Assistant Professor of Creative Writing (Poetry) (Tenure-Track)

The Department of English and Creative Writing at Cornell College invites applications for a tenure-track (Assistant Professor) position with a primary specialization in poetry to begin August 2027.  We seek a poet with expertise and passion for both creative writing and the literary study of 20th and 21st century anglophone poetry.  Desirable secondary interests may include one or more of the following: nature writing, video game writing, creative writing as social action, literary translation, hybrid writing, new media writing, writing for the artist book, writing for children, multicultural literature, disability studies, and/or genre fiction.  The successful candidate will join a dynamic department committed to innovative teaching, creative expression, close mentorship, and inclusivity.  All faculty in the department participate in the activities of our thriving Center for the Literary Arts.  We have a proud history of student literary publications, more recently augmented by book-arts work enabled by our historic iron handpress.

Teaching responsibilities include contributions to the first-year college writing program, an introductory multigenre creative writing workshop, upper-division workshops in poetry, courses focused on the literary study of poetry (e.g.

Modernisms, Contemporary Poetry or special topics), and courses in the individual’s secondary expertise.

Required qualifications:


* PhD in creative writing (poetry or related field) or an MFA (poetry) with extensive teaching experience


* evidence of effective, student-centered undergraduate teaching experience in creative writing, literature, and composition


* an active publication agenda in poetry

Preferred qualifications:


* evidence of effective engagement with a diverse student body


* experience of inclusive approaches to mentoring


* evidence of contributing to and promoting a diverse literary community 

Cornell’s One Course At A Time academic calendar is divided into eight 3½ week blocks in which students take and faculty teach a single course.

Full-time faculty teaching load is six block courses during the academic year with the other two blocks reserved for professional development, course preparation, or travel to academic meetings; further opportunities for summer teaching and research supervision may also be available. 

Candidates will be expected to participate in service to their department and to facilitate their department’s support of the college’s Ingenuity core curriculum.  The college encourages interdisciplinary interests among its faculty and the development of teaching strategies that capitalize on our distinctive academic calendar.

One Course At A Time allows us the freedom to take students off-campus without impinging on other course commitments.

In addition, class size is limited to 25 students, and writing-intensive courses are smaller.

About Cornell College 

Cornell College is a national liberal arts coll...