The School of English & Theatre Studies at the University of Guelph invites applications for a tenure-track position in Creative Writing at the Assistant Professor level. The appointment will begin on July 1, 2021 or soon thereafter.

The successful candidate will be recognized for excellence in at least one genre of creative writing, including fiction, creative nonfiction, drama, poetry or hybrid form work. Publication or teaching experience in a second genre will be an asset. The successful candidate must have published at least one creative work with an established press; have achieved a level of critical/literary success in the form of reviews, nominations for literary awards, or other forms of public and creative impact (best book lists, etc.) within the literary community; and show evidence of ongoing literary activity. The successful candidate will be expected to teach a variety of courses in Creative Writing and supervise MFA thesis projects. Teaching experience is required; experience teaching university courses at the undergraduate and/or graduate levels is preferred. Teaching and writing interests in the environment, race and anti-racism, disabilities and LBGTQ2+ identities, and/or indigenous knowledges and perspectives will be an asset. The successful candidate must have an MFA or graduate degree in Creative Writing or a B.A./Bachelor’s Degree with equivalent professional writing and publishing experience. Our preferred candidate will self-identify as a member of a group that is traditionally underrepresented among university faculty.

The successful candidate will serve as the Graduate Program Coordinator for the Creative Writing MFA in a four-year, rotating term. The University of Guelph Creative Writing MFA welcomes and is structured to nurture and support many voices and wide imaginaries. We offer workshops in creative nonfiction, drama, fiction, hybrid forms, poetry and screenwriting. Defining characteristics include innovative plenary courses, courses committed to a decolonial writing practice, a semester-long mentorship with a professional writer, a commitment to creating literary community, and opportunities to design and teach creative writing workshops in downtown Toronto schools. The MFA program is located in Toronto, housed in the University of Guelph-Humber building on the Humber College North campus. As MFA Coordinator, the successful candidate will be responsible for academic advising and program administration, organizing and being engaged in CW MFA thesis supervisions, and creating and sustaining relationships between students and the surrounding literary communities in Toronto and Guelph. Organizational service within a university context or elsewhere within the literary community will be an asset; familiarity with local and national literary communities will also be an asset. The successful candidate will be engaged in developing and sustaining our Creative Writing programs at both our University of Guelph and University of Guelph-Humber locations. The successful candidate will collaborate with existing faculty in our efforts to move our curriculum, school culture, and community connections in the direction of equity, diversity, and inclusivity.

The School of English and Theatre Studies has diverse strengths in Creative Writing; Improvisation Studies; Colonial, Postcolonial, and Diasporic Studies; Canadian Literature; Early Modern Studies; Media, Technology and Literacy in the Humanities; Studies in Performance and Politics; Sexuality and Gender Studies; and Transnational Nineteenth-Century Studies. Award-winning and dynamic faculty complement a renewed infrastructure. Innovative and agile majors and minors allow English and Theatre Studies students to examine a wide range of literatures of different historical periods and geographical locations and connect them to current debates on critical theory, cultural studies, and gender studies. Since its introduction in the fall of 2016, the Creative Writing minor has become the second largest minor in the College of Arts. Currently, we are creating a new Creative Writing major that provides students with the opportunity to engage with issues of environmental awareness and social justice through creative practice.

The University of Guelph is the third largest employer in Guelph, a city of approximately 130,000 people, located about an hour drive west of Toronto, Ontario. University of Guelph is a top-ranked comprehensive university in Canada with an enrolment of over 30,000 undergraduate and graduate students across over 40 academic units. The University is known for its commitment to student learning, innovative research, and collaboration with world-class partners. It is a unique place, with transformative research and teaching and a distinctive campus culture. People who learn and work here are shaped and inspired by a shared purpose: To Improve Life. Reflecting that shared purpose in every experience connected to our university positions us to create positive change, here and around the world. Our University community shares a profound sense of social responsibility, a drive for international development, and an obligation to address global issues.

Application Process

Assessment of applications will begin on May 27, 2021 and will continue until the position is filled. Interested applicants should submit the following materials (preferably as a single PDF file): (1) a cover letter; (2) a curriculum vitae; (3) an artistic dossier (includes a statement of artistic practice, a work sample (20-30 pages), and reviews); (4) a teaching dossier (includes teaching philosophy, sample syllabi, and teaching evaluations), and (5) an Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion statement (one-page). Applicants should be sent to the attention of:

Dr. Jade Ferguson
Acting Director
School of English & Theatre Studies
University of Guelph
Guelph, ON N1G 2W1

Email: setshr@uoguelph.ca , to the attention of:

All qualified applicants are encouraged to apply; however, Canadians and permanent residents will be given priority.

The University recognizes that applicants may have had obligations outside of work that have negatively impacted their record of achievements (e.g., parental, elder care, and/or medical). You are not required to disclose these obligations in the hiring process. If you choose to do so, the University will ensure that these obligations do not negatively impact the assessment of your qualifications for the position.

The University of Guelph resides on the ancestral lands of the Attawandaron people and the treaty lands and territory of the Mississaugas of the Credit and we offer our respect to our Anishinaabe, Haudenosaunee and Métis neighbours as we strive to strengthen our relationships with them.

At the University of Guelph, fostering a culture of inclusion  is an institutional imperative. The University invites and encourages applications from all qualified individuals, including from groups that are traditionally underrepresented in employment, who may contribute to further diversification of our Institution.

If you require a medical accommodation during the recruitment or selection process, please contact Occupational Health and Wellness at 519-824-4120 x52674.