About
Laurie Lisle is a journalist, biographer, memoirist, and essayist who writes about the lives of American women, including her own. She is the author of six books that have received wide recognition and been published in six languages.
Her most recent book is a memoir, WORD FOR WORD: A WRITER'S LIFE.
Her two biographies are the best-selling PORTRAIT OF AN ARTIST: A BIOGRAPHY OF GEORGIA O'KEEFFE and LOUISE NEVELSON: A PASSIONATE LIFE.
Her other books are about women without children, gardening, and educating girls: WITHOUT CHILD: CHALLENGING THE STIGMA OF CHILDLESSNESS
FOUR TENTHS OF AN ACRE: REFLECTIONS ON A GARDENING LIFE
WESTOVER: GIVING GIRLS A PLACE OF THEIR OWN
Her essays, articles, and book reviews have been published in newspapers, magazines, literary journals, and anthologies. Previously she worked for various publications, including NEWSWEEK.
Raised in Providence, Rhode Island, she lives with her husband, artist Robert Kipniss, in northwestern Connecticut.
Featured Work
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.
Other Works
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Westover: Giving Girls a Place of Their Own
2009
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Four Tenths of an Acre: Reflections on a Gardening Life
2005
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Without Child: Challenging the Stigma of Childlessness
1996
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Louise Nevelson: A Passionate Life
1990
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Portrait of an Artist: A Biography of Georgia O'Keeffe
1980
Awards and Recognition
- Word for Word: A Writer's Life was a finalist in Story Circle's 2021 Sarton Award for memoirs with a "compelling way they honor the lives of women." Named an Editor's Pick by Publisher's Weekly BookLife for its "outstanding quality." Portrait of an Artist: A Biography of Georgia O'Keeffe was named one of the five hundred best books by women.
