Sheridan College’s Honours Bachelor of Creative Writing & Publishing Writer-in-Residence Program is an 8-month residency awarded annually to a writer who embodies the distinctiveness and dynamism of the & in the program name.
In addition to working on at least one specific writing project of their own during their tenure, the Writer-in-Residence is responsible for creative leadership, mentoring, and public outreach in the area of creative writing and/or publishing. They serve as a non-teaching colleague to faculty in the Honours Bachelor of Creative Writing & Publishing, a mentor to Sheridan students in the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, and as a bridge connecting the institution to the creative industries and broader public it serves.
We are currently seeking a Writer-in-Residence for the 2022-2023 academic year.
What You’ll be Doing
- On-Campus and remote (virtual) engagement in accordance with evolving institutional, municipal, and provincial health and safety guidelines.
- Pursuing an original personal writing project in any developmental stage (outlining, writing, re-writing, editing, etc.)
- Meeting with students and members of the public in 6-8 weekly office hours (remotely and/or on campus).
- Curating and organizing 2 public lectures (remote and/or on campus) by outside creatives in the area of creative practice, writing, or publishing; this includes outreach to potential speakers and co-ordination of the event in collaboration with program administration.
- Performing a minimum of 2 public readings (remote and/or on campus) from their recently published and/or current work-in-progress.
- Working with faculty to augment existing curriculum in the area of creativity, creative writing, and/or publishing.
- Visiting specific classes and groups (6-10 total, may be virtual or face-to-face) to share expertise and experience as a creative professional and working writer. Some of these may include workshops for community organizations as outreach on the part of Sheridan and CW&P.
- Producing brief, informal weekly content (in the form of a short blog post, advice column, brief podcast, etc.) to be posted to internal or external CW&P webpages to enhance visibility and engagement with CW&P and wider community members.
- Scheduling of weekly timetable, events, class visits etc. to be established in coordination with Associate Dean, Program Coordinator, and relevant faculty members.
About You
You have the skills and knowledge to work with an increasingly diverse student and staff population as well as a proven commitment to anti-oppression, equity, and inclusion.
You are a self-directed natural leader and have a highly collaborative spirit which, combined with your keen interpersonal and communication skills, empowers you to build positive and collaborative relationships and create and maintain a positive organizational culture.
You enjoy balancing many different tasks and can prioritize multiple projects while staying organized and maintaining a high level of attention to detail.
The successful candidate will also meet the following qualifications:
- A strong record of published writing (including at least 2 professionally published and reviewed works) and creative public engagement
- Experience in writing, editing, presenting, and discussing work in different genres and modes
- Direct experience working with diverse writers and writing in a mentorship capacity, both in person and remotely
- Experience curating and organizing cultural events (readings, speakers’ series, etc.) both online and in-person.
- Must be comfortable using or learning to use online virtual conferencing platforms, such as WebEx and Bongo Virtual Classroom
- Agrees to have classroom visits and performances recorded and archived for educational and promotional purposes.
- Engage in helping to conceptualize and deliver innovative online and virtual programming.
