Look for books, magazines, videos, music, and more.
Search for:
HomeResearch Guide to Creative Writing
The following is a selected list of research resources for creative writers, both in fiction and poetry. For further assistance, contact Elizabeth Peterson, Literature Librarian, at emp@uoregon.edu.
Finding Creative Work by Subject
Finding a book of fiction or poetry by its author or title is relatively simple; just search the library's online catalog. [Help in catalog searching.]
Unfortunately, searching for creative works by their topic or theme is a little harder, for two reasons. First, most creative works don't have titles that clearly describe their content. If were searching for novels of the American South, you'd want to find books like The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Light in August, Geronimo Rex, and The Violent Bear It Away. None of those titles contains keywords to alert you to their subject matter. Second, most works of fiction aren't assigned subject headings describing their topic or theme, which renders them effectively invisible in the online catalog.
There are, however, several ways you can find fiction and poetry by its theme, topic, or format.
Using Subject and Genre Headings
Librarians have recently started to use subject headings for creative works, in an effort to provide better access to them. Subject headings for fiction are usually standard Library of Congress (LC) subject headings, often with the word "Fiction" or "Poetry" attached as a subheading. This means that you can do a subject search on any term that is an authentic LC subject heading, add the term "Fiction," or "Poetry" and find creative works having to do with that subject. Some examples of these kinds of subject headings are:
Dogs -- Poetry
Family -- Fiction
Nature--Poetry
There are also some subject headings that describe a type or school of writing, by which the general content of the work is implied:
Ghost stories
Horror tales
Lyric poetry
Finally, there is a separate set of headings that are sometimes applied to describe the genre (the form, format, or style) of a work. These are not the same as subject headings, even if the terms themselves are occasionally exactly the same. Genre headings are designed to describe the formal qualities of an item, rather than its subject content. To search genre headings, go to the Library's advanced catalog search and click the "Genre" button. To determine the best genre heading for your search, enter the best terms you can think of and skim the genre heading index, or review the selected list of genre headings maintained by the Online Computer Library Center. Some sample headings are:
Epic literature
Black humor literature
Tall tales
War poetry
The only problem with using subject or genre headings as outlined above is that these headings have only recently begun to be used, and they aren't used in all cases. Genre headings are primarily used for rare and unusual materials, and aren't widely applied to all new works of fiction or poetry. Even subject headings are still used sporadically, and they haven't been retroactively added to older items in the Library's collection.
Using Bibliographies
Bibliographies list poems, novels, and short stories according to theme, period, or some other criterion. They're the best way to search for creative work by its topic, theme, setting, or characters. Knight Library has several bibliographies to help you find what you're looking for.
Fiction Catalog
Allows you to find novels and novelettes by theme, using the index in the back. Covers both works originally in and translated into English. Titles must have been published and/or distributed in the United States. Includes older and out-of-print works. Each entry gives a full citation and publication information for the novel, and then a brief published review. KNIGHT REFERENCE Z5916 .W6
Cumulated Fiction Index
Does the same thing that Fiction Catalog does, but for British novels. Lists topics and themes in a single alphabetical, and gives no publication details for the novels listed; you have to look them up in Books in Print or another source. Includes extensive coverage of crime thrillers and other genre novels. KNIGHT REFERENCE Z5916 .F5
Themes and Settings in Fiction: A Bibliography of Bibliographies
Lists bibliographies that list novels and short stories by theme or setting. Doesn't list the novels and short stories themselves, but gives subject access to lists of works via an index in the back of the book. Look your topic up there, then track down the listed bibliographies (either essays or books) and consult them. KNIGHT REFERENCE Z5916 .H28
Short Story Index
Lists short stories in collections and periodicals, by subject, author, or title. Covers stories either written in or translated into English. Subject access is only provided for stories in collections, not those published just in periodicals. The fullest information for each story is provided in the author entry, so be sure to cross-reference. There are several volumes of the Index; all are available at KNIGHT REFERENCE Z 5917 .S5 C62.
Columbia Granger's Index to Poetry in Anthologies / Columbia Granger's Index to Poetry in Collected and Selected Works
Allows you to find poems by title, author, first line, last line, or subject. Works best for English-language poems, though poetry in translation is included in the latest editions of the Index to Anthologies. Each edition indexes a slightly different collection of anthologies, so check several editions to cover all your bases. KNIGHT REFERENCE PN 1022 .F73.
Professional Resources
Various directories and handbooks exist to help you market your work to publishers. The most recent (annual) volumes of these major directories are in the reference section; for older editions that you can borrow from the Library, check the same call number in the circulating collection. Remember, too, that small literary journals often specify deadlines and content considerations in the frontal material of the journal itself. To see whether the Library subscribes to a journal, search for its title in the online catalog.
Literary Market Place: The Directory of American Book Publishing KNIGHT REFERENCE PN 161 .L5
The authoritative directory for American publishers, agents, editorial services, illustrators, advertisers, and related services.
The Directory of Small Press & Magazine Editors & Publishers KNIGHT REFERENCE PN 4820 .D57
Provides contact information for small presses and publishers.
The Association of American University Presses Directory KNIGHT REFERENCE Z 475 .A88
Provides contact information and editorial programs for university presses, some of which publishe fiction and poetry.
Writer's Market KNIGHT REFERENCE PN 161 .W83
An indispensable guide to literary journals, awards, residencies, as well as some agents and book publishers.
Poet's Market KNIGHT REFERENCE PN 1059 .M3 P59
The same as Writer's Market, but geared specifically to poets and poetry.
Poets and Writers KNIGHT PS 128 .C63
A key journal subscription for creative writers, for its listings of residencies, calls for submissions, and awards, as well as its coverage of established writers.
The AWP Official Guide to Writing Programs KNIGHT REFERENCE PN181 .A8
The Associated Writing Programs' comprehensive evaluation of programs and study options for writers.
A Directory of American Poets and Fiction Writers KNIGHT REFERENCE PS 129 .D55
Basic directory information for contemporary American writers, compiled by Poets and Writers magazine.
The Writers Directory KNIGHT REFERENCE PS 1 .W73
Lists writers from all over the world who have had at least one work published in English. Gives basic biographical information, and provides an index to writing categories so you can look up writers by their genre and style.
Web Resources
There are countless Web sites devoted to publishing and advising writers. A few useful ones are:
University of Oregon Creative Writing Program
The UO's program site offers information about applying, faculty profiles, and an online program newsletter.
Poets and Writers
The online content of the essential print magazine.
The Association of Writers and Writing Programs
Website of the AWP, providing information about programs, conferences, and more.
LiteratureBuzz.com
A portal site to thousands of online journals, organized by genre and category.
Poetry & Literary Magazines, Journals, Ezines - 2005
A clearinghouse of links to more than 400 literary journals, many of which maintain submission guidelines on their sites.
Web Del Sol
A site devoted to the new literary and electronic arts, hosting high-quality writing and links to resources.
PoetryMagazines.org.uk
A well-designed British site providing access to a collection of online poetry journals.
Last Modified: 04/22/2008