Writer-in-Residence Program
Our Department houses one of the longest running Writer-in-Residence programs in the country; it has hosted a writer annually since 1972. For more than 50 years, we have been fortunate to provide a home base to celebrated authors such as André Alexis, Margaret Avison, Anita Rau Badami, Earle Birney, George Bowering, Bill Bissett, Robert Bringhurst, Bonnie Burnard, Austin Clarke, Ivan Coyote, Cherie Dimaline, Emma Donoghue, Sheila Heti, Margaret Laurence, Gwendolyn MacEwen, Daphne Marlatt, Daniel David Moses, M. NourbeSe Philip, Leon Rooke, Gerry Shikatani, Drew Hayden Taylor, Jane Urquhart, and Adele Wiseman. For a complete list of all past Writers-in-Residence as well as links to our collection of their works in Western Libraries, please click here.
The mandate of the residency is to provide support for an accomplished writer while allowing the community to benefit from the writer’s creativity and expertise. The Writer-in-Residence’s contact with the community includes holding office hours on campus to offer feedback to and consultation with other creative writers. As well, the WIR also presents readings, visits classrooms at the university and elsewhere, and takes on a leadership role at a variety of literary and cultural events both on and off campus. Through such events, the Writer-in-Residence works to raise the profile of literary activity in the community and enriches the local cultural scene. The Writer-in-Residence is generally available to the local community for seven months of the academic year, between September and March (with activities suspended during December since classes are not in session).
How to Apply for the Writer-in-Residence Position
We welcome applications for the Writer-in-Residence position.
If you are interested in applying but have further questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out to Pauline Wakeham at pwakeham@uwo.ca.
The Writer-in-Residence Program is sponsored by the James A. and Marjorie Spenceley Fund, the Department of English and Writing Studies, the Faculty of Arts and Humanities, and London Public Library.
