Writers in Residence

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

PEN/Faulkner is seeking candidates to be Writers 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.

A note on scheduling:

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 writers who:

● Have an established creative practice and are able to deliver skills-based creative writing lessons

● Possess a willingness and excitement to work with young people in a long-term project

● Embrace creative risk-taking and “failure” throughout the creative process

● Are adaptable and can demonstrate flexibility to changing classroom needs

● Have experience working with youth and/or other community work, preferably with Black, Latinx, and/or low-income populations

● Demonstrate 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

● Are able 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

How to apply:

Submit a cover letter, resume (demonstrating your experience with young people/community populations), a brief statement (250 words) on your approach to working with youth, and your general anticipated availability Monday through Friday between 8:30 am and 4 pm for School Year 2026-27 (September 2026 through June 2027). Submit your application materials to maya@penfaulkner.org with “Writer in Residence” in the subject line.

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.

PEN/Faulkner

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Writer In Residence