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

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

Posting Details

Posted: October 7, 2026

Full-Time

Locations

Showing 1 location

Iowa Cornell Campus

600 1st St SW

Mt Vernon, IA 52314, USA

Iowa Cornell Campus

600 1st St SW

Mt Vernon, IA 52314, USA

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Job Details

Description

• 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 college committed to excellence in teaching and the creation of a welcoming community in which all individuals are respected and included. Our innovative curriculum includes a focus on the essential abilities of writing, quantitative reasoning, and intercultural literacy as well as experiential learning. The One Course At A Time approach fosters strong student engagement and close faculty-student relationships while allowing faculty freedom to design and carry out their classes, on campus or off.

• Founded in 1853, Cornell was the first college west of the Mississippi to graduate both men and women. Academic immersion, real world experience requirements through Ingenuity in Action, and unparalleled flexibility attract an ambitious student body from around the world.

• Cornell’s picturesque hilltop campus is a National Historic District and was the first campus listed in its entirety on the National Register of Historic Places. Mount Vernon is a small, college-centered town in the Cedar Rapids-Iowa City corridor, home to nearly half a million people. It has two additional National Historic Districts and a classic Main Street a short walk from campus. Mount Vernon attractions include boutique shopping; walking paths; a dedicated sledding hill; and 13 annual festivals and events including Chalk the Walk, Chili Cookoff, and Magical Mount Vernon.

• Cornell College offers a competitive benefits package that includes health, dental, vision, HSA and FSA accounts, a TIAA 403(b) retirement account, and tuition remission and exchange for employees and dependents. We also offer life insurance, disability insurance, travel insurance, and accident insurance.

• Cornell is an equal opportunity employer and encourages applications from underrepresented groups. Cornell complies with Iowa’s Smoke-free Air Act. Cornell utilizes E-Verify and requires the satisfactory completion of a background check.

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• Equal Opportunity Employer

• This employer is required to notify all applicants of their rights pursuant to federal employment laws.

• For further information, please review the Know Your Rights notice from the Department of Labor.

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