Research Guides @ Fordham: English and American Literature: Creative Writing

Background Information

Benet's Reader's Encyclopedia by Bruce Murphy
Call Number: (RH) Ref PN41 .B4 1996

New York : HarperCollins, 1996.
Also available electronically; authentication required.

Genre Writing

The Dramatic Writer's Companion: Tools to Develop Characters, Cause Scenes, and Build Stories by Will Dunne
Call Number: (RH) PN1661 .D86 2009

Chicago : University of Chicago Press, 2009.
The Nonfictionist's Guide: On Reading and Writing Creative Nonfiction by Robert Root
Call Number: (LC, RH) PN3377.5.R45 R66 2008

Lanham, MD : Rowman and Littlefield, 2008.
A Field Guide for Immersion Writing: Memoir, Journalism, and Travel by Robin Hemley
Call Number: (RH) PN3377.5.R45 H46 2012

Athens : University of Georgia Press, 2012.
The Modern Library Writer's Workshop: A Guide to the Craft of Fiction by Stephen Koch
Call Number: (RH) PN3355 .K59 2003

New York : Modern Library, 2003.
The Way of the Writer: Reflections on the Art and Craft of Storytelling by Charles Johnson
Call Number: (RH) PN3355 .J555 2016

New York: Scribner, 2016.
A Little Book on Form: An Exploration into the Formal Imagination of Poetry by Robert Hass
Call Number: (RH) PN1059.A9 H37 2017

New York, NY: Ecco, 2017.

Library Resources

Searching for books in the library

Click on the Catalog tab and search in the Subject line to get books about poetry, fiction, and other creative writing genres.

Suggested subject terms:

Poetry
American Poetry
British Poetry
Epic Poetry
Experimental Poetry
Poetry, Modern
Poetry Translations

Fiction
American Fiction
British Fiction
Short Stories or Flash Fiction
Experimental Fiction
Fiction, Modern
Fiction Translations

Library databases

Contemporary Authors Online (Gale Literature)
Biographical information on thousands of modern novelists, poets, playwrights, nonfiction writers, journalists and scriptwriters.
LitFinder (Gale Literature)
Full text of over 130,000 poems, stories, plays, essays, and speeches from thousands of authors. Over 800,000 citations overall. Multinational content. Filter results by "Primary Sources & Literary Works" to find full texts of literature.
Columbia Granger's World of Poetry - Access Ends 6/30/2025
Reports of Chrome browser not working. Try Firefox or another browser. An authoritative reference for anthologized poetry, over 450,000 citations, 300,000 full text poems, 6,000 subject headings, 2,000 poem commentaries, 600 glossary terms, approximately 500 poet biographies, and full-text of 14 essential Columbia University Press titles of poetry history and criticism. Remote access available through NYPL. Click here for more information on how to access NYPL resources online.
Gale Literature Platform Search
A literature platform that cross-searches: Contemporary Authors, Dictionary of Literary Biography Complete Online, Gale Virtual Reference Library, Literature Criticism Online, Literature Resource Center, LitFinder, Scribner Writers Online and Twayne's Authors. Filter results by "Primary Sources & Literary Works" to find full texts of literature.
Literature Resource Center (Gale)
Literature reference database. Includes access to numerous literary journals; some literary criticism (see Literature Criticism Online for comprehensive coverage); information on literary figures from all time periods writing in all genres; thousands of overviews of literary works; links to hundreds of websites focusing on major authors and their works; Literary-Historical timeline to help place literature in its historical and social context; thousands of author portraits; Encyclopedia of Literature.
Humanities International Index
Comprehensive database covering over 2000 journals, books and other important reference sources. To find literature, search an author's name and select "Author".

Poetry Research Guide

Find more information on poetry in the Poetry Research Guide.

Editing

What Editors Do: The Art, Craft, and Business of Book Editing by Peter Ginna
Call Number: (LC) PN162 .W465 2017

Chicago : The University of Chicago Press, 2017.
Developmental Editing: A Handbook for Freelancers, Authors, and Publishers 9780226595146 by Scott Norton
Call Number: (RH) PN162 .N67 2009

Chicago : University of Chicago Press, 2009.

Researching Creative Writing

The Cambridge Companion to Creative Writing by David Morley (Editor)
Call Number: (RH) PN189 .C29 2012

Cambridge ; New York : Cambridge University Press, 2012.
Also available electronically; authentication required.
Keywords in Creative Writing by Wendy Bishop
Logan : Utah State University Press, 2006.
Electronic resource; authentication required.
Naming What We Know: Threshold Concepts of Writing Studies by Linda Adler-Kassner
Call Number: (RH) PE1404 .N35 2015

Logan : Utah State University Press, 2015.

English and American Literature: Creative Writing