Assistant Professor - English at University of Wyoming in Laramie, WY

Assistant Professor - English

Location: Laramie, WY, United States

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Why Choose Us?

At the University of Wyoming, we value our employees and invest in their success. Our comprehensive benefits package is designed to support your health, financial security, and work-life balance. Benefits include:

• Generous Retirement Contributions: The State contributes over 15% of your gross salary. With your mandatory employee contribution, the total contribution toward your retirement plan exceeds 19%.
• Exceptional Health & Prescription Coverage: Enjoy access to medical, dental, and vision insurance with competitive employer contributions, that include 4 deductible options to suit your needs.
• Paid Time Off: Benefit from ample vacation, sick leave, paid holidays, and paid winter closure.
• Tuition Waiver: Employees and eligible dependents can take advantage of tuition waivers, supporting continuous education and professional growth.
• Wellness and Employee Assistance Programs: Stay healthy with wellness initiatives, counseling services, and mental health resources.

At the University of Wyoming, we are committed to creating a supportive and enriching workplace. To learn more about what we offer, please refer to UW’s Benefits Summary.

JOB TITLE:

Assistant Professor - English

JOB PURPOSE:

The English Department at the University of Wyoming invites applications for a tenure-stream assistant professor in Creative Writing specializing in creative non-fiction. This is a nine-month fully benefited position where the successful candidate will be expected to pursue an active publication agenda and teach courses at both the graduate and undergraduate levels, including in the BA concentration in Creative Writing and the MFA program. We especially seek candidates with secondary expertise in one or more of the following areas: environmental writing, magazine writing, hybrid forms, fiction, poetry, and the public humanities. Our interdisciplinary writing community extends beyond the classroom, and our faculty are expected to participate fully in the life of our program and department, serve on our MFA admissions committee, and regularly advise graduate theses. Candidates with interest in program administration, in building remote completion options for a BA in Creative Writing, and in exploring models for a low-residency online MFA are encouraged to apply. Preliminary interviews will be held in early October via Zoom; campus visits will occur in mid-November. Finalists will be asked to submit a teaching statement/portfolio before visiting. The appointment begins August24, 2027. Salary is competitive and commensurate with experience.

ABOUT THE CREATIVE WRITING PROGRAM AND THE UNIVERSITY OF WYOMING:

The Creative Program at the University of Wyoming supports a nationally recognized, fully funded MFA program, a thriving undergraduate minor, and an undergraduate English Major with a concentration in creative writing. Our intentionally interdisciplinary program has active partnerships with the Haub School of Environment and Natural Resources, Department of American Cultural Studies, and the Wyoming Institute for Disabilities (WIND).
We’re housed within the English Department in the University’s College of Arts and Sciences. The department is home to internationally recognized scholars, writers and teachers and offers both an undergraduate major and additional minors in professional writing and literary studies. In addition to the MFA in Creative Writing, the department offers three MA tracks in literature; rhetoric and writing studies; and public humanities. The department also has a four-year fully funded PhD in Public Humanities that consistently recruits students with MFA degrees and welcomes creative or creative-critical dissertation projects.
The University of Wyoming was founded in 1886 and is a land-grant, Carnegie-classified R1 institution with expert faculty, top-ranked writers and academics, and world-class facilities. The state of Wyoming invests deeply in its only four-year university, helping to make it a leader in higher education, research, and outreach. The university has state-of-the-art facilities in many areas and the community provides the advantages of a major university in a beautiful, small-town setting.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

Essential duties are to pursue an appropriate writing and publication agenda and to develop and teach undergraduate and graduate courses in Creative Writing, English, and other fields tied to the candidate’s area(s) of expertise. The typical tenure-track teaching load is five courses per academic year with opportunities for one course release for frequent publication/creative activity or taking on other kinds of significant departmental service and leadership.

SUPPLEMENTAL FUNCTIONS:

Other duties entail supporting both the MFA and undergraduate program by serving on our MFA admissions committee, regularly directing graduate theses, and participating in event programming and ongoing curricular development. The successful candidate can expect to be actively involved in service related to the expansion of our MFA program, the development of online options for the undergraduate concentration in Creative Writing, and PhD in Public Humanities, and the department’s evolving public humanities initiatives.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:

• Applicants must have a terminal degree (MFA or PhD) and their work should primarily be in creative non-fiction.
• Valid driver's license with a motor vehicle record (MVR) compliant with the Driving for University Business SAP.

DESIRED QUALIFICATIONS:

• While primary expertise should be in creative non-fiction; secondary expertise in one or more of the following areas is desired: environmental writing, magazine writing, hybrid forms, fiction, poetry, and the public humanities, broadly defined.
• A record of publication beyond the minimum qualifications stated above.
• Evidence of work or potential work with graduate students
• Experience with program development, public humanities programming, or related kinds of work.
• Applicants should have published a minimum of one book or show significant demonstrable progress toward a book.

REQUIRED APPLICATION MATERIALS:

Submit the online application and upload the following for a complete application:

• curriculum vitae, including contact information for academic references
  letter of interest no more than two pages
• three confidential letters of recommendation. Please send the confidential letters of recommendation to englishdept@uwyo.edu
• a writing sample of ~40 pages

For questions about the position, contact the search committee co-chairs, Kelly Kinney (Kelly.Kinney@uwyo.edu) and Blake Sanz (msanz@uwyo.edu). This position will remain open until filled. Complete applications received by 09/30/2026 will receive full consideration.

WORK LOCATION:

On-campus: This position provides vital support to campus customers, and the successful candidate must be available to work on campus.

WORK AUTHORIZATION REQUIREMENTS:

HIRING STATEMENT/EEO:

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, or status as a protected veteran. In compliance with the ADA Amendments Act (ADAAA), if you have a disability and would like to request an accommodation to apply for a position, please contact us at 307-766-2377 or email jobapps@uwyo.edu.

ABOUT LARAMIE:

The University of Wyoming is located in Laramie, a charming town of 30,000 residents nestled in the heart of the Rocky Mountain West. The state of Wyoming continues to invest in its only 4-year university, helping to make it a leader in academics, research, and outreach with state-of-the-art facilities and strong community ties. We invite you to learn more about Laramie by visiting the About Laramie website.

Located in a high mountain valley near the Colorado border, Laramie offers both outstanding recreational opportunities and close proximity to Colorado’s Front Range and the metropolitan Denver area. Laramie’s beautiful mountain landscape offers outdoor enjoyment in all seasons, with over 300 days of sunshine annually. For more information about the region, please visit http://visitlaramie.org/