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The Paris Review Visiting Professorship at the Bard Prison Initiative (BPI) is a one- or two-year position, beginning in September 2026; a distinguished writer will join the Bard College community and teach the study of literature to students earning Bard College undergraduate degrees while incarcerated. The writer may also have the opportunity to teach at one of BPI’s microcolleges in New York City. The Paris Review Visiting Professor of Literature will design and teach a total of three courses across the fall and spring semesters. Courses should focus on the study of literature rather than creative writing. They should not take the prison as their subject but should instead reflect the breadth of the liberal arts education at the main campus of Bard College.
The Paris Review Visiting Professor of Literature will design and teach a total of three courses across the fall and spring semesters. Courses should focus on the study of literature rather than creative writing. They should not take the prison as their subject but should instead reflect the breadth of the liberal arts education at the main campus of Bard College.
The visiting professor may also deliver a public lecture at one or more BPI locations, a version of which may be presented in The Paris Review, either in print or online.
The ideal candidate will be an emerging or established writer of fiction, poetry, plays, or literary nonfiction whose work has received critical recognition; will have published at least one but preferably two or more books; will have prior college teaching experience; and will excel in designing and teaching courses that inspire active participation from all students. We would like to discourage candidates who are interested in writing about their experience of teaching within the carceral system.
This position requires completion of a clearance process for the New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision. Candidates who are unsure whether they can obtain clearance, however, should not be discouraged from applying.
The professor will be an employee of Bard College with compensation starting at $80,000/year. This position is eligible for benefits. To learn more about employee benefits and eligibility at Bard College, please visit https://www.bard.edu/humanresources/benefits/.
Formed in 1999 to address the mass incarceration crisis, the Bard Prison Initiative (BPI) has reimagined and redefined questions of availability, affordability, and expectations typically associated with college in America. One of the most rigorous and effective college-in-prison programs in the country, BPI is now extending its radical intervention in educational inequity outside of prisons through the Bard Microcollege and BardBac. BPI currently enrolls nearly six hundred students across eleven campuses.
To nominate a writer for the position, please confirm the writer’s intent to apply before sending us a letter of recommendation. To nominate yourself for the position, please submit the following materials to bpi@theparisreview.org:
The deadline for applications is December 1, 2025. Candidates may be asked for references and additional materials. The next Paris Review Visiting Professor of Literature will be announced in May.
Bard College is an equal opportunity employer. We welcome applications from those who contribute to our diversity. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, mental or physical disability, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, familial status, veteran status, or genetic information.
