Employment Opportunities
Faculty position in Black Creative Writing and Cultural Production
Closes: Saturday, May 15, 2021
The Departments of English and Gender Studies at Queen’s University invite applications for a Tenure-track or tenured position at an open rank (Assistant Professor, Associate Professor or Professor) with specialization in Black Creative Writing and Cultural Production. The successful applicant will be a Black creative artist with a strong publishing record, evidence of commitment to teaching excellence, and demonstrated critical expertise in Black Studies. The preferred starting date is July 1, 2021.
This position is one of seven positions created in support of the interdisciplinary field of Black Studies at Queen’s and the planned BA Minor/General in Black Studies.
Applicants must self-identify as Black persons including those from Africa or of the African diaspora (e.g. African and African-descended people from the Caribbean, North America, Europe, or Latin America).
We seek applications from Black literary artists and scholars with strong records of publication who work in any medium or genre (e.g. fiction, poetry, creative non-fiction, drama, graphic forms, etc.) and whose work addresses and/or contributes to some of the following fields: histories and theories of Black arts and cultural production; Black and diaspora poetics; Afro-futurism and speculative fiction; race and creative writing pedagogy; theories of blackness; race, racism, and antiracism; Black liberation; intersectional politics; theories of cultural production; solidarity work; and decolonization. Applicants who demonstrate engagement with Indigenous, feminist, trans, disability, and/or queer studies are especially encouraged to apply. Candidates for this position must demonstrate records of creative and critical excellence, as registered by scholarly publications and/or a creative portfolio, combined with evidence of excellence in teaching. As we recognize that creative artists often take non-academic pathways to achieving renown, completed doctoral or MFA degrees are desired assets for the position but not mandatory.
The successful candidate will provide evidence of high-quality scholarly and/or artistic output and the ability to secure external funding, as well as ongoing commitment to academic and pedagogical excellence at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. Candidates must provide evidence of an ability to work collaboratively in an interdisciplinary and student-centered environment. The successful candidate will also be expected to make contributions through service to the contributing Departments, the Faculty, the University, and/or the broader community. Salary will be commensurate with qualifications and experience.
The successful applicant will contribute to the development of Black Studies at Queen’s, including its planned Minor in Black Studies, as well as the expansion of the Creative Writing Program. The successful candidate will have the opportunity to offer courses in Black Cultural Production and/or Black Popular Culture and Creative Writing workshops at various levels of curriculum; the successful candidate will also have the opportunity to supervise undergraduate and graduate students in English, Gender Studies, and the interdisciplinary Cultural Studies Program. The Department of English at Queen’s boasts esteemed creative writers and numerous scholars researching and teaching in the fields of Black literary studies, diaspora studies, and critical race theory. With several of its faculty members working at the intersections of race and gender, the Department of Gender Studies is committed to interdisciplinary, historical and transnational research and teaching grounded in feminist, anti-racist, Indigenous, postcolonial, queer, trans, and social justice studies.
People from across Canada and around the world come to learn, teach, and carry out research at Queen’s University. Faculty and their dependents are eligible for an extensive benefits package including prescription drug coverage, vision care, dental care, long-term disability insurance, life insurance, and access to the Employee and Family Assistance Program. Faculty also participate in a pension plan.
Tuition assistance is available for qualifying employees, their spouses, and dependent children. Queen’s values families and is pleased to provide a ‘top up’ to government parental leave benefits for eligible employees on maternity/parental leave. In addition, Queen’s provides partial reimbursement for eligible daycare expenses for employees with dependent children in daycare. Details are set out in the Queen’s-QUFA Collective Agreement. For more information on employee benefits, see Queen’s Human Resources.
Additional information about Queen’s University can be found on the Faculty Recruitment and Support website. The University is situated on the traditional territories of the Haudenosaunee and Anishinaabe Peoples, in historic Kingston on the shores of Lake Ontario. Kingston’s residents enjoy an outstanding quality of life with a wide range of cultural, recreational, and creative opportunities. Visit Inclusive Queen’s for information on equity, diversity, and inclusion resources and initiatives.
Queen’s University has developed a special program, as described by the Ontario Human Rights Commission, in connection with the search to fill this position.
This opportunity is open only to qualified individuals who self-identify as Black persons including those from Africa or of the African diaspora (e.g. African and African-descended people from the Caribbean, North America, Europe, or Latin America). Recognizing the intersectionality of identities within Black communities, applications from Black candidates who also, for example, identify as women, persons with disabilities, and 2SLGBTQ+ persons are welcome. All qualified candidates are encouraged to apply; however, in accordance with Canadian immigration requirements, Canadian citizens and permanent residents of Canada will be given priority.
To comply with federal laws, the University is obliged to gather statistical information as to how many applicants for each job vacancy are Canadian citizens/permanent residents of Canada. Applicants need not identify their country of origin or citizenship; however, all applications must include one of the following statements: “I am a Canadian citizen/permanent resident of Canada”; OR, “I am not a Canadian citizen/permanent resident of Canada.” Applications that do not include this information will be deemed incomplete.
In addition, the impact of certain circumstances that may legitimately affect a nominee’s record of research and creative achievement will be given careful consideration when assessing the nominee’s research productivity. Candidates are encouraged to provide any relevant information about their experience and/or career interruptions.
A complete application consists of:
- a cover letter (including one of the two statements regarding Canadian citizenship/permanent resident status specified in the previous paragraph);
- a current Curriculum Vitae (including a list of publications, awards, and grants received);
- three samples of creative and/or scholarly publications;
- an artist’s statement or a statement of scholarly/creative interests and experience;
- a teaching dossier; and,
- Three letters of reference sent directly to Elaine Power at gndshead@queensu.ca. Reference letters should be dated, and include the referee’s name, position, institution, email address, and telephone number, the name of the nominee, and the period of time and capacity in which the referee has known the nominee.
The deadline for applications is May 15, 2021. Applicants are encouraged to send all documents in their application packages electronically as PDFs to Elaine Power at gndshead@queensu.ca, although hard-copy applications may be submitted to:
Elaine Power, Professor and Head Department of Gender Studies
Queen’s University Kingston, Ontario CANADA K7L 3N6
The University will provide support in its recruitment processes to applicants with disabilities, including accommodation that takes into account an applicant’s accessibility needs. If you require accommodation during the interview process, please contact Elaine Power at gndshead@queensu.ca.
Academic staff at Queen’s University are governed by a Collective Agreement between the University and the Queen’s University Faculty Association (QUFA), which is posted at http://queensu.ca/facultyrelations/faculty-librarians-and-archivists/collective-agreement and at http://www.qufa.ca.
A PDF version of the posting can be found here.