Writer in Residence

PEN/Faulkner; Washington (District of Columbia); Hybrid; USD 2,400 - 2,900; Part time

Benefits offered by this job

Free access to PEN/Faulkner events

Job summary

PEN/Faulkner seeks a Writer in Residence to teach creative writing in a Washington, DC public school classroom. The position is seasonal and requires in-person school-day residencies, typically 8:30am–4pm, with a flat rate of $2,640 depending on terms.

Applicants should have an established creative practice, enjoy long-term work with youth, and be able to collaborate with educators and PEN/Faulkner staff. Background checks are required.

Qualifications

• Has an established creative practice and is able to deliver skills-based creative writing lessons.
• Willingness and excitement to work with young people in a long-term project.
• Embraces creative risk-taking and “failure” throughout the creative process.
• Adaptable and flexible to changing classroom needs.
• Experience with youth or community work, preferably with Black, Latinx, and/or low-income populations.
• Willing to receive and integrate ongoing feedback from partner educators and PEN/Faulkner staff into lesson plans.
• Able to travel to partner schools in Washington, DC.
• Willing to commit to working with a single classroom for the duration of the residency.

Responsibilities

• Develop and deliver skills-based creative writing workshops for a classroom.
• Collaborate with partner educator and PEN/Faulkner staff to plan residencies.
• Attend planning meetings and adapt lessons to student needs.
• Complete data collection and program evaluation tasks as required.

Job description

Be a resident writer in a public school classroom in Washington, DC

PEN/Faulkner is seeking a candidate to be a Writer in Residence in public school classrooms in Washington, DC.

Our Writers in Residence serve as teaching artists for a single classroom in grades 3-12. Writers in Residence work in close collaboration with one of PEN/Faulkner’s partner educators, with support and oversight from PEN/Faulkner’s Education Programs Director. This is a seasonal contractor position.

Writers in Residence must be available for school-based in-person programming. Residencies take place during the school day and are the equivalent of between 12 and 15 teaching hours, not including planning, preparation, and educator meetings. Writers in Residence are compensated at a flat rate of $2,640 depending on the project terms. All candidates must be able to pass a state-mandated background check and a drug/alcohol test, as required by our partner schools.

For School Year 2026-27, there is one available residency placement.

Residencies are unique, immersive collaborations developed in partnership with educators, and every residency is different. Due to the nature of the partnerships, duration and project details are not finalized until educator planning meetings are held. Final residency schedules are worked out directly between educators and writers, but all residencies occur sometime between 8:30am and 4pm. Residencies may occur in a compressed period of time for a mid-length period (for example, weekly on Thursdays for three consecutive months), or as a long-term project (bi-weekly for the length of a school year).

We are looking for a writer who:

• Has an established creative practice and is able to deliver skills-based creative writing lessons
• Possesses a willingness and excitement to work with young people in a long-term project
• Embraces creative risk-taking and “failure” throughout the creative process
• Is adaptable and can demonstrate flexibility to changing classroom needs
• Has experience working with youth and/or other community work, preferably with Black, Latinx, and/or low-income populations
• Demonstrates a willingness to receive and integrate ongoing feedback from partner educators and PEN/Faulkner staff into their lesson plans
• Can provide timely responses to mandatory data collection and program evaluation requirements
• Is a ble to travel to their partner school in Washington, DC
• Can commit to working with a single classroom for the duration of the residency (length and scheduling to be determined, and varies by residency partnership)

The Writer in Residence receives:

• An opportunity to develop and deliver creative writing workshops to young people in an immersive and collaborative public school partnership
• A supportive experience in arts education with under-served and marginalized young people at a renowned literary nonprofit
• Free tickets to PEN/Faulkner’s Literary Conversations and the PEN/Malamud Award Ceremony
• $2,640 rate dependent on the project duration

Candidates who are selected to move forward will be required to give a short lesson demonstration via Zoom and submit contact information for three references.

About:

PEN/Faulkner’s mission is to champion the breadth and power of fiction in America.

PEN/Faulkner is dedicated to the idea that fiction creates empathy within and among communities and advances civil discourse. American culture thrives when stories from diverse perspectives enrich our lives. To further these ideals, we cultivate a vibrant landscape for writers and readers of fiction both locally and nationally.

PEN/Faulkner is an affirmative action/equal opportunity employer, and strongly encourages persons of color; females; LGBTQIA persons; and persons with disabilities to apply to available positions. We value individuals with diverse talents and backgrounds.