Creative Writing Jobs 2009-10

PLEASE NOTE: This page is misnamed - this information is for jobs starting August 2010 - should be called "Jobs 2010-2011"

Who is using this Wiki:
Poet: 25

Fiction Writer 18

Creative Non-Fiction Writer: 6

Multi-Genre: 17

Creative Nonfiction/Fiction: 5

Fiction/Poetry: 1

Creative Nonfiction/Poetry: 6

Creative Nonfiction/Fiction/Poetry:

First Time on Market: 9

Unemployed and looking for job: 4

Have job and looking for new one: 22

'Have short-term gig, looking for TT: 21

Gluttons For Punishment: 2

Now what?: 1

PhD: 22

MFA: 22

Terminal MA: 3 

First book in progress: 6

First book under contract: 2

First book published: 16

Second book under contract: 2

Multiple books published: 3



For writers who identified as "Have job and looking for new one," why do you want to leave your current position?

Not tenure-track: 9

Didn't receive tenure:

Want a different geographical location: 1

Want a lighter teaching load: 4

Want to work in a more high-profile school/department/program: 1

My department/program is not very collegial: 4

Am going on the market to improve conditions (ie, salary, trying to get a spouse hired) at my current school: 3

Current job is in a different sector: 1

Interview Requests
Please include school, date, interview location, and method of contact. [NOTE: Please list in chronological rather than alphabetical order.]

Poetry

George Mason-- 1 (11/5) campus visit scheduled for November

Fiction

Western Michigan

Non-Fiction

Playwriting/Screenwriting

Departments Requesting More Documents
[NOTE: Please list in chronological rather than alphabetical order.]

Poetry

U. Nevada-Reno - 2 (10/2), 2 (10/19), 2(10/20), 4 (10/28), 1 (11/6) writing sample & dossier

See below about interview.

George Mason-- 1 (11/5) campus visit scheduled for November

Houston - 2 (11/5) writing sample & dossier.

TCU - 3 (11/6) writing sample & dossier.

Fiction

Western Michigan conducted a preliminary round of interviews in late Sept./ early Oct. w/ campus visits taking place this week (10/22) (Note that this position starts in January 2010) (first round of interviews were via skype; 2 finalists were invited to campus for interviews; expected to make offer in early november) Q: Is this search over? Has offer been extended? A: an offer has been extended. negotiations ensue. Q: Who did they offer the job?

Rhodes C - 3 (10/28) writing sample; 1 (11/4) writing sample

Kansas SU - 4 (11/4) writing sample & dossier

U. Nevada-Las Vegas - (11/6) copy of book (email)

Texas Tech University- (11/9) writing sample, letters of reference

Non-Fiction

Dartmouth - writing sample and dossier (11/5) (3)

Playwriting/Screenwriting

Rejections
POETRY

FICTION

Pomona (letter 11/9/09) - they've winnowed 60+ applicants down to a "handful for interviews"

NON-FICTION

OPEN GENRE

Job Listings 2010-11
Note: It might be helpful if folks put the location of where they found the listings next to the actual school names above (e.g. AWP, Chronicle, HR site, etc.)

Tenure-Track Positions
Fiction


 * Arizona State University
 * Cleveland State University
 * Denison University
 * Hollins University (primary field = fiction, but also asking for strong pubs. in poetry)
 * Ithaca College (Higher Ed)
 * Kansas State University
 * Rhodes College (Deadline November 6th)
 * Saint Louis University (Review of Applications begins Nov. 18; open until filled)Link
 * Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania
 * Stanford University (tenured Associate Professor)
 * Texas Tech
 * University of Alabama-Tuscaloosa (TT, review of apps begins Oct 15)
 * University of Alabama-Birmingham
 * University of Michigan-Flint (Higher Ed) Ad says: "Expertise in fiction or narrative forms preferred."
 * University of Mississippi (MLA)
 * University of Nevada, Las Vegas (TT, open rank)
 * University of Northern Colorado (HigherEd)
 * University of San Diego
 * Warren Wilson College
 * Western Michigan University (Jan 2010)
 * Willamette University

Poetry


 * Brooklyn College (HR listing)
 * College of Charleston
 * Cornell University (MLA)
 * George Mason University (HR listing)
 * Mesa State College
 * Nebraska Wesleyan University
 * Northern Kentucky University
 * Penn State York
 * Saginaw Valley State University
 * Texas Christian University
 * University of Houston (AWP as of the October listings)
 * University of Massachusetts, Lowell (JIL)
 * University of Nevada Reno (AWP)
 * University of North Carolina--Greensboro (AWP)
 * University of Oregon
 * University of Wisconsin--Green Bay
 * West Chester University (Chronicle Higher Ed)

Non-Fiction


 * Dartmouth College
 * Emerson College (MLA)
 * Ohio University (again)
 * SUNY Oswego (Chronicle Higher Ed)
 * University of Alabama-Birmingham (again)
 * University of Alaska--Fairbanks (again) (HR listing)
 * University of San Francisco
 * USC link to listing please? also: which USC?
 * Western Illinois University (Higher Ed)
 * Wheaton College

Playwriting/Screenwriting


 * RISD

Open Genre


 * Depaul U (MLA JIL) (NOTE: 3rd year of search)
 * Eastern Illinois State
 * Eastern Michigan University
 * Flagler College
 * High Point University (MLA)
 * Lebanon Valley College
 * New College of Florida (writer in residence, AWP)
 * North Central College
 * Point Loma Nazarene University (fiction or non-fiction)
 * Pomona College (endowed Disney chair) source: http://www.pomona.edu/adwr/academicdean/facultyjobs.shtml
 * Rhode Island School of Design (play-writing and script-writing, but also fiction and/or hybrid forms)
 * Shepherd University
 * University of Dubuque (creative writing, TT)

Visiting Positions
 Poetry 
 * Missouri State University (Higher Ed jobs)
 * St. Lawrence University (one year)
 * University of Connecticut (Prof. in Residence) (1-3 years, 1 semester per year)
 * Florida (one semester)

 Fiction 
 * Amherst College
 * Butler University
 * Murray State University (Visiting Professor in Residence: Fiction and/or Non-Fiction)
 * New College of Florida (Writer in Residence, Spring 2010 semester)
 * Reed College

 Non-Fiction 
 * George Washington University -- Jenny McKean Moore

 Playwriting/Screenwriting 
 * Ursinus College

Fellowships
Post-Book: Post-MFA, pre-book pre-job market:
 * Princeton University -- Hodder Fellowship
 * Radcliffe
 * University of Dayton -- Herbert W. Martin Fellowship in Creative Writing and Diversity
 * University of Louisville, Axton Fellowship in Creative Writing (Fiction) (deadline Dec. 1st)
 * Williams College, Gaius Charles Bolin Dissertation and Post-MFA Fellowships [FYI from the Williams website: "MFA candidates must be recent recipients of the degree; only those with degrees granted in 2009, or to be granted in 2010, are eligible to apply."]
 * Wisconsin
 * P-Town (deadline Dec. 1st)

Questions/Comments about Specific Job Listings
POETRY

'''Q: MLA This Year: In the ads for Reno, Brooklyn, Oregon, Houston, Mason, and Greensboro, not one of them specified that they'd be interviewing at MLA. Does anyone know what the deal is? Will any of them be interviewing at MLA?'''

Q: '''Reno: Would the person who said no interviews have been scheduled yet please clarify the source of the info? I.e. is it someone in Reno's department who is setting the record straight? Or someone who definitely knows the score?'''

I posted about it because someone I know told me they had an interview. I thought it would be germane to the conversation.

'''Q: I'm sorry--I'm confused. Does the above reply mean that Reno HAS scheduled MLA interviews? It sounds like it...but earlier someone wrote to say that was misinformation--so--does your friend have an interview there, or not, or are you unable to verify either way? Or--since you use the past tense--as in "had" an interview--does this mean your friend had a campus or phone interview with them? I.e. I know George Mason is skipping MLA and going straight to campus visits--is that the case here?'''

A: I don't know anything about who posted the information, or refutation, of the Reno interview, but I would say it's not something to worry about either way. I know that, just the day before the post for the MLA interview went up, I got an e-mail from Reno asking for more material, so it's doubtful that they asked for more material from a candidate one day and then scheduled all of their MLA interviews the following day. It seems almost certain that 1) the post about the interview was misinfromation, or 2) Reno is scheduling interviews one at a time rather than all at once. Either way, if they requested more materials from you, I'd say it's very likely that you're still in the running for an interview.

C: In the future, contributors to this wiki should abide by the rather simple, unspoken (now spoken) rule--only post information that you received first-hand! If need be, someone can add a "gossip" or "heard it through the grapevine" category below the "General Questions about the Job Market" section.

'''Q: Well, I don't mind reliable gossip--I just can't make heads or tails of the Reno gossip--did someone get an "off the record" interview with Reno, or not? '''

C: I can't speak to the Reno situtation (that wasn't me), but please note: a new "gossip" category has been created. Please use this space to post any second-hand stuff/gossip. The whole point of the wiki is to share basic but accurate information and to give us job candidates one small peek at where a school is at in their job search process--something that's nice to know in this twisted, drawn-out, keep-you-in-the-dark job process.

A: I have first-hand knowledge of this search. No MLA interviews have yet been scheduled.

'''Q: Dear fellow poets, I fear that I'm reading the job announcements a bit too hard, for I'm finding it difficult to match my qualifications with exactly what's stated in the descriptions. For instance, if an announcement states that the successful candidate will be asked to teach graduate students AND undergraduates, does that mean that you should already have experience doing that at a prior institution? What if you've only taught undergraduates so far? (I'm thinking that perhaps that piece of language is code for "We are searching for a senior faculty member--emerging writers need not worry about this one."'''

A: Yes, I'd say that you are reading job announcements too closely. If they say you will be asked to teach graduate students, that just means that you should be comfortable with that, and that you should be prepared to answer a question about teaching graduate students in your interview. In general, I'd say that you shouldn't worry about matching your qualifications "exactly" to what the ad asks for. If you have in the appropriate genre, have the degree, and a solid publication record, then apply.

'''Q: Is anyone /Has anyone been in the situation of having worked at a non-teaching job pending book publication, and now that the book has been released, searching for a teaching appointment? Are there any tips to share about making this career leap? '''

A: To clarify: I've been working in university admin since graduating from my MFA program. I have some past teaching experience on my C.V. but it's not like I've been a member of a department.

A: Try and get a few more years of teaching expereience, if at all possible: visiting gigs, Ph. D, adjuncting, etc. If you're making a real living, thus working f-t, even adjuncting one class a semester will strengthen your Vita. Very hard to be a competitive candidate w/ just an MFA, a book, and 1-3 years of T.A.-ing.

'''Q: Does anyone know if Houston's listing is for this year, or last year?? On their HR website the due date for app stuff is listed as Oct 1 2008, not 2009. Anyone?'''

'''Q: How did you find this Houston listing originally? It's not on MLA or Chronicle. '''

A: It's in AWP

A: I sent my application in during August. ..

A: They just re-posted their listing on AWP this month to say apps accepted until November but they started reviewing materials Oct. 1

A: I know someone there. They're well into their search.

A: I can confirm that.

'''Q: Has Houston started their campus visits yet? '''

Q: Would the Houston candidate wh was called for an interview mind sharing with us how many books he or she has--for curiosities' sake?

A: I wasn't called for an interview, but got a dossier request. I have three books.

C: Texas Christian University (beware: potential inside candidate)

A: Yes, sadly I must concur. Their ad. reads verbatim their visitor's impressive credentials. I sincerely wish schools would not entertain such hocus pocus. Very unimpressive and a waste of everyone's time. I mentioned this one job and the inside candidate to my chair as I think schools must consider how horribly unethical it is to advertise a job that for all intents and purposes is a done deal. TCU needs to have its feet held to the fire on this one!

A: But don't these decisions to publicize jobs come from on high?

A: Yes, as in the federal regulations on high.

C: But this happens at many places (the inside candidate). I've been to a few on-campus interviews where I've only found out when I got there that there was an inside candidate (pre job-wiki). It's a well-known phenomenon. Also, on occasion, someone bests the inside candidate for the job--it's been known to happen. It's definitely a cruddy practice, but TCU isn't nearly the only school that does this, and they're legally required to list the job.

'''Q: University of Oregon--wasn't this listed as awarded to Geri Doran in last year's wiki? Is this a whole new position? '''

A: I think Geri Doran got a visiting writer position.

A: No, Geri is on their permanent faculty. This is a whole new position.

A: I thought she was their visiting writer for 2 years? The UO website has her bio listed as "visiting professor"- how do you know she's permanent?

A: The chair of the dept. at Oregon sent a letter soliciting applications for the job from select candidates, and in it she wrote, "Having hired poet Geri Doran last year, we are close to our goal of having three faculty members in each genre, with Garrett Hongo and Geri Doran in poetry and David Bradley, Laurie Lynn Drummond, and Ehud Havazelet in fiction."

Q: Does this (above answer) mean that Oregon is going to select their candidates from a shortlist of solicited poets?

A: I think not. It's pretty normal for competitive MFA programs to ask more senior writers at other institutions to recommend candidates who might be interested in the position listed, thus the letters. It's meant to broaden and strengthen the application pool--not close it entirely in this case. Plus these letters go out to far more folks than actually apply for the jobs in the end (at least in my experience, I've gotten a few and ignored them as I was not on the market at the time).

A: In my experience, most MFA programs will solicit applications (this year, for ex., Oregon, George Mason, Houston), and many of these applicants often make the MLA & campus shortlists; however, unsolicited apps may yet have a chance, because, among other things, universities are always attempting to appear fair and open.

Q: Are Green Bay and Nebraska on AWP? I see them on their home sites--but otherwise can't find them listed. 'Also--can't find St. Lawrence at all--the university employment page says there are no academic jobs in English--what's up with that?'''

A: Wisconsin-Green Bay and St. Lawrence job ads are posted on the JIL. Nebraska Wesleyan on the Chronicle of Higher Education. 

Q: What is does JIL stand for?

A: The MLA Job Information List. See here. You'll need a password and username, which most schools supply for their graduate students. If not, you'll have to join. On a related note, does anyone think it's odd that this year many of the listings are hard to find, only cropping up on the JIL, etc.? Normally everything appears on AWP and/or the Chronicle, and this year that's just not the case. The listings seem haphazard, scattershot, HR sites don't exist or aren't updated, etc.

A: Yes. I think it's very odd since there's a sort of understood agreement among writers that AWP is the go-to listing. Do you think folks are cutting ad-costs due to the economic state of affairs? Or that folks avoiding AWP have inside candidates?

'''Q: Did anyone find it super-weird on the U of Nevada Reno online application that they asked you for "minimum salary desired"? What did you put down?'''

A: 25K in poker chips.

A: It seems to me like western schools do this more than others.

A: Western state schools, in particular, as part of statewide hiring process; that is, one would be asked the question if applying for any state job in that state in any field.

 

'''Q: George Mason--I heard they are interviewing before MLA this year. Has anyone heard anything back from them yet?'''

A: Haven't heard back yet. The ad itself said "Review of applications begins October 1, & selection to be made about December 1," which means they are indeed not interviewing at MLA. Most of the ads this year haven't specified anything at all about MLA, which is unusual. Most years nearly all the ads specify that they'll be interviewing there. I think due to budget issues we'll see more phone interviewing this year.

A: Yeah--but GM is going to do a real campus interview as opposed to phone, I'm pretty sure, so I'm interested to know when calls are made...

[Moved the formerly above re. wild speculation to the Gossip/Speculation section below.]

Q: George Mason- someone noted above in the departmental requests section that campus visits have been scheduled for November. Does that mean visiting candidates have already been notified, or just that the calendar dates for the visits have been determined?

A: They have contacted finalists and have begun arranging visits.

A: See above. Visits taking place this week & next.

'''Q: George Mason - did they do phone interviews, or just invite people? I'd be curious to know if finalists are male or female, how many books, etc.'''

A: (see above)

'''Q: Green Bay's guidelines say that a Ph.D. or dual MA/MFA is required. Does this mean that those of us with only an MFA shouldn't apply?'''

A: Yes, they want a Ph.D. The ad says a dual MA/MFA "considered." They definitely want someone with additional literature credentials--an MFA alone isn't enough in their eyes. Sorry!

A: Hey, don't take the answer above as law. Some folks on here just want to get rid of any competition. You Should apply anyway!

A: Looking at Green Bay's faculty, all (except for one person, who seems as though she's been there for awhile) have a PhD. Advisers/profs have always told me that you should only apply to the jobs that you are qualified for. A search committee's first goal is to weed out applications. Because Green Bay's job ad wording is pretty specific, they will likely breeze right past someone who cannot even handle close reading. One less application (or one more application) is not going to make the competition any less tight--this current job market, with the carry-over of last year's budget cuts, hiring freezes and cancellations, is going to be brutal regardless. You're better off perfecting the job letters for the schools that you are qualified for; jobs that are open to either terminal degree (MFA or PhD).

A: Forgive me, but the previous response seems pretty ridiculous to me (as do the previous respondent's old advisors). What does it cost you to apply? A few dollars in postage? As the ad says, ya gotta be in it to win it. Apply. Let them "breeze right past" you or whatever; you never know -- they just might be intrigued enough to ask you to interview. The only way you can be certain they won't is if you don't apply.

R: I concur -- just apply, apply, apply. Apply to all jobs -- just keep sending out as many letters as possible. Just keep throwing mud at a wall and see if anything sticks! And I would not even worry about polishing the letters for each particular job. Just get your letter there and they will probably be very intrigued. Despite the job listings' various particulars, schools likely have no idea what they want and you should just get your name out there and tell them who you are and why you are IT. Apply, apply, apply.

A: MFA-holding candidates--especially ones with actual publishing credits--should apply. An MFA with publishing trumps a PhD with no publishing credits in many searches, especially at larger institutions or places with eyes on having a writing program themselves.

Q: For those of you who got a request for more materials from Reno, how much of a time lag was there between when you sent your apps in and when you got the request?

A: I got my request a week later--but if it's been longer for you I would not sweat it--reviews of aps. seldom happen in a terribly organized fashion.

A: My request was also about a week later.

A: Ten days.

A: About a week.

'''Q: Folks who have served on search committees: Any idea of a typical number of aps. to weed down to for a) dossier requests and b) initial interviews? '''

A: One TT job with a 3/3 load, NE - 300 applications, 30 dossier requests, 6 interviews.

A: One TT job with 3/3 load: 200 applications, 10 MLA interviews, 3 campus visits.

A: One TT job with a 3/3 load, NE - 100 applications, 20 dossier requests, 8 phone interviews, 3 campus visits.

FICTION

'''Q: Rhodes college asks for "Letter, C.V. and dossier containing three professional references." Does that mean the NAMES of three references or the actual letters of recommendation? '''

A: If they're asking for a dossier, that means actual letters.

A: Definitely letters.

'''Q: Anyone know where I can find info about applying for the Reed Writer-in-residence position? I couldn't find it at the Reed site. '''

A: It's up on the JIL

Q: Anyone know the teaching load of the Ithaca job?

A: According to Ithaca's HR department, a typical load is 3-4.

A. Yes. It's 3-4.

N ON-FICTION

'''Q: Dartmouth College - IS THIS LISTING LEFT OVER FROM LAST YEAR? NOT ON CHRON OR DARTMOUTH SITE.'''

A: Dartmouth search is new--see AWP listings. They canceled a fiction search last year due to budget, but reinstated a search this year for CNF.

'''Q: USC -- IS THIS LISTING LEFT OVER FROM LAST YEAR? NOT ON CHRON OR USC SITE?'''

Q: Where is that RISD job listed? A: JIL/ADE

'''Q: Where is the Alabama-Tuscaloosa job listed? (I only managed to track down a listing at the school website after I saw it listed here; they posted it 9/30 and say review begins 10/15? Sounds like they have an inside candidate and are just going through the motions.) (Oh, wait -- there it is, on AWP.  Posted 10/13 with a 10/15 deadline!  What do you make of that?)'''

A: I agree - sounds like a legal requirement/ghost job.

A: Probably just late budget approval. They lost their two most recent junior colleagues (both women).

'''Q: Really? Who were they? Where did they go?'''

Q/A: Are you asking about the Birmingham or the Tuscaloosa job? I don't know anything about Birmingham, and re Tuscaloosa I know that their fiction position opened when Kate Bernheimer got the Lafayette Louisiana writer-in-residence job that was vacated by Rikki Ducornet. Don't know who they lost in nonfiction.

A: The Tuscaloosa job had a very short lead which is why it is possible they have a candidate in mind. The Birmingham job has a much more standard lead time between announcement and application due date. Also, Bernheimer is both writer-in-residence and associate professor, in other words, they combined two roles to save money.

Q: George Washington Jenny McKean Moore Writer-in-Washington: How competitive is this position (guesses welcome)...?

A: In this job market - very.

OPEN GENRE

Q: Does anyone know the teaching load for the DePaul job?

A: Pretty sure it's 3/3.

A: It's on a quarter system. The load is 2/2/2.

Q: Does anyone know how to compute an equivalent load between semesters and quarters?

A: 3+3=6 or 2+2+2=6

Q: So a 2/2 semester load would be the equivalent of a 2/1/1 or a 2/2/0, even though you'd have one or two light quarters?

A: It would be somewhat dependent on how many preps you have and the size of classes, but very generally, yes.

General Questions about Job Market Preparedness and Job Materials
'''Q: I got a request for a dossier and I'm fretting about what all that entails, since they don't specify. I've heard wildly conflicting opinions. '''

A: If they don't specify that they want a sample syllabus, teaching philosophy, transcripts, etc. then I just have the dossier service send letters.

'''Q: Isn't that a little bare-bones? I had understood that when asked for a dossier, you should submit all of the above, plus copies of student evaluations. What is the protocol here?'''

A: No. Generally speaking, when they ask for a dossier, they mean letters and perhaps transcripts. If they want things like syllabi, teaching philosophy and evaluations, they ask for them.

A: Never send evals, syllabi, sample lessons, reviews & essays, teaching statement until specifically asked. "Dossier" means recs &/or transcripts. It's the rare school that wants to see all these things from all 300-ish applicants, and over-zealous sending can get a person ruled out immediately; it smacks of a) poor instruction reading & b) desperation. Would that AWP would regularize the process so we weren't all left muddling through. Somebody create a panel!

'''Q: I already submitted a 10 pg. writing sample electronically as part of an application, but now they want additional materials from me, including a 25 pg. writing sample. So should I submit the same work but add to it, or should I submit something else entirely, or...'''?

A: I'd send your best work. Period.

A: Agreed, but remember:  Published always trumps non-published. If you have 25 pages of published work, send that. Only send not-yet published work as a last-last resort.

Q: When a writing sample is requested, is it a good or bad idea to submit a sample of poems photocopied from the magazines in which they appear?

A: Since photocopied work tends to look sloppy (tough to line it up on the page)--I'd suggest a clean set of poems. Also--they have your CV so they should be able to tell what's published where without the reminder. That's just a common sense answer--perhaps folks who have actually served on committees might disagree?

A: I've been told by a few people that it's better to send (photo)copies of the published work. If you can scan the magazine page to PDF it can often end up crisper, and that way you'll have electronic versions you can readily email/upload.

A: For what it's worth, I usually send a clean set of poems, and if they've appeared in magazines I've indicated the info in the footer, as I don't expect committee members to start trying to match it to my CV. So many journals are so oddly shaped that I think it would be quite difficult to make it look neat--esp. if you have work in tabloid journals like APR, or larger sized journals like The Southern Review or Ninth Letter. If they're from your book though, that would be easy to photocopy neatly (and you could include a color front and back cover and acknowledgments page--I've done that before too).

A: This may be a case where the protocol is genred. For poets, it's often considered tacky to photocopy from magazines. Make the majority of your writing sample recently published material, and trust that they can match the poems to the top of your Vita's pub list.

'''Q: I have a chapbook with multiple stories coming out. How do I present this on my CV? It isn't a book obviously, but it isn't a journal either. Make a new category? (Every bit helps, right?) '''

A: Do you have your CV divided into types of publication? Mine just has "publications" as a general category--I include both books and individual poems in journals. (And I got a TT job, if that makes any difference...)

'''Q: I've heard that it's better to find out who's chairing the search committee, and address the cover letter to that person (instead of "To The Search Committee.") What's the best way to find out who is the chair? Or is this even necessary? And if not, what's the best version of "To The Search Committee" to use? Does any of this matter?'''

A: I'm sure that it's a good idea to find the SC chair's name, but I think "To the Search Committee" is a perfectly reasonable way to begin a letter, and in the long run this particular detail is not going to make a difference in how the committee evaluates your application.

A: It seems to me that if they don't list a specific "send to" name in the posting, then they don't want you to know who the SC Chair is, and thus wouldn't want you to address your letter to said person, even if you could suss out who it was.

A: Having served on search committees in fiction I can assure you that you should not use the chair's name if the listing states to send your letter & materials to "Search Committee." This is not what you were asked to do; why not do as asked in this case? The idea of asking for things to be addressed to the committee generally is to communicate to you that this letter will be screened by a committee of equals. The search chair is usually acting primarily as the moderator of the other committee members and, even more so, as a liaison to the rest of the department and with candidates, and generally has no more voting power. Not even always seniority. You do not know the relationship of the search chair to the other committee members and listing her/his name on the letter might alienate someone else on the committee who has a lot invested in the search, someone who, say, doesn't like the search chair (seriously). All committee members are screening your letter. (At a later time, when you are contacted, or if you feel like contacting the search chair independently of your letter, sure, use her or his name.)

'''Q: Since the search committee usually involves English Department people who aren't creative writers, do any experienced people have suggestions for how applicants should frame themselves in their application letter? In my own case, I'm someone who will be pursuing creative and scholarly projects both (I have both a creative MFA and a lit crit PhD) -- should I emphasize this in the letter, or would this be repellent in some way? '''

A:  Tread carefully with this. The more you can find out about a school's listing, program, and search committee, the better off you'll be. You shouldn't hide your accomplishments--definitely let people know about both--but if you're applying to teach, say, in an MFA program where it's mostly MFA writers, emphasize your creative training and accomplishments in the bulk of the letter. If you're applying to teach in a CW PhD program you might emphasize both equally (CW and lit crit); ditto for an undergrad program where you'll be expected to wear many hats and teach lit. That being said, you'd ostensibly want to be somewhere anyway where you can do both (right?), so if they're put off by your lit crit training, would you really want to work there long-term?

Q: Does anyone know if any of these non-fiction openings would be congenial to applicants whose major emphasis is a different genre, but who also have non-fiction publications?

A: It totally depends on the school and the situation for the particular job. I say apply and let them turn you down. Don't eliminate yourself as a candidate for them. I currently have a TT-job and the listing was for someone working in two genres. I only work in one. I got the job anyway, and it turns out the Dean had tried to make the department squish two searches into one position. The thing I learned from this (and the last job search committee that I sat on) was that often the program/department/faculty have less say over how the ad is worded then they might like (which might not be the case in this situation, but who knows what the committee will be amenable to; anecdotally, schools seem to have a tough time finding CNF hires, so why not toss your hat in the ring if you have some solid pubs in CNF?).

A: While I agree that you might as well apply -- it doesn't cost you anything -- I can say, having served on several search committees at a couple of different institutions, that if someone is advertising for a nonfiction job, they want a nonfiction writer, not a fiction writer with a few nonfiction publications. Conversely, if they're advertising for a fiction job, they don't want someone whose primary emphasis is nonfiction but who might have a few fiction pubs. So yes, you can apply for such a job, and you might as well if you can spare the postage, but rest assured, you will not get it -- especially not in this market. I have no idea what this "anecdotal" evidence is, but I can tell you that the last time we ran a nonfiction search, we literally received hundreds of applications. (Haven't you noticed that there are far fewer nonfiction openings these days than fiction or poetry?) Almost all of them were from people who primarily wrote nonfiction; the few exceptions quickly found their way to the "no" pile. Sorry, but that's the way it is.

'''Q: This is really my first full-year on the market.I half-heartedly tried last year but all eight positions I applied to were canceled due to budget cuts.I graduated from an MFA program in 2007 with a focus on creative nonfiction.I’ve built some lit journal publications, including a book scheduled to come out next summer from a major national press.Though I was a TA in grad school and a managing editor on the program's magazine, the market was so bad that I had to take a 9-5 office job that’s only loosely tied to education. I’m worried that the gap and my time out of the classroom will hurt.And I’m seriously wondering if a PhD is the way to go, which my heart isn't into—a creative writing doctorate even though I have a book?A lit doctorate heavy on theory?Perhaps I should look for a visiting gig?I’ve always been told the work overshadows the degree in creative writing, but a good number of openings are asking for PhDs now.I’m careful not to get my hopes up, and I’m realistic about all that’s involved with a teaching position and of course how competitive things are, but despite all that, I really love the classroom and academia.Again, I'm young and inexperienced in this.I guess I don’t have a true question, but any advice for someone in my position, or the many others like us?'''

A: I think, if you're mobile, visiting gigs are perfect for someone in your position. I got a fancy year-long visiting gig at a place that (at the time) would never have hired me TT, and it meant that the next year, I got way more interviews since I had the 'fancy' school on my c.v. and an extra year of teaching. I'm convinced that this also helped me get my current (TT) job. Also, any other teaching experience you can get in the meantime will help you. Can you teach a local workshop once a week in the evenings at a non-profit center or as an adjunct? I'd be reluctant, if I were on a hiring committee, to hire someone who hadn't logged at least some hours in the classroom as the instructor of record, with good student reviews. Also, what about post-MFA fellowships--have you looked into these (like the GWU, Colgate, UNC Chapel Hill, and Louisville situations)? These switch genres and do rotate through CNF). Congrats on the book!!  Addendum:  Poster #3 makes excellent points too!

A: Try to avoid investing more time in a PhD at all costs. The market can't sustain those already graduated and you will spend 5-8 years spending money, working on material you don't care much about, and not increasing your real skills. If you can't live without teaching, look for other outlets. Humanities PhD's are a vestigal organ, and very few of us will ever make a living off the years we could have spent writing instead. (But I'm not cynical at all.)

A: The first answer here, seems to me spot-on. But I'm not so jaded on the Ph.D.. Here's why: 1) It couldl double your possibilities on the market (many schools still will not look at MFAs) 2) If you choose a top-five program then you may very well be in a place where you are one of several writers who had books published with good presses before applying. 3) It would give you time to write a second book (and 2 books seems scarily the norm for the current competition) 4) I've known plenty of folks to breeze through in 1 1/2 to 3 years (hell, but possible). 4) You may have the opportunity to teach a better variety of courses in your field in a Ph.D. program (particularly if you already have a book). 5) It can't make your writing or teaching worse to read a lot of great literature in a craft-oriented program. 6) Theory? What's that? Ph.D.s in top writing-programs pretty much scorn theory. Al of which is to say--I view my own Ph.D. experience as invaluable--not the drudgery alluded to at all--and I culled infinite wisdom (and network connections!) from the Pulitzer and National Book Award writers I studied with. All that said, though: If your heart's not in it then--well ;that's the key, isn't it. Hard to be happy doing something you don't want to do--regardless of benefits.

A: Bottom line: if you look at AWP's annual report on the job market, there's a spike in 04? 05? of around 160ish T-T CW jobs. Those days will likely either a) never come again, or b) not come again for a long, long time. Schools can essentially ask for whatever they want and receive a wealth of applicants who have that and more, so that even if the minimum requirements are an MFA and one book, one is up against 2- & 3- & 4- book poets with Ph.Ds and many years' experience in teaching. If serious about teaching, then fellowships, visiting gigs, and especially Ph.Ds will be useful, if not essential. Whether the MFA should be a terminal degree is, alas, an utterly different question than whether or not it IS. (Of course, other things can and do trump uber-qualification--a splashy debut book, an inside candidacy, a spousal hire, an early major prize--)

A: The schools that are expressing a preference for Ph.D.s are doing so because they are smaller, with smaller English departments and higher teaching loads, and they need people to teach lit classes as well as writing classes (and probably comp classes, too). In my humble opinion, that makes these jobs far less desirable; the more desirable jobs -- with lower teaching loads, and a requirement to teach only creative writing (and, frankly, at more prestigious schools/programs) -- care much more about your publishing record than your degree. In many cases, they hire well-published faculty who have nothing higher than a BA.

C: This previous comment about hiring "well-published faculty who have nothing higher than a B.A." is completely naive. Bottom line: you want to teach in an M.F.A. program, then you better have, at the very least, an M.F.A. of your own, along with a record of "teaching excellence." The 2/2 job is not some magical position where you're granted all the time in the world to write and publish--you are joining an English Department, where you will be expected to participate in the everyday administrative and committee tasks within the Department (and sometimes within the larger Humanitites or Arts & Sciences school division) in addition to teaching and mentoring both graduate and undergraduates. Being well-published (unless you are a Toni Morrison) does not give you a free pass or lighten your potential workload.

A: I don't think the commenter is naive at all; there are, indeed, people on faculty at MFA programs who only have B.A.s.  Then again, they tend to be superstars -- winners of Pulitzers and/or National Book Awards, authors of runaway bestsellers (you think anyone would have turned away Frank McCourt?), etc. There are plenty of well-published writers teaching with MFA's or terminal MA's -- many more, I would bet, than Ph.D.'s. Ph.D.'s, after all, tend to publish less, and what they do publish tends to be with academic, not mainstream/commercial, presses. What is important is that you publish -- well, frequently, with highly-regarded presses and to good reviews. As for this business about the 2/2 job not requiring any work: Who said that? I read and re-read all the comments, and no one even hinted at that. What you talkin' 'bout, Willis?

A: Perhaps this previous conversation should turn into a good old M.F.A. v. Ph.D. debate (that's always a fun one). Answers #3 and 4 (up above) seem pretty credible and practical. To claim that Ph.D.'s publish less seems grossly mistaken (publishing with an academic/university press is not any less notable than a mainstream/commerical press; though, maybe we're talking the differences between a poet and a fiction/non-fiction writer).

A: As someone wrote here, it seems poets inhabit their own universe with its own rules, but in the world of creative/literary prose, publishing with an academic/university press is, unfortunately, less "notable" than publishing with a mainstream/commercial press. To think otherwise would be, as someone else (?) wrote, "completely naive."

'''Q: Is it a general expectation that the writing sample be from one's published work, or are committees open to newer work as well? I have a couple of books published, but like everyone else, I'm sure, I'm most excited about my manuscripts in progress (one is under contract, one is not), and would prefer to lead with that material. Have people found any reason to not just go with what you feel is your own strongest material, regardless of publication status?'''

A: You sound like a prose writer, yes? I think for poets, it's pretty easy to stick a few poems from each collection into a 10 or 20 page sample. That being said, it's easy for me to be infatuated with my new work, but it often takes a while for me to figure out if it's really good. With the published stuff, I know it's at least passed muster with others. Is there a way you might include both? Or include a sample of published work, but a 1-page description of the new project with it? You can always read new new work at a job talk too. But if the new work is somehow stylistically super-different than your earlier work (and again, this seems to happen more with poets) and is indicative of the type of stuff you see yourself writing for a while, you might send that if it's a better match with what the faculty at an institution produce (e.g. if you're a narrative poet that's gone experimental/language-esque and are applying for a job at Buffalo).

A: This might be too touchy-feely, but when I sent in writing samples (for the TT job I eventually got), I sent in the work that I felt was my truest--meaning it best represented the kind of poet I think I am--and that included both published and unpublished work. Another poet in my department later told me that the piece she liked best was the one I've had the most trouble getting published. It was definitely the "riskiest" work I sent. This is all just to say that no, I don't see a reason not to go with what you think is your strongest material, and publication status might be somewhat secondary. To people who have served on search committees: If you are really impressed with a candidate's writing sample, does its publication status influence your assessment of it?

A: I can't speak for poets -- it sounds like they have their own universe with its own rules -- but as far as fiction and nonfiction are concerned, you absolutely should NOT send anything that hasn't been published. No one -- especially in this market -- will read an unpublished manuscript. Whoever and wherever they are, they are getting hundreds of applications, the vast majority of which will contain writing samples that have been published. You're much better off sending a "weaker" work that has been published than a "stronger" work that hasn't. If you must, you can talk about your as-yet-unpublished work in your cover letter, but don't dwell on it too much; you might inadvertently start to raise questions about why it hasn't been published yet.

'''Q: Along the lines of the above question--how do people with multiple works negotiate writing about them in that one paragraph (if you abide by that standard, and if you don't, can you say why)? Do you focus evenly on each book or more on one if it seems to relate to the style of institution you're applying to, etc.? '''

A: I have multiple books (more than 2), so I have two paragraphs on my work that deal with the issues and themes my work tackles, and how these have evolved (along with my style) over the course of my projects (including my most recent). At a certain point sticking to the 'one-paragraph on your work' format becomes unrealistic--especially based on the stats listed above for those of us on the list with both writerly and academic interests, rich employment histories, and multiple book publications.

A: Two paragraphs is too many. No matter how much you've published, you shouldn't devote more than a paragraph to it. Really. If it's been published, they'll read it (assuming you send it along), and your work will speak for itself; if it hasn't, they're not going to want to read more than a couple of sentences about it. Use the space to talk about teaching, and let your work speak for itself.

Q: When committees call for a "writing sample" but don't specify how many poems/pages, should you send a copy of your published book?

A: Yes

A; This is not a simple yes or no question, and the answer will vary by genre, too. For poetry, if you have individual poems published in very prestigious magazines or journals, you'll definitely do better to send photocopies of your work with the publication name displayed prominently at the top or bottom of the page. If you do send a book, just be prepared to not get it back, or to get it back smudged/dog-eared, etc.

A: Really? I had both prestigious pubs and a book--got the current job after sending the book--and got back all books in mint condition.

A: I've gotten books back in all kinds of condition -- everything from mint (and probably unopened) to smudged/dog-eared (and even marked!).

"I Heard It Through the Grapevine," or "Plights & Gripes as Bad as Achilles"
'''Q: Is this it? Are more jobs to come?'''

A: Barring any sudden deaths, yeah, this is probably it.

A: There might be a few more listings in November pre-MLA, and then there are the spring listings (which tend to be more adjunct/visiting positions). It's a weird year though and lots of places seem to be shunning MLA, and places might get late approval for new lines if the economy lifts, so who knows...

A: In this market, anything can happen. I personally know of schools and departments that have not yet had positions approved, but are likely to get them in the next few weeks. At this point, though, there will be very few of those -- at least until spring, when the visiting posts come out.

A: There are always a trickle of jobs, and as of November 5 we're not near the end yet. Real t-t jobs will still come out between now and MLA, and there are always an early Spring flurry before the AWP conference. It is true that post-February lots of things come out as VAPs.

George Mason poet search thread:

A: Doesn't that mean it puts their top candidate in the catbird seat? She/he could still go to MLA--but from a position of power for having a job in the bag. Say the candidate gets a better offer--what's to keep her/him from breaking GMs contract? Then too--consider this: how many better offers are there to get this year? Folks vying for 2/2 jobs have all of--what--3 schools to choose from?

C: My guess is that that's precisely WHY George Mason did such a speedy search. "The school that runs AWP" knows exactly what it's doing: would you want to wait until MLA (or all the way til the AWP conference) to try and snag the candidate(s) of your choice? If you have the resources, why not fly them both out WAY before all of that, make your offer(s), and seal the deal before other schools even finish digging through their apps. Makes perfect sense. Do you really suppose somebody's gonna sign a contract with GM and then bother to go to Philly for an interview (or, worse, Denver) in the hopes of something better? No way. Signed, sealed, delivered. I wish more schools would go after the folks they wanted, and save us all the misery of the conference lobby fretting.

A: It will certainly be someone from the Iowa or Wash U chain gang. And if it's a male I'll eat my shorts. Other jobs which white boys need not apply for (cue protest here) are definitely Greensboro and probably Houston too. Big question is if Cornell is an inside candidate set-up.

C: Person above: are you saying that you think Greensboro and Houston have inside candidates in certain demographic categories, or are you making a general observation about the literary scene? Because the Poets & Writers rankings would seem to contradict you on several fronts. I don't want to over-determine the significance of that particular ranking (or, for that matter, the Whiting Awards list, which only included two women) but to imply that men are at a disadvantage this year is, well, c'mon.

A: No. I meant simply what I wrote.' Greensboro is definitely going to hire a woman, Mason almost definitely, and Houston I'm less sure about but suspect will do the same. Who knows what the general trends are. Certainly not Poets & Writer's. Don't waste your time with that; you might as well read tenny mags or Pregant Gourmet Bride and Stream or Guns & Ammo. Or real literature. And awards are a completely different thing. Personally, I think there's plenty of gender and racial skewing to go around. And guess what: it works all different ways. But it still exists. Anyone who has been on a search committee or on this job market knows that. Love Ya, Doofus.

A: Yes! I am wild!!! And I am speculative!!! I wildly speculate. Especially at bootayyy! But one does in fact have inside knowledge. As I said before, profiling works in all different directions, to the detriment and or benefit of all groups, at different times. You're right that academia is still old school prejudicial. But it's also old school early nineties-ish pc at times. And it would be hard to imagine a worse, more frightening way of hiring than matching judgment of aesthetic or pedagogical merit with nation-wide demographics. Anyhoo. Just you wait, dear, and see this year's hire. The doofus knows the inside doof. And the Doofus will have a doppio macchiato.

C: Ahh, poets....

'''Q: "Ahh, poets," indeed. Who knew there were that many of them out there? I certainly wouldn't have guessed that there would be more poets on the market than writers of prose, and yet the former seem to have taken over this wiki, at least. Why are there so many poets and yet so few poetry jobs? Isn't it irresponsible for graduate programs to keep churning out more and more degreed poets while the market for such poets continues to shrink and shrink? (It's not as if there's all that much for poets to do with such a degree beyond teach and write poetry, after all.) And what's with all the poets who also write (or at least dabble in) creative non-fiction? I would have guessed that the natural crossovers would be non-fiction/fiction and fiction/poetry; poetry and non-fiction don't seem all that compatible, at least not to me. What's up with that? '''

C: Can we keep this to job info and job-related gossip, not asinine musings?

C: Wow. Agressive response. Can we also keep keep our dialogue friendly and supportive?

C: Speaking as someone who did graduate work in poetry and has subsequently decided to shift to nonfiction, it's not unusual at all. Think of all the poets who've published memoirs and personal essays; the two forms seem to be highly compatible. Perhaps I am just lucky, but it was much easier (and cheaper) for me to land a contract for a nonfiction book than it was to send my poetry ms to a zillion contests.

Cornell:

Well, Cornell has expressed interest to at least one female candidate--suggesting they may not deem a whopping three TT gals as an inordinate amount consider having on faculty. Female queried was definitely an outside--and not an inside--candidate.

Oh, boy--I stand corrected on the inside candidate bit! Thanks (above respondent--GM thread)) for providing the link to the visiting prof.--if she doesn't get it I'll eat my hat.

I don't think it's cool to put folks' names on here, but links: why not? Also: maybe she won't get it since she earned her MFA there, and schools tend (right?) not to like hiring their own as it can appear too insular. Any other thoughts on that? Anybody out there get at TT job from where they got one of their degrees?

DePaul:

Q: Someone noted above that this is the "3rd year of a search" to fill this position. Is that a concern? Is there something disfunctional about this department? Or, do they just keep losing their top candidates to other schools?