Assistant/Associate Professor in Creative Writing and CMR Editor

About the job

Position Title

Assistant/Associate Professor in Creative Writing and CMR Editor

VISA Sponsorship?

VISA sponsorship is available for this position. All candidates must be eligible to work and live in the U.S.

Minimum Qualifications

MFA or Ph.D. in Creative Writing preferred (completed by the position start date), demonstrated excellence in teaching at the college level, one book of poetry published with an established literary press, and editorial experience.

Description of the Department or Unit

Appalachian State University in North Carolina’s Blue Ridge Mountains prepares students to lead purposeful lives as global citizens who understand and engage their responsibilities in creating a sustainable future for all. The transformational Appalachian experience promotes a spirit of inclusion that brings people together in inspiring ways to acquire and create knowledge, to grow holistically, and to act with passion.

As one of 17 campuses in the University of North Carolina system Appalachian enrolls over 20,000 students, has a low student-to-faculty ratio, and offers more than 150 undergraduate and graduate majors. The English department is home to multiple undergraduate programs including Creative Writing, Film, English Education, Literary Studies, and Rhetoric and Technical Writing. The English department also offers an M.A. program with concentrations in Literary Studies, Rhetoric and Composition, and Teaching Literature and Writing.

Additional information about the Department of English, Appalachian State University, and surrounding areas may be accessed at: www.appstate.edu.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

The Department of English at Appalachian State University invites applications for a tenure-track Assistant/Associate Professor of Creative Writing, specifically in poetry, who will also serve as editor of Cold Mountain Review. The position will start on August 1, 2027, pending final administrative and budgetary approval.

We seek a faculty member committed to excellence in undergraduate teaching, particularly in poetry; to supporting students of all backgrounds; and to an active creative practice and academic service. The successful candidate will edit Cold Mountain Review in collaboration with a managing/associate editor, maintain an active publication agenda, and teach a 3/3 load (reduced to 2/2 while serving as editor). The candidate will also mentor and advise graduate students who work with the journal. Founded in 1972 by Charles Frazier and the late R.T. Smith among others, Cold Mountain Review is among the oldest literary journals in continuous publication in North Carolina and features both bioregional and international writing.

The new colleague will join an established creative writing program whose undergraduate concentration offers courses in poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction, playwriting, screenwriting, and special topics. The department has a vibrant creative writing culture for students and faculty. This includes a Visiting Writers Series, which hosts campus events by multiple authors every semester, as well as the Rachel Rivers-Coffey Distinguished Visiting Professor each fall. We also have another established professional journal, Appalachian Journal, as well as the student literary journal The Peel.

Inquiries about the positions may be sent to Dr. Jacob Babb at babbjs@appstate.edu.

Physical Demands of Position

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential job duty satisfactorily. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable qualified individuals with disabilities to perform essential job functions.

Suggested Salary Range

Salary is competitive and commensurate with qualifications and experience.

ABD Consideration:

N/A - ABD is not applicable for this position. See Minimum Qualifications.

ABD Description

ABD with reduction in rank and salary: ABD will be considered for this position. Evidence of successful defense of the dissertation must be received by July 31 for a fall hire or November 30 for a spring hire. If confirmation of defense is not provided by the deadline, the candidate will receive a new one-year fixed-term contract and be hired at the rank of Instructor. The candidate’s salary will also be reduced to a lower rate commensurate with other full-time instructors in the same department. However, if degree verification is provided before the end of the one-year fixed-term contract, the candidate will be returned to the rank of assistant professor with commensurate compensation beginning July 1 of the following academic year.

No ABD consideration: Only candidates with an earned doctorate or terminal degree from an accredited institution will be considered for the position. Since ABD will not meet the minimum requirements, ABD will not be considered.

Special Instructions to Applicants

To ensure full consideration, please submit:

1. Letter of application
2. Curriculum vitae
3. Three references The letter of application should describe your teaching and editing experience, evidence of supporting students of all backgrounds, publications, and service (professional, community, and/or institutional). Only electronic applications will be considered. The committee plans to conduct Zoom interviews in January. Finalists will come to Boone for in-person campus visits in the spring semester.

UNC System Code (Section 610(2)) Special Faculty Hires

The continued employment of a special faculty member during the term appointment may be made expressly contingent on items such as the continued availability of funding from any source, on enrollment levels, or any other contingency established by the institution.