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Creative Writing Resource Guide

Librarian
Name: John Glover
Phone: (804) 828-6555
Email: jglover2@vcu.edu

Introduction

VCU Libraries has many useful resources for playwrights, poets, and writers, but they are scattered far and wide throughout our collections. Some things can be easily found in one section, like market listings, but some are spread over a very large area. Included here are directions and tips to help you find resources that will aid your creative process.

Locating creative works

Books

General Searching. When you are looking for books by a particular author, a simple search of the catalog by author or title should suffice. If you want to find books that we have both by and about an author, do a Words Anywhere search.
Finding items on the shelf. VCU Libraries organizes works according to the Library of Congress classification system, and so they are arranged by subject. No one area, for instance, has "the novels" or "the plays." Instead, works of literature are broken down by language, period, format, or related criteria. If you want to browse, the following ranges may be useful. They are all on the fourth floor of Cabell Library, arranged alphabetically by the last name of the writer within each range.
- PR1-9680 English literature
  - PR3991-5990 19th century, 1770/1800-1890/1900
  - PR6000-6049 1900-1960
  - PR6050-6076 1961-2000
  - PR6100-6126 2001-
- PS1-3576 American literature
  - PS700-893 Colonial period (17th and 18th centuries)
  - PS991-(3390) 19th century
  - PS3500-3549 1900-1960
  - PS3550-3576 1961-2000
  - PS3600-3626 2001-
Finding a Specific Item. To locate a specific book or the works of a specific author, dramatist, or poet, all you need to do is a simple search in the VCU Libraries Catalog, either on the "words anywhere," "author," or "title" field.
Request. You can request a copy of the book if you can't find it. You can do this by going to the catalog record of the item, clicking the "Is This Item Available" link, and then clicking the "request" link.
Interlibrary Loan. It's almost certain that you will at some point want something that VCU Libraries does not have. When that happens, you can at no charge request that the book be sent to VCU Libraries from some other library and held for you to pick up.
RALC. VCU is part of the Richmond Academic Library Consortium (RALC), a group of academic libraries that allow patrons to borrow books from member institutions. You can find books at RALC institutions by using WorldCat and limiting your search using the checkbox. If you wish to borrow a book from a RALC library, you will have to come to the library to get a pass.
Public Library. Richmond Public Library branches are within walking distance downtown and within a short car or bus ride to the west.
Online Text Sources. Depending on whether the book is out of copyright or not, you may be able to find an electronic version of it online for free, at Project Gutenberg or other electronic text sites.

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TECHNIQUE

Technique

Some books on technique, marketing, formatting, etc., can be found on the fourth floor in the PN147s or PS320s. Many books, however, are filed throughout the Ps in their respective author's section. These can be found most efficiently by searching the library catalog for these subject headings:

Fiction -- Authorship

Poetry -- Authorship

Works about screenwriting and drama writing are found under a number of different headings, though VCU Libraries has less of these works than for fiction and poetry. Word searches for "drama and authorship," "motion picture and technique," or similar will return useful works.

Interviews

Finding interviews can be somewhat trickier. Depending on the nature of the book, it may be included in one of the above subject headings or it may not. A catalog search for words in the subject heading like "interviews and fiction" or "interviews and poetry" will return a good number of books of interviews. Additional resources for author interviews can be found online.

The Atlantic (http://www.theatlantic.com/doc/index/interviews)
Interviews with writers of fiction, nonfiction, and poetry.

The Internet Writing Journal (http://www.internetwritingjournal.com/interviews/)
The Internet Writing Journal is an online publication covering the craft of writing, including interviews with many writers, especially genre authors.

The Paris Review (http://www.theparisreview.com/literature.php)
The Paris Review is a prominent literary journal that was founded in 1953. They have published interviews with authors and poets working in many different styles, genres, and places.

Powell's Books (http://www.powells.com/authors/interviews.html)
Powell's Books is one of North America's largest bookstores, and their website features interviews with many contemporary authors.

A Note About Genre Fiction

Though VCU Libraries does have a number of books concerning writing genre fiction, some are not classed under "Fiction -- Authorship." Searches for "mystery and authorship," "fantasy and interviews," or similar combinations will return some relevant books, although genre terms will often bring up items with the word involved that have nothing to do with the genre. Once you have found a relevant book, examine the subject headings and click on them to get similar books.

MARKETS

Books

Children's Writer's & Illustrator's Market. Cabell Library Reference PN147.5 .C48
Literary Market Place : LMP. Cabell Library Reference PN161 .L5
The Writer's Market. Cabell Library Reference PN161 .W83
Poet's Market. Cabell Library Reference PN1059.M3 P59

Magazines

The Writer. Cabell Library Microfilm Film 741
The Writer's Digest. Cabell Library Microfilm Film 533

Online

Often the most current market information about publications and publishers is to be found online. These websites have a variety of useful information, from URLs for individual publications to response times at publishers. Double check information you find using these resources, and note that the most authoritative information about a particular publication is typically found on its website, often in a "news" or "blog" section.

Duotrope's Digest (http://www.duotrope.com)
Duotrope's Digest is a regularly maintained database of market listings for many different literary and genre publications. Especially useful for its ability to sort markets by everything from length of pieces accepted to rate of pay.

The Market Finder Forums (http://z3.invisionfree.com/market_finders/)
The Market Finder Forums are arranged in online forum format, with listings for a wide variety of market types. Allows users to add updated information on markets, comment on response times, etc.

The Market List (http://www.marketlist.com)
The Market List has been around since 1994, marketing itself as "The Online Resource for Genre Fiction Writers," with an orientation toward Fantasy, Horror, and Science Fiction.

Poets & Writers, Inc. (http://www.pw.org)
Large, multi-faceted web site with resources of all types for writers, from markets to interviews to contest listings.

Publishers Marketplace (http://www.publishersmarketplace.com/)
Publishers Marketplace is an industry market resource, with information about works on offer, news about publishing houses, and all manner of useful data. Much of this information is available with a $20 monthly fee, but a free newsletter called Publishers Lunch is also available, with much useful information when it comes to markets and publishing.

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Local Resources

James River Writers (http://www.jrwf.org/index.htm)
The James River Writers association is a " nonprofit, Richmond, Virginia-based group of professional writers and friends of literature who have joined to promote the art of writing and the love of books in Virginia." They sponsor many different activities, from a local writing conference to regular readings and poetry slams.

The Poetry Society of Virginia (http://www.poetrysocietyofvirginia.org/sys-tmpl/door/)
"Since 1923 the PSV has been striving to encourage excellence in the writing, reading, and appreciation of poetry." This association runs competitions, holds meetings across the state, and has various useful information on their website.

VCU's Creative Writing Program (http://www.has.vcu.edu/eng/graduate/mfa.htm)
The Department of English at VCU is home to a creative writing program where graduate students can earn a Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing. In addition to the program itself, the Department publishes Blackbird: an online journal of literature and the arts, as well as putting on a variety of readings from VCU and visiting writers.

The Virginia Writers Club (http://www.virginiawritersclub.org/)
This organization is a "501(c)(3) nonprofit organization of writers and poets, screenwriters and playwrights, journalists and essayists, and other publishing professionals whose purpose is to support and stimulate the art, craft and business of writing, as well as advocate the literary arts in the Commonwealth." Their local chapter meets on a monthly basis as well as having separate critique groups.

Visual Arts Center of Richmond (http://visarts.org/)
The Visual Arts Center has a number of individual writing classes that can be taken by adults and children.

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