Faculty- Tenure Stream

Ast/Asc Professor - Tenure System

Position Summary

The Residential College in the Arts and Humanities (RCAH) at Michigan State University (MSU) seeks a committed poet to serve as the Director for the RCAH Center for Poetry. The Director will also teach a variety of courses in an interdisciplinary undergraduate arts and humanities curriculum that emphasizes community engagement. The ideal candidate will be an effective leader who administers a center dedicated to the collaborative development and promotion of the literary arts within RCAH and across programs at MSU and the Greater Lansing community. The ideal candidate will demonstrate excellence in teaching courses on poetry, creative writing, first-year writing, and literature, in a large research institution with a diverse student body. A teaching load of three courses per year is expected. Demonstrated interest in and practice of scholarship, criticism, curation, editing, and/or publishing are also highly desirable.

We are looking for someone who will: conceive of poetry broadly, to include poetic expression beyond traditional forms of print poetry (e.g., spoken-word poetry and new media poetry); curate events and design courses that encourage productive connections between poetry and forms of creative expression in other disciplines, including music, visual arts, dance, film, and theater; be committed to developing educational, writing-centered projects that engage local communities in and intersect with anti-racist, socially just goals with inclusive aims.   The candidate will work closely with the Center's assistant director and student staff in producing events, pursuing additional funding opportunities, and will consult on Wheelbarrow Books, the Center’s publishing imprint. A terminal degree in a related field by the time of appointment and evidence of an active career as an arts practitioner capable of thriving in an interdisciplinary undergraduate learning context is required.

The RCAH at MSU is an interdisciplinary, residential undergraduate college in the arts and humanities with a strong commitment to undergraduate education and wellness, and with a curricular emphasis on social justice, community engagement, and the study of language and culture.  Michigan State University is a Carnegie R1 institution that values cross-college collaboration, and the successful candidate will also have opportunities to collaborate and program with faculty in their discipline at MSU.

The RCAH Center for Poetry, founded in 2007, encourages the reading, writing, and discussion of poetry, in order to cultivate an awareness of the place and power of poetry in our everyday lives.  The Center accomplishes these goals, among other ways, through readings, performances, community partnerships and engagement, workshops, contests, and its publishing imprint, Wheelbarrow Books. The Center works to build a poetry community in the Greater Lansing area and beyond.  Past visiting poets include, Reginald Dwayne Betts, Marvin Bell, CAConrad, Gabrielle Calvocoressi, Toi Derricotte, Natalie Diaz, Mark Doty, Carolyn Forché, Tyehimba Jess, Li-Young Lee, Robin Coste Lewis, Layli Long Soldier, Thomas Lynch, George Ella Lyon, Marilyn Nelson, Naomi Shihab Nye, Carl Phillips, and Ocean Vuong.  

This position will start August 16, 2024.

Equal Employment Opportunity Statement

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, citizenship, age, disability or protected veteran status.

Required Degree

Terminal Degree

Minimum Requirements

Terminal degree in related field.  Experience teaching in Arts and Humanities courses.

Required Application Materials

Resume/CV

Cover Letter

Special Instructions

Applicants should include:

cover letter,

CV, statement of teaching philosophy,

statement on inclusive practices of leadership and teaching,

sample syllabi for creative writing and poetry courses, and

a writing sample (at least twenty pages) that suggests the range of their creative and critical interests.

These materials should be compiled in a single PDF.  Applicants also will be required to submit names and emails for three people from whom letters of reference will be solicited.  Applications are due November 1, 2023.  Initial interviews expected to be held virtually in December.

Review of Applications Begins On

11/01/2023