Associate or Full Professor – Sydney Blair Memorial Professorship in Creative Writing (fiction)

The University of Virginia’s Department of English/Program in Creative Writing—one of the nation’s highest-ranked—invites applications for the Sydney Blair Memorial Professorship in Creative Writing (fiction), at the level of associate or full professor. Created through a gift from the Kapnick Foundation, this professorship honors the memory of longtime faculty member Sydney Blair and her love of teaching. We are looking for an outstanding and innovative writer-teacher who can lead undergraduate and graduate workshops and seminars in fiction, as well as in a secondary or subgenre such as creative nonfiction, poetry, scriptwriting, literary journalism, literary translation, graphic narrative, hybrid writing, etc. We are especially interested in writers with an international and/or experimental focus. Teaching responsibilities will be two courses per term with every sixth term on leave; position is expected to begin Fall 2024. We seek candidates with promise of continued creative excellence, a commitment to teaching, and a readiness to assume service responsibilities within the Creative Writing Program—candidates whose skills and experiences will advance the university’s ambition to cultivate the most vibrant and diverse educational community.

The university will perform background checks on all new hires before employment.

Questions about the position may go to Jane Alison, Professor of Creative Writing (jas2ad@virginia.edu).

Questions about the application process may go to Melanie Sponaugle, Academic Recruiter (unw5dq@virginia.edu).

1. PhD or MFA in creative writing or equivalent required
2. Thee years of experience required
3. Two books of fiction from leading national presses required, with three books strongly preferred;
4. substantial publications in a secondary or subgenre preferred
5. five years of university-level teaching, with a proven record of excellence preferred;
6. promise of continued creative excellence, a commitment to teaching, and a readiness to assume service responsibilities within the Creative Writing Program preferred.