Elizabeth DeWolfe will lead this interactive program that explores how writers can use historical and archival sources to discover intriguing book topics, create unique characters, develop unexpected plot points, and enrich their writing by uncovering context, incorporating detail, and building a sense of time and place. Drawing on materials from DeWolfe’s Saco-Biddeford-based true crime work, THE MURDER OF MARY BEAN, and her recent book on Maine’s first female undercover detective, ALIAS AGNES, DeWolfe will share top tips for locating and using historical materials in one’s writing. We’ll conclude with a brainstorm session for finding materials to support program participants’ own projects.
Just bring a journal or paper, and your favorite pen or pencil.
Registration is required for this free event.
About Elizabeth
Elizabeth DeWolfe is professor emerita of history from the University of New England (Biddeford, Maine) where for 30 years she taught courses in women’s history and archival research. She is the award-winning author of works of narrative nonfiction, including The Murder of Mary Bean, about the short life and sad death of a textile mill worker in Saco. Her recent book, Alias Agnes: The Notorious Tale of a Gilded Age Spy, received an Independent Publishers Book Award in History and was a 2026 Finalist for the Maine Literary Award in nonfiction. Recently retired, she has traded syllabi and midterm exams for birdwatching and new book projects. Elizabeth makes her home in southern Maine with her husband, an antiquarian book dealer, and Floyd, a stray cat turned couch potato.
Learn more about Elizabeth and her work by visiting her website. Follow her on Facebook @elizabethdewolfe and Instagram @elizabethdewolfe.
This workshop is presented in partnership with The Stephen and Tabitha King Foundation.
