Description

Position Title: Adjunct Faculty - MFA Writers in Community

No. of Positions to Fill 1

Department/Program: Writing & Poetics 12090

Work Location: Arapahoe Campus

Reports to: Valerie Hsiung

FLSA Classification: Exempt/Salaried

FTE: 15% (6 hrs/week)

Compensation: $4500 per semester for 3 credit course ($1500 per credit)

Application Deadline: 7/1 or until filled

Job Summary:
The Jack Kerouac School of Disembodied Poetics seeks a talented adjunct faculty member to teach WRI 617: MFA Writers in Community during the Fall 2026 semester.

WRI617 Writers in Community (3 Credits)

This course is a core component of the MFA curriculum and serves as an introduction to the intellectual, artistic, and communal contexts that shape contemporary writing practice. Working within a cohort-based learning environment, the instructor will guide our first semester MFA students in exploring contemporary avant-garde poetics, literary communities, living experimental traditions and lineages, and the broader cultural conversations that inform innovative writing today. The instructor will facilitate discussion, cultivate community among MFA students, and support students in developing a critical understanding of the literary and artistic ecosystems in which their work participates.

Course Description:

WRI 617: MFA Writers in Community is a weekly in-person cohort-based course designed to familiarize MFA students with contemporary literary culture and the communities, traditions, and lineages that inform innovative writing practices. Through readings, discussion, research, presentations, exercises, experientials, and community engagement, students will explore contemporary avant-garde poetics, literary movements, small press and independent publishing cultures, performance and interdisciplinary practices, and the living traditions that continue to shape the field.

The course encourages students to situate their own creative work within broader literary conversations while developing a deeper understanding of the social, historical, and artistic networks that sustain contemporary writing communities. Particular attention is given to the traditions and pedagogical lineages that inform the Jack Kerouac School of Disembodied Poetics.

Job Duties & Responsibilities:
• Develop a rigorous and coherent syllabus with a full semester-long arc.
• Teach and facilitate all scheduled class meetings.
• Develop and maintain a supportive, collaborative, and intellectually rigorous classroom environment.
• Guide students through readings, discussions, presentations, and other course activities.
• Introduce students to contemporary avant-garde poetics, literary communities, and innovative writing practices.
• Support students in exploring literary lineages, living traditions, and contemporary artistic movements.
• Provide written and verbal feedback on student assignments and presentations.
• Assess student work and submit grades in accordance with university policies.
• Maintain regular communication with students and respond to questions in a timely manner.

Minimum Qualifications:
• Terminal degree (MFA or PhD) in Creative Writing, English Literature, Poetics, or a related field.
• At least one full-length book with a reputed press published or under contract. Self-published books do not count.
• Demonstrated knowledge of contemporary literary culture, including innovative, experimental, and/or avant-garde writing practices.
• College-level teaching experience.
• All job candidates must demonstrate their level of understanding of the dynamics of privilege and oppression, and the impact these have on equity, access, and opportunity.
• All job candidates must demonstrate an appropriate level of understanding of and appreciation for the values of Naropa University and the capacity to demonstrate an integration and embodiment of these values as evidenced in work, communication, collaboration styles, and other general workplace behaviors.

Preferred Qualifications:
• Demonstrated expertise in contemplative education.

Physical Requirements & Environmental Conditions
Faculty members spend most of their time in their classrooms or in virtual meetings with some time in offices. In the classrooms and on campus may experience: interruptions, distractions, heat, cold, dust and/or dampness. As a faculty member, you may spend extended periods in front of students and speaking as well as:
• Reading academic texts and materials, student papers, etc.
• Operating personal computer and audio-visual equipment.
• Standing or sitting for hours at a time.
• Moving around campus for classes and meetings.

Naropa recognizes the following holidays throughout the year: Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, Memorial Day, Juneteenth, Independence Day, Labor Day, Fall Break, 4th Thursday and Friday in November, and Winter Break, the last two weeks in December encompassing the Christmas holiday as well as New Year's.

Naropa's health and welfare benefits include the following: medical, dental, vision, FSA, HSA, employer-paid short-term and long-term disability, employer-paid life insurance and accidental death and dismemberment, an employer-sponsored pre-tax retirement savings plan, which includes up to 2.5% employer matching, and a variety of voluntary, employee-paid supplemental insurance plans.

A comprehensive benefits package is available to full-time employees who work a minimum of 30 hours each week. Employees who work 20 - 29 hours each week are eligible for only the employer-paid short-term & long-term disability, employer-paid life insurance & accidental death and dismemberment, and the retirement plan, which includes up to 2.5% employer matching.

Employees who work fewer than 20 hours per week are eligible to participate in Naropa's retirement plan only, which includes up to 2.5% employer matching.

All regular full-time and part-time faculty and staff, including student workers, accrue sick leave benefits. Full-time and part-time staff positions accrue vacation and personal time. All leave accrual rates vary based on the position, hours worked, and years of service.

The University recognizes the importance of including its employees in its organizational mission and values and welcomes employees into the classroom to "touch the magic." Specifically, regular employees are provided generous tuition remission opportunities for themselves and their family members.

Naropa University participates in the Council of Independent Colleges Tuition Exchange Program (CIC-TEP). CIC-TEP is a network of CIC colleges and universities willing to accept, tuition-free, students from families of full-time employees of other CIC participating institutions (full-time as designated by the employer/institution). Additional information can be found here: https://www.cic.edu/member-services/tuition-exchange-program.

Naropa University is an equal opportunity, non-discriminatory employer and Title IX is a federal civil rights law that prohibits gender discrimination, sexual harassment, sexual and relationship violence. This law applies to all students, faculty, and staff.