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University of Texas University of Texas Libraries

Creative Writing

Getting Started

Getting Started

This guide is designed to aid writers and artists embarking on creative writing projects. If you are a UT creative writing student and need further help with research for your creative project, please contact Gina Bastone, Humanities Librarian for English Literature. See her contact info on the right. 


Find Background Information

Wikipedia can be a great place to get some context on a topic, but the UT Libraries subscribe to reference databases that give you context, historical background, and bibliography lists for further reading. Unlike Wikipedia, these sources are written by scholars and experts. 


Find Books

The UT Libraries hold more than 9 million physical volumes, as well as many ebooks! Searching for books in the Libraries' catalog can be an excellent way to get introduced to a topic, as well as help you go deeper. We recommend that writers start their research for creative projects with a library catalog search!


Find Short Stories

Looking for short stories in a specific genre or about a certain subject? Use the Short Story Index! This tool is helpful for fiction writers who want examples of short stories. You can search by author and publication, too.

Note: Keep in mind that this is an index only––you won't find PDFs of the short stories. You'll need to follow up with a search in the library catalog to access the stories, and use the Ask A Librarian chat service if you have questions. 

Find Writing Residencies & Funding

Find literary awards and prizes, writer-in-residency programs, and other funding opportunities! Use Pivot, UT's subscription database for grants and funding opportunities. Pivot is a quirky tool, so if you need help, contact Gina Bastone. 

Humanities Librarian

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Gina Bastone
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Contact:
g.bastone@austin.utexas.edu

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