Sponsoring unit: William & Mary Libraries
Mission/Purpose of Program: To bring a successful and proven author into the W&M community to engage with students, faculty, staff, and alumni for the purpose of shared knowledge and expertise, and, for the author, significant support to focus on a writing project.
Location: Hybrid (Note: The writer does not have to live in Williamsburg but must visit W&M in-person several times throughout the program year. Travel funding will be provided, in addition to the stipend.)
Duration: One-year residency (Fall/Spring school year)
Compensation: $50,000 (This position does not include benefits.)
Description:
This program seeks a writer with a connection to Virginia and an established record of publication to engage with and support our community. Publications can include fiction, short stories, poetry, drama, children’s literature, multimedia, graphic novels, creative non-fiction, literary non-fiction, or journalistic writing. The expectations of the Writer-in-Residence will be to engage with the W&M community and share their expertise through lectures and workshops. The Writer will be invited to visit creative writing, literature, and other classes on campus, but this is not a teaching position. The Writer will be expected to be on campus one week each semester to facilitate writing-related programs, with special emphasis on the study or development of Virginia women writers. The writer will receive access to library resources and support from librarians and archivists to achieve the goals established for the program duration. The compensation is $50,000, plus travel assistance.
- Expectations
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- Lead at least one in-person event per semester. (Note: The specific topic of each event will be identified in collaboration with library event staff, who will support event coordination and logistics.)
- Visit at least two classes per semester, in-person or virtual, with at least one in-person.
- Lead a virtual program six times during the yearly term.
- Acknowledgment of W&M Libraries and the program in published work.
- Consideration of donation of materials to W&M Libraries’ Special Collections for the purpose of research and preservation. W&M Libraries seeks to be the destination for materials on Virginia women writers.
- Raise awareness of writing archives.
- Engage as an active part of our library community. Your selection as the Writer-in-Residence will be highlighted in the library’s blog and social media and you will be invited to participate in other library activities when appropriate.
- Eligibility
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- Demonstrated connection to Virginia (example: lives/lived in Virginia, born in Virginia, attended school/college in Virginia)
- Interest and ability to support development and study of Virginia writers
- Record of publication (books, magazines, journals, etc.)
- Established writer is defined as having two or more books published or a long record of journalistic writing.
- How to apply
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- Submit application
- Submit 2 letters of recommendation
- Submit writing sample or links to published pieces
- Submit residency proposal (limit 1,000 words) that addresses the following items:
- What you would like to accomplish as the Writer-in-Residence.
- How would you engage with the Libraries?
- How would you engage with students?
- What type of events you would like lead/host?
- Speak to your qualification as an established writer.
- Explain your connection to Virginia.
- Provide a description of the writing projects you would like to work on during your term.
- What you would like to accomplish as the Writer-in-Residence.
Application Process:
- Submit application form
- Search committee selects top candidates for interviews
- Interviews held
- Timeline
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- December 2024: Application opens
- February 1, 2025: Application deadline
- February-March 2025: Application Review and Zoom Interviews
- March/April 2025: Announcement of Writer-in-Residence
- Term begins July 1, 2025 and ends June 30, 2026
Funded by: Molly Elliot Seawell Fund, a private library endowment established to support Virginia writers. The fund was created by Philip Hairston Seawell '37, '39 J.D., a descendant of Molly Elliot Seawell.
About Molly Elliot Seawell: Molly Elliot Seawell, an early American historian and writer, was born in Gloucester, VA in 1853. She was a descendant of the Seawells of Virginia and a niece of President John Tyler. Her literary production included forty books of fiction, collected short fiction, non-fiction, and numerous political columns. For her short stories and historical works, she was nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature by American professor Charles W. Kent in 1910 and 1911. In April 1911 she published a booklet opposing women's suffrage, followed by two anti-suffrage articles in the Richmond Times-Dispatch in 1912. Seawell was widely read in her time: her books sold well and some of her works were made into silent films.
Contact: Tami Back, Senior Director of Communication & Engagement, W&M Libraries