Assistant Professor of English

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Job Description:

The Department of English at Mount Holyoke College invites applications for an Assistant Professor of English who will hold the Suzan-Lori Parks '85 Chair in Creative Writing.

We seek a writer with a strong record of publication in creative nonfiction, including work in areas such as the personal essay and memoir, lyric essay, cultural criticism, science and environmental writing, literary journalism, and hybrid forms. Additional interests in fiction, translation, graphic narratives, podcasting, performance writing, experimental writing, and oral history are welcome. Mount Holyoke students are excited to learn from a writer whose work engages questions of race and ethnicity, particularly in relation to African American, Asian American, Indigenous, and/or Latinx literary lineages.

The position entails teaching introductory multi-genre creative writing courses, as well as advanced courses in creative nonfiction and other topics, for a total of 2 courses per semester. The successful candidate will collaborate within and beyond the English department to build our creative writing community and culture—through our InterArts Council and nationally renowned Glascock Intercollegiate Poetry Competition, as well as through thesis advising and mentoring of student literary projects.

We welcome candidates who demonstrate excellence in student-centered, reflective, and inclusive teaching practices and who display a robust commitment to collaboration and interdisciplinarity. The successful candidate will have a demonstrated record of strong teaching at the undergraduate level and experience mentoring students who are broadly diverse with regard to race, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, gender, nationality, sexual orientation, disability, and religion. MFA or Ph.D. or ABD required.

Candidates should submit a cover letter, CV, brief writing sample (up to 25 pages uploaded as one PDF), a one-page statement of teaching philosophy/practice, a one-page statement on mentoring a diverse student body, and two syllabi (one for an introductory creative writing course and the other for a creative non-fiction course). Please disregard the materials listed in the Special Instructions for Applications section below.

Reference letters will be requested at a later date in the process. Review of applications will begin September 18, 2026. Please contact the English department (english@mtholyoke.edu) with any questions.

Minimum starting rate of pay: $90,000.

Background Checks:

Mount Holyoke College is committed to providing a safe and secure environment, supported by qualified employees that will allow all of its students, faculty, staff and those associated with them to successfully carry out the mission of the college. As a condition of employment, the College will conduct appropriate background checks for all new hires. Mount Holyoke has designated the Office of Human Resources as the office responsible for ensuring that background checks (CORI, SORI, Credit History, & Driver Credential) are completed and utilized in the hiring process and Five College Office of Compliance and Risk Management as the office responsible for facilitating background checks as articulated in this policy.

Special Instructions for Applicants: 

Apply online; application materials must include:

• A cover letter summarizing interests and qualifications

• A complete resume or curriculum vitae

• For faculty positions, statements on mentoring, teaching, and research will also be required.

​It is unlawful in Massachusetts to require or administer a lie detector test as a condition of employment or continued employment.