Organizer Information
Seattle Arts & Lectures (SAL) is a nonprofit literary arts organization based in Seattle, Washington, founded in 1987 and active since its first season in 1988. SAL's mission is to cultivate transformative experiences through story and language with readers and writers of all generations. The organization operates through two main program areas: Literary Programs, which present public events featuring nationally and internationally recognized writers and thinkers at venues including Benaroya Hall, Meany Center for the Performing Arts, and Town Hall Seattle; and Arts Education Programs, which bring literary arts directly into schools and communities across the Puget Sound region. SAL serves more than 33,000 audience members and 6,000 K-12 public school students annually, with all public programs available both in-person and via livestream.
Writers in the Schools (WITS), launched in 1994, is SAL's flagship arts education program and one of the longest-running literary residency programs in the country. Since its inception, WITS has reached over 150,000 students across the Puget Sound region. In a recent year, the program worked with 40 school partners to serve more than 6,000 students. SAL has in recent years expanded access through WITS Rewritten, an initiative that eliminates school participation fees to prioritize students with the least access to arts learning opportunities. SAL's broader institutional commitments include anti-racism, disability justice, and equity, reflected in its organizational culture and in how it hires and supports teaching artists.
Title & Description
Writers in the Schools (WITS) Writer-in-Residence
The WITS Writer-in-Residence is a contract teaching artist role within SAL's Arts Education Programs. Writers-in-Residence are professional practicing writers placed in K-12 public school classrooms in the greater Seattle area to lead extended creative writing residencies in collaboration with classroom teachers. The role is designed for writers who are committed to anti-racist pedagogy, student-centered teaching, and the development of young people's authentic creative voices.
For the 2026-27 school year, SAL is hiring 1-3 WITS Writers to join its cohort of literary teaching artists. Writers-in-Residence split their time roughly equally between in-classroom teaching, out-of-class curriculum development, and meetings and communication. School placements are determined in coordination with SAL staff based on compatibility and need, and may involve elementary, middle, or high school settings. Residency formats vary: some are extended weekly residencies across the school year, while others take place as multi-day-per-week intensives over a shorter window.
The Role Overview
- Position Type: Independent Contractor (1–3 positions available)
- Contract Type: Fixed-term, 2026-27 school year (October–June)
- Salary: Teaching time begins at $110 per contracted teaching hour (this rate assumes outside-of-class preparation and feedback time); administrative meetings paid at $30/hour
- Reports To: Arts Education Program Manager
- Department / Programme: Arts Education Programs — Writers in the Schools (WITS)
- Working Hours: Variable; average WITS writer works approximately 125 hours/year; availability required for full residency sessions and mandatory meetings
- Location: Onsite at K-12 public schools in the greater Seattle area
Position & Tasks
In-classroom teaching (approx. 40% of role)
- Guide students through creative writing lessons that are exciting and innovative
- Collaborate with classroom teachers, instructional assistants, and paraprofessionals to provide an accessible creative writing experience for all students
- Be observed by SAL staff 1–2 times throughout the year and participate in one-on-one debrief sessions
- Maintain confidentiality about all student work
- Select and prepare a small number of students to read their work at the annual WITS Year End Reading and to publish their work in the annual WITS anthology
Curriculum development (approx. 40% of role)
- Select relevant mentor texts that provide students an entry point into finding their own voices, demonstrate anti-racist pedagogy, and celebrate language
- Design cohesive, sequential, age-appropriate creative writing curricula
- Create scaffolded, accessible lessons that allow students to stretch creatively and exercise critical thinking
- Provide written feedback to students at least once per residency
- Coordinate end-of-residency culminating events for each class
Meetings and communication (approx. 20% of role)
- Attend a pre-residency planning meeting with SAL staff and partner teachers
- Attend a mid-residency check-in meeting with partner teachers
- Prepare and circulate a working syllabus to teachers and SAL staff at least two weeks prior to residency start date
- Collect student permissions and excellent student work throughout the year and submit to SAL staff on deadline for online and print publications
- Respond to communication from partner teacher(s) and SAL staff within 48 hours
- Complete an annual self-evaluation and participate in a 1:1 review with SAL staff at end of each year
- Actively participate in WITS Writer Collective events and contribute to building community among WITS Writers
- Attend the following mandatory paid meetings (compensated at $30/hour):
- New Writer Meeting — September 8, 2026 (in-person, 1:00–2:30 pm)
- Fall Writers Orientation — September 15, 2026 (in-person, 9:30 am–1:00 pm)
- WITS Writer Collective Meetings — November 17, 2026; January 19, 2027; March 16, 2027; May 18, 2027 (all online, 4:00–5:30 pm)
Categories
- Literary Arts Education
- Teaching Artist / Arts-in-Education
- Creative Writing
- Poetry
- Prose Writing and Memoir
- Playwriting
- Comics and Graphic Narrative
- Anti-Racist Pedagogy and Social-Emotional Learning
- Youth Literacy and Community Engagement
Eligibility
- Open to practicing writers based in the Seattle/Puget Sound region (placements are onsite; relocation assistance is not available)
- Writers of diverse mediums are welcome, including but not limited to cartoonists/graphic novelists, playwrights, poets, prose writers, and memoirists
- Minimum 1–2 years of teaching or mentoring experience with elementary, middle, or high school students
- Demonstrated commitment to anti-racist pedagogy, disability justice and access, and social-emotional learning
- Student-centered approach; commitment to making classrooms spaces of joy and belonging
- Ability and willingness to collaborate with public school teachers
- Excellent written and oral communication skills with willingness to grow, learn, and adapt
- Sense of humor, flexibility, and responsiveness to differing student needs within public school settings
- Positive attitude; friendly and respectful manner with students, WITS Writers, staff, teachers, and other school partners
- Outstanding organizational skills, meticulous attention to detail, and a high degree of reliability
- Established record of community engagement through publications, performances, or other community events; active participation in the Seattle literary community
- Availability to complete every session of a scheduled residency (October–June)
- Must demonstrate a commitment to anti-racist pedagogy and practice
- Black writers, Indigenous writers, writers of color, writers from the LGBTQ+ community, bilingual writers, and writers from interdisciplinary backgrounds are especially encouraged to apply
- Preferred but not mandatory: bilingual fluency, particularly in Spanish, Amharic, Arabic, Vietnamese, or Mandarin
- Preferred but not mandatory: experience working with Multilingual Learners or Special Education students
Program Benefits
- Teaching time compensated at $110/contracted teaching hour (inclusive of preparation and feedback time)
- Administrative and mandatory meeting time compensated at $30/hour
- Payment made in monthly installments; partial or greater residencies scaled accordingly
- Free in-person (as available) and online tickets to all SAL events in the 2026-27 Season
- Invitation to attend a 3-night collective writers' residency at Rockland Woods (Belfair, WA), September 15–18, 2026
- Opportunity to apply for a 10-day individual writers' residency at the Mineral School, February 14–22, 2027
- $150 professional development stipend (for observing other WITS writers in the classroom or other mutually agreed-upon opportunities)
- Missed Gig compensation of $50/hour for days missed due to illness, while funds are available
Application Fee
None
Application Requirements
- Cover letter addressing: reasons for interest in the WITS Writer-in-Residence role; learning outcomes that ground the applicant's teaching pedagogy; how prior experience has prepared the applicant for classroom work
- Resume
- An idea for a pairing of a mentor text (a poem, one-page work of prose, or a comic by a writer the applicant admires) and a suggested writing prompt inspired by that piece
- General availability/schedule for the 2026-27 school year, and/or any school placement preferences (grade level, geography, etc.)
- Names, phone numbers, and email addresses for three professional references, at least one of whom is familiar with the applicant's teaching
- A 1-page creative writing sample of the applicant's own work
- All materials compiled and saved as a single PDF, labeled: Firstname.Lastname_WITS_2026-27
- Note: Resumes submitted without a cover letter will not be considered
How to Apply?
Email all materials in a single PDF to: salhr@lectures.org
Subject line: "WITS Writer-in-Residence"
Key Dates
- Application Deadline (for best consideration): July 6, 2026 (position is open until filled)
- Interview Period: Weeks of July 13 and July 20, 2026 (selected applicants will be asked to lead a 10-minute creative writing lesson)
- Invitation Notification: By end of July 2026
- New Writer Meeting (mandatory): September 8, 2026, 1:00–2:30 pm (in-person)
- Fall Writers Orientation (mandatory): September 15, 2026, 9:30 am–1:00 pm (in-person)
- Collective Writers' Residency at Rockland Woods: September 15–18, 2026 (Belfair, WA)
- WITS Writer Collective Meeting: November 17, 2026, 4:00–5:30 pm (online)
- WITS Writer Collective Meeting: January 19, 2027, 4:00–5:30 pm (online)
- WITS Writer Collective Meeting: March 16, 2027, 4:00–5:30 pm (online)
- Individual Writers' Residency at Mineral School (application opportunity): February 14–22, 2027
- WITS Writer Collective Meeting: May 18, 2027, 4:00–5:30 pm (online)
Location
Greater Seattle area, Washington, United States
Additional Details
- This is an independent contractor role, not an employee position
- The number of residencies assigned depends on program need and the teaching artist's availability
- School placement type varies: extended weekly residencies throughout the academic year, or multi-day-per-week intensives over a shorter window
- Majority of hiring and placements occur in late summer; some residencies may be determined as the school year progresses
- Relocation assistance is not available
- For inquiries: Hendri Wa, Administrative Associate — salhr@lectures.org / (206) 621-2230 ext. 26