Assistant Teaching Professor - Creative Writing

The Department of English invites applications for a full-time, non-renewable (one-year) Assistant Teaching Professor position specializing in Creative Writing (Fiction). This is a 9-month appointment with a start date of August 2025.

Information about Program and College

The Department of English is one of 17 academic units in the College of Arts and Sciences. The vision for our College, aligned with the university’s strategic plan, is to ensure that our students graduate career-ready to meet the world’s challenges, and that our faculty research and creative activity contribute to the public good. We achieve this through robust collaboration across departmental boundaries, with particular attention given to increasing experiential learning for our undergraduate and graduate students and connecting our scholarly and creative work to the needs of our region. We are especially interested in recruiting candidates who can contribute excellence in teaching, scholarly/creative work, and/or service toward achieving inclusive excellence throughout the university and to the greater community. The College is committed to faculty success, providing resources and support within the Dean’s Office and through collaboration with Arts and Sciences departments and schools, leadership teams in other colleges, and university-serving partners such as the Center for Faculty Excellence. Through these connections, we have developed a comprehensive, cohort-based mentorship program to support the professional growth and advancement of faculty across all disciplines and ranks. We value and practice shared governance and are committed to maintaining a vibrant and equitable working environment.

Founded in 1967, BGSU's Creative Writing Program is one of the oldest in the country and offers both a BFA and an MFA.  Small and selective, the program prides itself on offering individual mentoring to students.  BGSU is the home of the award-winning Mid-American Review, and it hosts a reading series featuring distinguished writers such as Hanif Abdurraqib, Rita Dove, Brenda Hillman, Jaimy Gordon, and Benjamin Percy. Graduates of the programs have won such awards as the Yale Younger Poets Award, the Guggenheim, NEA Individual Artist Fellowships, the Iowa Short Fiction Prize, the Drue Heinz Award, the Flannery O’Connor Award, the Barnes & Noble Discover Great New Writers Award, the New York Public Library Young Lions Award, the National Contemporary Poetry Award, the Whiting Award, and the Pulitzer Prize in Fiction.  MFA alumni include Anthony Doerr, Matt Bell, Charles Fort, and Carolyn Forché.

As a Public University for the Public Good, Bowling Green State University is a comprehensive, high research university located in northwestern Ohio committed to driving economic and cultural vitality in the region and beyond. Through innovative teaching, research and creative activities, BGSU fosters a collaborative and inclusive learning community where inspired ideas, knowledge and achievements support the region, state and nation. More than 760 talented and passionate faculty members teach across more than 200 undergraduate majors and programs, 17 doctoral programs, and 57 master’s programs. A focus on promoting research, scholarship, and creative activities has resulted in a significant increase in extramural funding over the past several years.

Guided by Forward , BGSU’s strategic plan, the University is focused on redefining student success. For the fourth year in a row, The Wall Street Journal ranks BGSU as the No. 1 public university in the Midwest that students would choose again. BGSU also holds the Wall Street Journal distinction of being the No. 1 public university in Ohio for the student experience. 

The primary responsibilities of this position are to:

• Teach both undergraduate and graduate classes in the MFA and BFA programs, and in the Graduate Certificate in Creative Writing, including workshops, techniques of fiction, modern and/or contemporary fiction, and other courses corresponding to faculty member’s interests and departmental needs 
• Serve on thesis committees at both the graduate and undergraduate levels.
• Provide service to the program, department, college, and university

• MFA or PhD in Creative Writing or a related area (e.g., Creative Writing and Publishing, Writing Practices, Writing). Applicants pursuing either degree are eligible to apply provided that the requirements for the degree completed by August 2025. 
• Demonstrated creative productivity through publication of an original book-length creative work by a reputable publisher (e.g., a commercial publisher such as Penguin/Random House, Hachette, Harper Collins, Simon and Schuster, Macmillan; a nonprofit press listed in the directory of the Community of Literary Magazines and Presses or in Newpages.com; an academic press associated with an accredited university) or other publications in peer-reviewed venues (e.g., literary journals listed in Best American Short Stories, or Newpages.com). 
• Teaching experience at the undergraduate level as the instructor of record in a course in Creative Writing or Literature.  

Preferred Qualifications

• Teaching experience at the graduate level as the instructor of record in a course in Creative Writing or Literature.  
• Demonstrated experience teaching students having a variety of backgrounds and abilities.

Application Materials Required

• Cover letter 
• Current curriculum vitae 
• Names and contact information of three professional references
• Writing sample (no more than 30 pages) of creative work

Candidates invited for on-campus interviews must provide unofficial transcripts of the highest degree earned, and a Teaching Portfolio that includes a Teaching Philosophy Statement, at least one sample syllabus (but no more than three), sample assignments, and a complete set of quantitative and qualitativestudent evaluations from one class (if available). 

Finalist will be required to submit official transcripts and written letters of reference. BGSU policy requires finalist to authorize and pass a background check prior to receiving an offer of employment. 

Application Deadline

The position is open until filled, but for best consideration, completed applications should be submitted by April 12, 2025.

Salary & Benefits

Competitive and commensurate with candidate’s experience and credentials. Full benefits package available. 

Further Information : 

Please direct any inquires to Lawrence Coates, Search Committee Chair, at coatesl@bgsu.edu

Bowling Green State University is an Equal Opportunity Educator and Employer. We are committed to ensuring an equal employment opportunity for all applicants and encourage applications from all regardless of sex, race, veteran-status, disability, age, gender identity, genetic information, religion, or sexual orientation. In compliance with the ADA Amendments Act (ADAAA), if you have a disability and would like to request an accommodation in order to apply for a position with Bowling Green State University, please call 419-372-8421 or email ohr@bgsu.edu .