Writer in Residence FAQ

We will consider all applicants who express an interest in engaging the communities the Enoch Pratt Free Library serves—your project does not need to be explicitly about those communities or specifically tied into Library resources. Projects that are inspired or informed by our communities, our collections, our architecture, and/or our services will be viewed with favor.

This year’s Hackerman Artist in Residence set out to create a quilt that incorporates “self-portraits, family photographs, MRI scans, and natural fabrics, weaving together both personal and collective histories.” She also envisioned inviting the community to participate in creating a second quilt  as “a collaborative community time capsule.”

This year’s Hackerman Writer in Residence has invited Baltimore residents to write and record their own stories, with a curated collection to be featured on Digital Maryland. 

Previous projects have included: 

• Exploring the closed stacks, specifically for old African-American themed newspapers and magazines to inspire photography and collage work.
• A deep dive into our art book collection and creating a gallery-type display that featured artists of Mexican and South American heritage who were not represented in our collection along with some layered collage and images that called on the viewer to think about who is missing from library and archive collections in North America.
• Moving from a past project of making garments and images portraying climate refugees with plastic and cellophane to creating new garments and images out of metal and fabric to more sustainable materials. The Artist then created an exhibit designed to make the viewer think about people who wander, the impact of global warming, and to spend time thinking and feeling about climate refugees.

The residency requires a specific number of hours engaging with the public: at least one hour-long interactive workshop or lesson with the public and six office hours (locations to be determined) where the writer is talking with members of the public about their craft, answering questions, talking about their experiences as a writer, etc., per month. 

The residency also requires a project, to be worked on throughout the residency and presented in a closing celebration. The amount of time it takes the writer to prepare for the workshops and office hours, and how much time it takes them to complete their project, will vary from person to person. A healthy estimate would be that this could be equivalent to a 20 hour per week part time job.

Yes, just explain what you have in mind in your proposal.

Whereas we have a studio for our Artist in Residence, we do not have a dedicated space that we can offer to the Writer in Residence, so we are not requiring the Writer to spend time on site beyond the time required for the monthly programs and office hours. If the Writer in Residence would like to spend more time working in the library, we are happy to reserve spaces so that can happen.

• Demonstrated experience teaching writing-related classes or workshops
• Desire to share the experience of being a writer with the people who visit the library
• The quality of your submitted writing
• Suitability of the submitted project proposal
• References
• Other relevant experience (publishing industry experience, working with multiple age groups, etc.) will be taken into account

We are looking for one event idea for each age level, but you are welcome to provide more if you can do so within the character limit.

The Writer in Residence (WIR) Coordinator will have check-ins with the WIR every other week to discuss their project progress as well as programming ideas and needs. At the closing celebration, the WIR will present what they have accomplished during the residency to the community. There may be additional opportunities to talk with Library administrators, donors, and board members about your progress at formal and informal events and gatherings.

We are not seeking poets who are exclusively spoken-word or slam writers. Poets who write for the page and also have an interest in spoken word are eligible.

Yes, we would love to see recent work.

Audio publications will not be accepted.

The resident is allowed to maintain other employment while in residence if they can balance that employment with the required monthly on-site engagement with the community, check-ins with the Writer in Residence coordinator, and progress on their proposed project(s).