Writer in Residence Call for Applications

Thu. Mar. 6, 2025

The three-month virtual residency is intended to support an established 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 Jake Macdonald 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 (2 hours/week), as well as have the opportunity to visit up to six creative writing classes during the three month-long residency. The residency takes place during the fall term 2025 (dates flexible; not including reading break). Remuneration is $13,500 ($4500/month.)

Depending on where the writer lives, and if budget allows, we would like to host the WiR in-person for the inaugural reading or lecture. This would entail travel to Winnipeg, Manitoba for 2-3 days.

The Jake MacDonald program honours the memory of the beloved Manitoba writer Jake MacDonald, who wrote short stories, novels, essays, plays, and books of nonfiction. Jake passed away far too soon on January 30th, 2020. Through the generosity of Jake's family, friends, and peers, this program makes possible the kind of work Jake believed in: mentoring emerging writers, bringing readers and other literary events to the public and providing support for working writers to concentrate on their projects in process. This is all made possible by the Jake Macdonald Writers Fund, which began with a generous founding gift from Jake’s friend Angus Reid.

We encourage applications from experienced Canadian writers of all genres who have published Three (3) or more books and/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.

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 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 Jake MacDonald Writer-in-Residence (both abstracts should be no more than 500 words). The materials should be enclosed in one PDF and addressed to the English Department Assistant, Kelly Batson (k.batson@uwinnipeg.ca). The deadline is May 12, 2025 at 11:59 PM CT.

Previous Jake MacDonald writers-in-residence have included Hiromi Goto, Omar al Akkad, Liz Howard, and Erìn Moure.

Visit https://www.uwinnipeg.ca/english/writers-in-residence/the-jake-macdonald-writer-in-residence-program.html for more information.