Carol Shields Writer-In-Residence at The University of Winnipeg: Call for Applications

The four-week residency is intended to support an emerging and innovative writer whose work contributes to the changing landscape of Canadian literature. A background in community engagement, such as teaching and mentoring writers, will be an asset. The Carol Shields Writer-in-Residence will be responsible for participating in a Welcome Reading and Q&A, teaching a masterclass on any aspect of craft, providing a public lecture on writing, reading and consulting one-on-one with writers from the University of Winnipeg community and the general public, as well as have the opportunity to visit up to two creative writing classes during the month-long residency. Dates are flexible and can be undertaken from January-March 2025 (not including reading break). Remuneration is $4500.00.

The Carol Shields Writer-in-Residence Program at the University of Winnipeg was made possible by a generous donation from the Shields family. The program’s name honours the memory of Carol Shields, Pulitzer-prize winning novelist and Chancellor of the University of Winnipeg from 1996 to 2000. Carol Shields was also a generous mentor to emerging writers, so this program is a fitting tribute to her.

We encourage applications from Canadian writers of all genres who have no more than three published or professionally performed solo works and no more than three previous writer-in-residence terms at other locations. We especially invite individuals who self-identify as racialized persons, Indigenous persons, persons with disabilities, and 2SLGBTQ+ persons to apply. Applicants are encouraged to confidentially self-identify at the time of application. A virtual residency is possible if the successful candidate lives outside of the region of Winnipeg, Manitoba. Please submit a cover letter with a brief description of the writing project you intend to undertake during the residency, a CV, contact for three references that can speak to your ability to mentor new writers, a writing sample of no more than 10 pages (double spaced, font size 12) from the work-in-progress, and a brief proposal of a masterclass/seminar on craft and a public lecture on writing that you would give as the Carol Shields Writer-in-Residence (no more than 500 words). The materials should be enclosed in one PDF and addressed to the English Department Assistant, Milan Omar (m.omar@uwinnipeg.ca). The deadline is August 1, 2024 at 11:59 PM CT.