Look for other works on women writers in the same general area. These one to ten page biographies emphasize literary influences and careers. Volumes cover various categories of writers, e.g., African American fiction writers after 1955 or American novelists, 1930-1950. Dictionary of American Biography E176.D653. Authors writing in English Oxford Companion to English Literature PR19.D73.
Entries range from a paragraph to two pages.
It's worth looking through the different editions of this fine work as the authors who are included vary from edition to edition. British Authors series PR451.K8. Various volumes cover different time periods. Entries range from a half page to eight or more. Twentieth Century Literary Criticism PN771.T9.