Becoming Faculty

           
             
            The best way to get a job teaching Creative Writing is to win a Pulitzer.  Additional options include writing a best-selling novel or being Cormac McCarthy.  If you’ve managed to accomplish any one of these things, congratulations.  Also you can go ahead and stop reading.  For everybody else it can be a long, frustrating road going from student to faculty.  Here’s hoping that you’ve developed thick skin from being  rejected by literary journals, writing programs, fellowships and potential prom dates.  You’re going to need it.   
            Thankfully while you’re waiting for your novel to be picked up and the awards and accolades to start rolling it, there are some things you can do to improve your chances. 

            The Basics

            1) Get your degree. 

           2) Get published. 

            3) Get experience.  (Sounds easy when you say it like that, right?)
           

           1) Ph.D. or M.F.A? The Ph.D. can open some doors because you may be specialized in a particular literary period or category.  You may be more desirable and better equipped to teach literature classes.  “We are also always interested in candidates who have strong secondary areas of interest/expertise in literature.” (Dana Levin, Associate Professor of English and Creative Writing Depart. Chair, College of Santa Fe)
            But some schools view Ph.Ders as too analytical and not as creative as those with the M.F.A.  Steve Heller (Creative Writing Dept. Chair, Antioch University Los Angeles) says that a university may view someone who jumps right into an M.F.A. program after undergrad and then follows that with an immediate trip into a PhD program as a writer who never tried to be successful in the non-academic world.  Then again you would have three degrees and that has to be attractive to many universities.  There doesn’t seem to be a consensus on this either way.    
           

           2) If you are a novel writer, send your book to small presses, literary agents (following a query) and contests.  Also don’t narrow yourself to just being a novel writer.  You are a writer.  Period.  Write short stories, poems, non-fiction, book reviews.  Experiment in several genres.  Discover flash fiction.  Not only will working in other forms help your writing, but your opportunities to get published automatically multiply.  This goes for everyone.  Poets should write stories.  Horror writers should try romance.  Writers who have perfected the cat-centered mystery story should write about people and non-mysteries.  Of course a published book looks great on a C.V., but so does a long list of publications in literary journals, newspapers, and websites.
           

            3)  Hopefully your graduate program allowed you to teach comp or at least to be a T.A.  Play up those experiences, of course.  But you can supplement that with volunteering for a literacy organization, teach creative writing in a prison program (PEN USA has an excellent writer mentor program), teaching ESL, or working in a writing center.  
           

            Know your market

            Every university is different.  You should know and understand the mission and personality of the institution that you are applying to.  Many of the department chairs I questioned mentioned applicants not even checking out their website.  We’re not dealing with 7-11 here, where I was once told by an interviewer after she asked me why I wanted to work there, “It’s okay to just say ‘because I need a job,’ darling.”  Applying the same dedication that you do (or should be doing) when you research what journals, presses and agents are for you, will not only help you find a job that is a good match, it shows how dedicated and prepared you are.  It may come as a surprise to the especially charming, but “You can’t get by on mere charm, enthusiasm or personality in an interview.” (Johnny Payne, Chair of the Department of Creative Writing, University of Texas El Paso)

            The C.V.

            After acquiring your education, publications and experience, it can all be wasted if you end up “downplaying or not detailing their experiences.” (Maxine Beach, Creative Writing, Interim Department Chair, Associate Professor, Austin Community College)  The C.V. is not as restrictive as a resume.  It allows you a lot more space and the opportunity to tell your story, not just enter facts.  Make sure it is brimming with the same verbs you would be doing in your desired position; taught, edited, evaluated facilitated discussion, assigned, critiqued. But also “allow your voice to ring in the CV” (Maxine)  Show off your versatility, talents and personality.  The people that hire you have to work with you.  They are taking considerable care in choosing who they want to join their academic family.  They want to “hire a whole person not a vita.” (Dana)
            Most of the people you are competing with for the position have as much or more education than you.  There is a good chance that they’ve published just as much as you.  To stand out, you have to demonstrate that you are a lifer.  You’re not teaching because you need some time to kill before you sell the film rights to your novel or to get summers off.  You want to teach because you have “an authentic and grounded passion for writing, reading and teaching.” (Dana)

          Professionalism

            When going in for an interview or a campus tour, look professional.  I can’t imagine that this is news to people, but from the way the chairs talk it sounds like Kriss Kross may have tried to get a job in higher education.  I imagine a lot of writers assume that because they are artists trying to get hired by an Arts Department they are allowed to be more casual.  But you have to show that you are both creative and professional on paper and in person.  Even at McDonald’s you have dress up for the interview. 

            Thick Skin

            Lastly, even if you do all of these things right, it will still be hard.  I graduated with 30 or so fellow MFAs.  I highly doubt that the exact same number of faculty positions opened up at that time.  It is a tough, competitive market.  And unlike sports where the uber-talented get rewarded by getting drafted to big league teams and signing rich contracts, writing teachers and writers have to get whatever scraps they can regardless of awesomeness.  You won’t find yourself debating which tenure-track position to take, you’ll more than likely start off piecing together adjunct work.  If you’d like to work in Seattle, San Francisco, Raleigh, D.C. or Austin, keep in mind that these are the top five most educated cities.  Try your hand elsewhere.  But even in the most podunk of places you will probably receive a lot more rejections than offers.  Hopefully you’ve chosen this line of work out of love because the elements of ease, fame, riches, groupies and such are sorely lacking.  As Maxine Beach says, “Toughen up! If rejection bothers you, you shouldn't be pursuing a career in the arts or in academia.”
            Lewis Buzbee, who teaches for the University of San Francisco believes that  “MFA grads, or any writer, for that matter, shouldn’t teach until they’ve been writing, really writing, for ten years.”  If you can afford not to work for ten years, or have some other skills that can pay the bills, go for it.  But otherwise I hope that this information has been helpful and good luck with your job search unless it interferes with mine.   

SHELFLIFEMAGAZINE : issue #003