Writer in Residence.
Closing date for receipt of applications: 4.00pm on March 10th 2016.
Kerry County Council, in partnership with the Arts Council of Ireland, wishes to contract a Writer as part of its Artist Engagement Programme for 2016.
The Residency will be a part-time position (20 hour week – 7 hours of which is for the Writer’s own work development) which will allow time both for the writer’s own work in addition to engagement and interaction with the general public and more specifically with people interested in writing themselves.
It is intended that the writer will have a room available to them at Kerry County Museum in Tralee for their own writing hours as well as office administrative support at the Arts Office, Kerry County Council, Tralee.
The Residency is open to writers in all genres, and should have a countywide impact. As part of this Residency, the successful applicant will be asked to stimulate greater awareness of the art of creative writing as well as encouraging more opportunities for people to engage with the work of writers. The writer’s ability to mentor up-coming writers, young people and those interested in developing their writing skills must be clearly demonstrated in the application material.
The residency this year will focus on the theme of County Kerry from 1916 to 2016. This theme can be explored through a wide range of possible approaches.
Residency objectives
To create opportunities for the writer to:
- Develop her/his own work
- Engage with communities and where appropriate to provide them with opportunities to engage with other writers
- Explore, through creative writing, Kerry from 1916 to 2016.
DEFINITION/EXAMPLES OF COMMUNITY / ENGAGEMENT
The aim of the residency is to encourage meaningful collaboration between communities of place and/or interest and artists. Community can be communities of place or communities brought together by a common interest.
In the past, writers in residence have engaged with schools and writers groups and have organised workshops and engaged in one-to-one discussions with writers in the area. The Arts Office is open to new approaches and responses around the public engagement aspect for this residency.
A contract for services fee of €14,400 inclusive of travel and expenses is offered for a 24 week period envisaged to commence in September 2016. The payment schedule will be: ⅓ on commencement, ⅓ halfway through, ⅓ on completion.
Application Requirements
Applicants are asked to submit the following material:
- A typed curriculum vitae (maximum 3 pages)
- Examples of previous work
- Publications, programmes or published articles, such as reviews
- A typed proposal outlining artistic ideas and approaches (two typed pages); this should include an outline of the benefits of the residency to her/his stage of development as a writer, and ideas in relation to public engagement during the residency with detailed suggestions for workshops or public/community engagement
- Two letters of reference
Please note: Applicants must submit three copies of CV and proposal.
Please ensure that all submitted materials are clearly marked with the writer’s name.
Closing date: 4.00pm on March 10th 2016.
Criteria for Selection
- Irish citizen / permanent resident of Ireland
- Active in the writing profession
- Artistic merit and distinctiveness of proposal
- Balance of same to reflect the 50/50 expected outcomes
- Suitability of the proposal
- Quality of previous work
- Experience in teaching creative writing preferred
- Experience developing and successfully delivering programs, workshops, and readings
Selection Procedure
An independent panel of peer professionals will evaluate applications and shortlist applicants for interview
Interviews
Shortlisted applicants will be called for interview in April 2016.
Residency Details
In advance of the residency the following will be agreed:
- Goals, roles and responsibilities and agreed criteria for the Writer in Residence and the Arts Office via a signed Memorandum of Agreement
- Mutually agreed programme of work that is flexible and responsive
- Administrative support from the Arts Office
- A timetable that balances time for the writer’s own work and other residency commitments as agreed. NB: This is a part-time residency which will require flexible working hours.
- Ongoing review and evaluation and a schedule of regular meetings with KCAO
Applications should be submitted to:
Writer in Residence
The Arts Office, Kerry County Council, Rathass, Tralee, County Kerry
Please refer any queries to Kate Kennelly, Arts Officer on 066 71 83541 or email arts@kerrycoco.ie