The Ernest Hemingway Foundation of Oak Park (EHFOP) fosters understanding of the life and work of Ernest Hemingway, with emphasis on his Oak Park origins and his impact on world literature. Its mission reflects the Foundation's belief in the importance of the written word and the value of thoughtful reading and writing.
The mission is accomplished through
- outreach to diverse and international audiences through exhibitions, tours, conferences, lectures, discussion groups, publications and other educational programs and through service as a research resource.
- restoration and operation of Hemingway's birthplace and the preservation of other Hemingway sites in Oak Park.
- acquisition, conservation and management of archives and collections related to Hemingway.
- management of the Foundation's resources – human, financial and physical – by balancing innovation and economy.
HEMINGWAY SHORTS, the EHFOP annual literary journal, seeks to capture new voices engaged in writing short fiction. Eleven stories will be selected for publication, and our current and past Writer-in-Residences will assist authors in shaping and editing their work. In order to make space for more historically mis- and underrepresented writers, submissions will not be blind. This article provides further insight to our efforts.
In addition, we manage two (2) college scholarship high school essay contests held annually thru Ernest Hemingway's alma mater, Oak Park River Forest High School. The chosen student essays are concurrently published within this literary journal.
As part of our mission to foster understanding of the life and work of Ernest Hemingway, as well as nurture the value of thoughtful reading and writing, The Ernest Hemingway Foundation of Oak Park seeks a Writer-in-Residence (WIR) to serve as an foundation ambassador to offer educational programming in exchange for Writer-in-Residence recognition and a writing space to work on personal projects of prose, memoir, fiction, and/or poetry in the birthplace home. The WIR Term begins in July, 2023 through July, 2025. (Please note this is writing space position, not a live-in residency program)
If you would like to serve as our Writer-in-Residence, The Ernest Hemingway Foundation of Oak Park invites you to review and complete the following application, which is part of our ongoing effort to share and preserve Hemingway’s Birthplace Home, the center of his Oak Park legacy.
Seeking:
Writer with a regional or national publishing presence (periodicals or book(s))
Strong presenter with mentoring experience
Some experience working with high school students preferred
Some editing experience preferred
WIR Service Commitment:
Along with offering a place to write and work, the Foundation also asks the WIR to commit to service, acting as an ambassador for the Foundation's mission. The Writer-in-Residence (WIR) will serve as a foundation ambassador committed to upholding our mission. The following are the main tasks (but not limited to) related to fulfilling their role. 1) The WIR will provide an educational program on a quarterly basis for a period of two years. The WIR and the Foundation Executive Director will agree to program content, dates and times. 2) The WIR will assist with the editing and publication of our annual literary journal, Hemingway Shorts. 3) The WIR will also manage the Hemingway Foundation Scholarship essay review and selection process, and mentor the winner of our this Scholarship contest on an annual basis. The scholarship is awarded to a rising junior at Oak Park River Forest High School each year. The WIR mentors this student through the senior year as needed to assist them with their writing goals as determined by the WIR and student. The WIR applicant confirms they will reside within the greater Chicagoland area during their term.
You must plan to have residency in the greater Chicagoland area for your term to ensure availability to fulfill programming and mentoring duties.
Upload file(s) with the following:
- Educational Background/Resume/Curriculum Vitae (upload pdf/doc file)
- Sample(s) of Your Writing: Essay/Memoir/Fiction of no more than 1500 words and/or at least four completed works of poetry.
- Description/list of Previous Published Works (upload pdf/doc file)
- Description of the written project you intend to pursue as our Writer-in-Residence (upload pdf/doc file)
- Description of educational workshops and programs you have presented. Please include the number of attendees and the length of the program (upload pdf/doc file)