Laurie Lisle
Laurie Lisle is a journalist, biographer, memoirist, and essayist. She writes about the lives of contemporary American women, including her own.
Her latest book, a memoir, is WORD FOR WORD: A WRITER'S LIFE.
She has written initial biographies of artists Georgia O'Keeffe and Louise Nevelson. Her best-selling PORTRAIT OF AN ARTIST: A BIOGRAPHY OF GEORGIA O'KEEFFE, and her biography of Louise Nevelson, LOUISE NEVELSON: A PASSIONATE LIFE, are available in paperback and ebook editions.
She has also written WITHOUT CHILD: CHALLENGING THE STIGMA OF CHILDLESSNESS, FOUR TENTHS OF AN ACRE: REFLECTIONS ON A GARDENING LIFE, and WESTOVER: GIVING GIRLS A PLACE OF THEIR OWN
Previously she worked for newspapers and magazines, including NEWSWEEK.
Born in Providence, Rhode Island, she lives with her husband, artist Robert Kipniss, in northwestern Connecticut.
Works

Word for Word: A Writer's Life
Word for Word is the dramatic story of Lisle’s determination to become a published author, from her early days in journalism to writing her groundbreaking biographies of legendary artists Georgia O’Keeffe and Louise Nevelson. Lisle discusses the demands of writing honestly about others and herself while unflinchingly sharing successes, stumbling blocks, and relationships that threatened to silence her written voice.
In this frank memoir, Lisle asks what a writer—or anyone devoted to self-expression in the arts—needs to flourish and find fulfillment in work and life. She shares insights from artists and other authors and reflects on the way nature nurtures a literary life. Throughout, she examines how the private and professional parts of a writer’s life intertwine, explores what enables words to flow and what stops them, and shows where the writing life can ultimately lead.
Westover: Giving Girls a Place of Their Own
Four Tenths of an Acre: Reflections on a Gardening Life
Without Child: Challenging the Stigma of Childlessness
Louise Nevelson: A Passionate Life
Portrait of an Artist: A Biography of Georgia O'Keeffe
Awards and Recognition
- Who's Who in America