[New-Poetry] vacancy for a Junior Lecturer in English Studies

[Robin]

I think dave may have misread the salary (given in Euros) as Pounds 
Stirling.  In that currency, the salary begins at about £27,000, which is 
pretty much par for the course in the UK.

However, the position might as well carry a flag saying, "Poets need not 
apply."

First of all, it's a straight academic teaching post, not signaled as having 
a connection with creative writing in any way:

The appointee will be "specialising in any historical period of American 
and/or British Literature and Culture, and in Literary and Cultural Theory. 
Research and/or teaching interests in one or more of the following areas 
will be an advantage: drama, popular literature, poetry or film."  In this 
context, "poetry" means the history of poetry, not the practice of it, 
otherwise this would be indicated.

Further, the position is so open-ended -- "any historical period of American 
and/or British Literature and Culture" -- that anyone could apply, and a 
large proportion of everyone without a tenured post will.  Basically, it's 
russian roulette.  However, someone whose PhD is in the history of the novel 
would be advised not to bother.

What rules poets out is the lovely question that so often comes up at 
interviews for a post like this:  "Do you find that writing poetry 
interferes [sic] with your teaching/research/administration/whatever?"

Because: "The appointee will be expected to ... make a substantial 
contribution to the research culture and research output of the Department 
and College."  That is, they will be expected not to waste their time 
publishing poetry but concentrate on producing academic articles in refereed 
journals -- or more probably, as things are now, in the production of a 
major book from a respectable, preferably university, press once every two 
years.

Doesn't leave much space for writing, and in some ways actively conflicts 
with it (drawing on an overlap of the same resources of imagination and 
energy which go into the production of poetry).

In the highly unlikely event of a poet being appointed, they can expect 
their writing -- poetry, not academic scholarship -- to be effectively held 
against them for the whole of their professional career.

That's the way things are in the UK, and I presume Eire -- the MFA route for 
"professional advancement" for committed writers simply doesn't exist. 
(Yet.  And I have to say that all in all, I'm pretty thankful.)

Other than that, How did you enjoy the play, Mrs Lincoln?

Robin Hamilton