The Metro Edmonton Federation of Libraries, a partnership between Edmonton Public Library, St. Albert Public Library, and Strathcona County Library, is now accepting applications for two Writers in Residence positions for the year 2025.
About the Program
The Writers in Residence program is designed to support local writers, promote literacy, and foster a love of reading in the community. The successful candidates will work individually and collaboratively to develop regional programming and projects and will devote 50% of their time to library programs and projects for all ages, and 50% of their time to personal writing projects.
Goals of the Writer in Residence Program
- Provide one-on-one consultations, workshops, and mentorship to support local writers
- Connect with relevant groups and organizations in the host community to do outreach and provide writing-related programming
- Act as a connector between the Library and the community
- Connect with and encourage the imagination of readers
- Provide time, space, and resources for a published author to grow their body of work.
The successful candidates will work individually and collaboratively to develop regional programming and projects, and will devote 50% of their time to library programs and projects for people of all ages, and 50% of their time to personal writing projects.
One of the Writers in Residence will work out of Stanley A. Milner Library, with their primary area of responsibility being Edmonton residents. The other Writer in Residence will split their time between Strathcona County Library and St. Albert Public Library. Working space will be provided.
To be eligible, applicants must:
- Be a resident of Edmonton or surrounding area
- Be a Canadian citizen or permanent resident of Canada
- Have a minimum of one professionally published critically reviewed title
- Have instruction and facilitation experience in the area of creative writing
- Be an active participant in a local writing community
- Be comfortable working with the public in one-on-one and group settings
- Be interested in, and able to, provide online consultation and programs
- Be currently working on a writing project intended for publication
- Be familiar with library programs and services and have a desire to be a community advocate for public libraries
- Have reliable transportation to allow for travel throughout the metro Edmonton area.
Contract Details
The Writers in Residence positions are 10.5 month non-renewable contracts, paying $44,612.44 each. Additional funds may be available for programming support. A six-week break is included in the program.
These full-time positions (35 hours/week) may include days, evenings and/or weekends.
The successful candidates will be required to provide a clear Criminal Records Check and Vulnerable Sector Check as a condition of employment.
Apply now!
To apply, please submit the following:
- Cover letter
- Resume clearly outlining literary publications and background in the literary field, experience working with the public, teaching experience or other forms of public presentation
- List of ideas with brief descriptions for library writing workshops and community programming
- Please include an explanation of how programming could be adapted to different communities in and around Edmonton
- Please include writing workshops that you would present without invited guests
- Preference for regional or EPL residency, if any
- Description of a personal writing project or projects to be undertaken throughout the residency
- Two letters of reference from members of the writing community
- A sample of recent writing (maximum five pages) along with any reviews of earlier works.
Applications must be submitted electronically in pdf format to jruel@sapl.ca, Attn.: Writers in Residence Selection Committee, by 11:59 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024.
Note
Previous Metro Edmonton Writers in Residence must wait at least five years before applying again. They will only be considered for the location(s) where they have not previously held the Writer in Residence position. Top of Form
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About Edmonton Public Library
Edmonton Public Library (EPL) is a gathering place for people and ideas, enabling a lifetime of learning, engagement and possibility for every Edmontonian. One of the most visited places in Edmonton, every year EPL hosts millions of visitors across our 21 branches. We deliver our incredible content to you everywhere – in the library, at home or on your handheld device. Unmatched access and unrivalled value – that is today’s EPL.
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Media contact
Erika Nakatsui, Communications Specialist, Edmonton Public Library
About St. Albert Public Library
St. Albert Public Library is your place to be, to meet and to grow. Housed in the architectural jewel St. Albert Place, nestled on the banks of the Sturgeon River, the Library is a welcoming, accessible community hub that offers award-winning services and programs to a community of over 70,000. We’re St. Albert’s gathering place: where people access information, resources and the support of our exceptional staff, where they find diverse and fun opportunities for their leisure time, and where they connect with their community. At St. Albert Public Library, we are driven by the desire to meet the evolving needs of the community.
About Strathcona County Library
At the heart of a vibrant urban/rural community of 100,000, Strathcona County Library (SCL) encourages literacy and lifelong learning, fosters community connections, and offers programs and services that inform, engage, and entertain. SCL provides excellent and accessible services from a central library in the Strathcona County Community Centre, and an award-winning Bookmobile.
