Residency Program Teaching Artist Guidelines

Residency Program Teaching Artist Guidelines

2014–2015

RESIDENCY CLASS PROPOSALS

About the Loft’s Education Program

Since 1974, the Loft has been the place where “writers learn from other writers.” The Loft offers hundreds of classes, workshops, retreats and writing conferences at its home at Open Book in the Twin Cities and at libraries throughout the west metro through our partnership with Hennepin County Libraries. An average of 4,500 people of all ages, backgrounds, and interests enroll each year.

Loft teaching artists are key to fulfilling our mission of supporting the artistic development of writers and fostering a writing community. Our teaching artists inspire, challenge and support our students as they develop their craft.

About the Loft’s Residency Program

The Loft’s Residency Program sends teaching artists into community centers, schools, hospitals, and businesses to lead creative writing classes. Our teaching artists inspire, challenge and support our students as they develop their craft in a diverse range of settings.

Who are Loft Students?

Students run the full range of writers, from beginners testing the literary waters to advanced writers focused on specific issues of craft. Some students have no interest in submitting their work for publication while others have been published and/or hope to be published in the future. Expect a wide age range in residency classes—from young adults to senior citizens. The Loft also offers residency classes aimed at youth ages 6–17.

Are Loft classes for beginning, intermediate, or advanced writers?

Educational offerings are tailored to writers at all levels of development. For a complete list of learning levels, please download the “class levels” PDF from the Loft’s website: www.loft.org.

What is the Loft looking for in a residency teaching artist?

Teaching artists who have taught at the Loft in our adult, online, or youth programs or who have participated in our grant programs or readings can apply to teach in the Loft’s residency program. Residency classes are fee-based and driven by the needs of the hiring organization. Residencies are diverse and the facilities, learning objectives, and writing levels of students varies dramatically.

When pairing a writer with a unique residency opportunity, we prioritize writers who:

·  Have experience teaching creative writing enrichment classes in a diverse range of settings such as academic and nonacademic settings, community arts centers, hospitals, human service organizations, prisons, and libraries.

·  Have the highest Loft student ratings for effectiveness and mastery of content.

I’m a teaching artist about to start teaching a Loft residency. What should I expect?

Residency classes are unique. Most classes don’t meet in the Open Book building but on-site at the partnering organization’s space. The Loft asks each retaining organization to:

·  Provide an appropriate space that is conducive to creative writing. This includes ample writing space, a whiteboard for the teaching artist, adequate lighting, and the facilitation of a calm and organized classroom.

·  Encourage students to respect class dynamics, which means encourage participating students to come to class on time, commit to being in class for the duration of the program, and respectfully engage in all class activities.

·  The Loft asks residency teaching artists to be flexible, kind, and good natured. Sometimes the door doesn’t close all the way. Sometimes, the white board is missing it’s marker. Sometimes the table is a card table or the classroom a large rec room. Sometimes no one shows up for your class. Community-based teaching requires flexibility around both learning objectives and expectations about facilities.

·  Student attendance can vary; flexibility around attendance is essential. Residencies are contracted between the Loft and the retaining organization. In most cases, students are offered the opportunity to participate in the program as part of a variety of learning opportunities being offered to them. Expect one to twenty students in class depending on the day and time and attendance to vary. The Loft will establish a limit on how many students can participate in your residency class.

Policies and Payment for Teaching Artists

For being awesome, kind, and flexible, the Loft pays teaching artists $75 per contract hour for all residency classes.

Proposing to teach a residency class:

Proposing a residency class is a simple process. Tell us how to reach you, what you want to teach, and a little about yourself. When a residency opportunity becomes available that fits your areas of teaching expertise, the Loft will contact you about your level of interest in the residency class and your teaching availability.

Teaching Artist Name:

Day Phone 1: Cell:

Email:

Address:

Title of Proposed Class:

Genres you’re comfortable teaching (BOLD OR UNDERLINE):

Basics Children’s/Young Adult Literature

Creative Nonfiction Creative Process Fiction

Graphic Novel/Comic Book Magazine Writing Multigenre

New Media Publication & Career Poetry

Screenwriting Playwriting

Class Levels you’re comfortable teaching:

Beginning Intermediate Advanced/Open Enrollment

Open to All Levels

What do you like to teach? :

(Be as thorough as possible in 200 words.)

Teaching artist philosophy:

(Be as thorough as possible in 200 words.)

Learning Objectives (What will students learn as a result of having taken a class with you?):

Enter or cut and paste your Teaching Artist Biography below (150 word maximum):

What classes have you taught at the Loft before?

(Please include class title(s), indicate if you taught the class as an adult, youth, or online class, and include the dates of teaching.)

In addition to teaching at the Loft, have you taught other residencies or community arts classes? If so, please describe your teaching experience:

(Be as thorough as possible in 200 words.)

Please include your current resume with teaching or writing credits:

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