Episodes

  • 2. Speculating vs. Making a Conclusion
    Dec 26 2023

    I show the difference between speculating and concluding when writing a biography, and make the case that both are necessary. Much depends on the quality and volume of the evidence.



    Victoria Glendinning, Jonathan Swift: A Portrait (New York: Henry Holt, 1999)

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    23 mins
  • 1. What Is Biography?
    Dec 19 2023

    I talk about the definition of biography (what a biography is and what it isn't); briefly mention the origin of biography as a form of writing; and provide examples of the variety of biography, using three biographical works I have written.



    > Matt Balaker and Wayne Jones, Greg Giraldo: A Comedian's Story (Laguna Beach: Starkbill Publishing, 2019)

    > Nigel Hamilton and Hans Renders, The ABC of Modern Biography (Amsterdam: Amsterdam University Press, 2018)

    > Wayne Jones, Less and Less: Personal Minimalism (Ottawa: William & Park, 2013, republished 2023)

    > Wayne Jones, My Sam Johnson: A Biography for General Readers (Ottawa: William & Park, 2023)

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    22 mins