartfelt letter written by Nelson Mandela, to his sister-in-law, Niki Iris Xaba, about family, prison, and his love for then wife, Winnie Mandela.

This podcast episode recited by Carole Boyce Davies features a lively letter between friends and colleagues: Claudia Jones and Eslanda Robeson.

We've got a selection of engaging author talks coming up this month at the Mid-Manhattan Library. Come listen to scholars and other experts discuss their recent non-fiction books on a variety of subjects and ask them questions.

Get music from the official @POTUS playlist at the library.

Today’s episode features a letter from jazz singer, dancer, and nightclub owner Ada Smith, jazz trumpeter, composer, singer, and "auto-archivist" Louis Armstrong.

Live from the Reading Room: Correspondence is a podcast series that aims to share interesting and engaging letters written by or to key historical figures from the African Diaspora.

Find the best biography database for your subject, whether it is Alan Turing or Beyoncé.

Live from the Reading Room: Correspondence is a podcast series that aims to share interesting and engaging letters written by or to key historical figures from the African Diaspora.

Our annual celebration of the birthday of Malcolm X will be held on May 19 in collaboration with the Malcolm X Museum. The all-women panel, Women Speak About Malcolm X, is sold out, but you may still join the discussion via LiveStream.

Today’s episode features a letter from journalist and essayist Josephine Schuyler, to her daughter, pianist, composer, journalist, and child prodigy Philippa Duke Schuyler.

He registered nearly 60 patents—ranging from the development of the telephone to the multiplex telegraph.