Monday(s) August 4 & 11, 2025, 6:30-8pm CDT, via Zoom
Nonmember $90; Member $75; Student $63

Are you a writer digging up history to paint a picture of the past? Are you researching historical facts or concepts to support your story? Learn the ins and outs of historical research from a national bestselling author!

In this two-part lecture, Katie Gutierrez will discuss how to use historical events and research to create a high-concept contemporary novel, based on her experiences writing More Than You’ll Ever Know and her upcoming second novel. She’ll discuss retellings and the differences between “based on” and “inspired by” with examples. Writers will learn journalistic techniques for sourcing research, from YouTube to primary interviews, and how to let past events guide but not dictate their own original narratives. This lecture is open to writers of all skill levels 18+.

By the end of the lecture, students will be able to identify a solid starting point for conducting historical research and will have a list of resources to continue their research.

Katie Gutierrez is the author of the national bestselling, Edgar Award-nominated debut novel, More Than You’ll Ever Know, which was also a Good Morning America Book Club selection. She is a National Magazine Award finalist whose essays and features have appeared in TIME, Texas Highways, Harper's Bazaar, and more, and acknowledged in Best American Magazine Writing and Best American Essays. She has an MFA from Texas State University and lives in San Antonio, Texas, with her husband and their two kids.