Laurier’s Faculty of Arts invites applications for the Edna Staebler writer-in-residence program

May 19, 2022
For Immediate Release

WATERLOO – Wilfrid Laurier University’s Faculty of Arts is seeking submissions from Canadian writers for the Edna Staebler Writer-in-Residence (WIR) position for Winter 2023. The Writer-in-Residence will receive $21,000 for a 10-week in-person residency from Jan. 17 to March 24, 2023. Nine weeks are to be spent on the Waterloo campus, and one week at the Brantford campus.

Edna Staebler (1906–2006) was a member of the Order of Canada, an award-winning journalist and the author of 21 books, including the bestselling Schmecks series. She was a regular contributor to Maclean’s, Saturday Night, The Toronto Star, Chatelaine and many other newspapers and magazines. Staebler achieved her writing success later in life, much of which she attributed to the mentoring of a passionate teacher. She was determined to provide that same encouragement to developing writers.

The Edna Staebler Laurier Writer-in-Residence was inaugurated in 2013. Previous Staebler WIRs have included playwright Drew Hayden Taylor, novelist Ashley Little, and poet Sonnet L’Abbé. Fiction writer Ali Bryan was the 2022 Staebler WIR. All Canadian writers of established literary reputation, working in any genre, are encouraged to apply.

Diversity and creating a culture of inclusion is a key pillar of Wilfrid Laurier University's Strategic Academic Plan and is one of Laurier's core values. Laurier is committed to amplifying the voices of those from equity deserving groups, including people who are Indigenous, racialized, have disabilities, and are part of the 2SLGBTQ+ community. Laurier encourages applications from equity deserving groups, including writers whose lived experience informs their work.

This full-time position (35 hours/week) will see the Writer-in-Residence spend 40 per cent of their time encouraging the development of other writers through planning and facilitating community programming, leaving 60 per cent of the work week available for the writer’s own creative projects. Community programming will be tailored to the writer’s interests and can include: reading manuscripts and consulting with students and the public, visiting classrooms, giving readings and lectures, and leading courses and workshops. This is an in-person position, with the possibility of remote or hybrid connections as declared necessary by university administration. All applicants should prepare to be on campus for in-person events and consultations.

Applicants should be in the midst of a new writing project intended for publication or performance and be active participants in the writing community. Applications must be received by 5 p.m. (ET) by June 30, 2022.

To see a full list of requirements or to apply for the Edna Staebler Laurier Writer-in-Residence position, please visit the Edna Staebler Laurier Writer-in-Residence web page. Additional questions may be addressed to Tanis MacDonald, professor of English and Film Studies and chair of the search committee, at tmacdonald@wlu.ca.

Wilfrid Laurier University’s Faculty of Arts is the proud administrator of Staebler’s legacy in the forms of the Edna Staebler Award for Creative Non-Fiction (established 1991) as well as the Edna Staebler Laurier Writer-in-Residence program.