Assistant Professor - English

Job Description

The University of Wyoming invites diverse applicants to consider our employment opportunities.  We are also especially interested in candidates who have experience working with diverse populations and/or diverse initiatives

JOB TITLE:   

Assistant Professor

JOB PURPOSE:   

The English Department at the University of Wyoming invites applications for a tenure-line assistant professor in Creative Writing, with a primary specialization in fiction. We especially seek candidates with secondary expertise in one or more of the following areas: environmental writing, hybrid forms, writing and social justice, nonfiction, and the public humanities, broadly defined. This is a nine-month fully benefitted position where the successful candidate will be expected to pursue an active writing and research agenda and teach courses at both the graduate and undergraduate level. Our intentionally interdisciplinary writing community extends beyond the classroom, and our faculty are expected to participate fully in the life of our program and department, serve on our MFA admissions committee, and regularly advise graduate theses. The appointment begins August 19, 2025. Salary is competitive and commensurate with experience. 

About the Creative Writing Program and The University of Wyoming: 

The Creative Program at the University of Wyoming supports a nationally recognized, fully-funded MFA program, a thriving undergraduate minor, and an undergraduate English Major with a concentration in creative writing currently in development. Our intentionally interdisciplinary program has active partnerships with the Haub School of Environment and Natural Resources and the School of Culture, Gender and Social Justice, which includes the fields of Native American and Indigenous Studies, African American and Diaspora Studies, Latina/o Studies, and Gender and Women’s Studies. 

We’re housed within the English Department in the University’s College of Arts and Sciences. The department is home to internationally recognized scholars, writers and teachers and offers both an undergraduate major and additional minors in professional writing and literary studies. In addition to the MFA in Creative Writing, the department offers three MA tracks in literature; rhetoric, composition, and writing studies; and the public humanities, and beginning this year a PhD in the public humanities (read more about it here).

The University of Wyoming was founded in 1886 and is a nationally recognized land-grant research institution with expert faculty, top-ranked writers and academics, and world-class facilities. The state of Wyoming invests deeply in its only four-year university, helping to make it a leader in higher education, research, and outreach. The university has state-of-the-art facilities in many areas and the community provides the advantages of a major university in a beautiful, small-town setting.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:  

Essential duties are to pursue an appropriate writing and publication agenda and to develop and teach undergraduate and graduate courses in Creative Writing, English, and other fields tied to the candidate’s area(s) of expertise. The typical tenure-track teaching load is five courses per academic year with opportunities for course releases when directing multiple theses and/or dissertations or taking on other kinds of significant departmental service.

SUPPLEMENTAL FUNCTIONS:  

Other duties entail supporting both the MFA and undergraduate program by serving on our MFA admissions committee, regularly directing graduate theses, and participating in event programming and ongoing curricular development.  The successful candidate can expect to be actively involved in service related to the expansion of our MFA program, the ongoing development of our undergraduate concentration in Creative Writing, and the department’s evolving public humanities initiatives.

REMOTE WORK ELIGIBILITY: 

This position provides vital support to campus customers and requires the successful candidate be available to work on campus.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:  

  • Applicants must have a terminal degree (MFA or PhD) and their work should primarily be in fiction. 
  • Applicants should have published a minimum of one book.
  • Valid driver's license with a motor vehicle record (MVR) compliant with the University Vehicle Use Policy.

DESIRED QUALIFICATIONS:  

  • While primary expertise should be in fiction secondary expertise in one or more of the following areas is desired: nonfiction, environmental writing, hybrid forms, writing and social justice, and the public humanities, broadly defined.
  • A record of publication beyond the minimum qualifications stated above.
  • Evidence of substantial work with graduate students.
  • Experience with public humanities programming, grant writing and administration, or related kinds of work.

REQUIRED MATERIALS:  

Submit the online application and upload the following for a complete application: 

  • curriculum vitae, including contact information for academic references
  • letter of interest no more than two pages
  • three confidential letters of recommendation. Please send the confidential letters of recommendation to englishdept@uwyo.edu 
  • A writing sample of ~40 pages

This position will remain open until filled. Complete applications received by 09/30/2024 will receive full consideration.

HIRING STATEMENT:  

UW is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Educator and Employer. We are committed to a multicultural environment and strongly encourage applications from women, minorities, veterans and persons with disabilities. In compliance with the ADA Amendments Act (ADAA), if you have a disability and would like to request an accommodation to apply for a position, please call 307-766-2377 or email jobapps@uwyo.edu. Direct any other questions to search committee chair Molly McCully Brown, Director of Creative Writing, University of Wyoming at molly.brown@uwyo.edu 

ABOUT LARAMIE:

The University of Wyoming is located in Laramie, a town of 30,000 in the heart of the Rocky Mountain West. The state of Wyoming continues to invest in its university, helping to make it a leader in academics, research and outreach. The university has state-of-the-art facilities in many areas and the community provides the advantages of a major university.

Located in a high mountain valley near the Colorado border, Laramie offers both outstanding recreational opportunities and close proximity to Colorado’s Front Range, a bustling group of metropolitan cities including Denver, Boulder, and Fort Collins. This beautiful mountain landscape offers outdoor enjoyment in all seasons, with over 300 days of sunshine annually. For more information about the region, please visit http://visitlaramie.org/


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