Grace Hazard Conkling Professor

Smith College:
Massachusetts:
Department of English Language and Literature

Northampton, MA

Dec 17, 2025

Smith College invites applications from established poets for the Grace Hazard Conkling professorship, to begin July 1, 2026. This is a two-year, half-time, benefits-eligible position that also provides a housing stipend. Recent Conkling professors include Tiana Clark, Leila Chatti, and Marilyn Chin. Poets with a strong record of publication are eligible to apply.

Teaching responsibilities for this position will include one undergraduate writing workshop per semester for a total of two courses per year. In addition, the candidate will give at least one public lecture or reading some time during the residency. Candidates from underrepresented groups are encouraged to apply.

In addition to a competitive benefits package, the starting salary for this half-time visiting professor in 2026-27 begins at $60,000.

Located in Northampton, MA, Smith College is the largest women's college in the country and is dedicated to excellence in teaching and research across the liberal arts. A faculty of outstanding scholars interact with students in small classes, as advisors, and through student-faculty research projects. The College is a member of the Five College Consortium with Amherst, Hampshire and Mt. Holyoke Colleges, and the University of Massachusetts Amherst.

Students cross-enroll and faculty cross-teach across the Five Colleges.

As set forth in our mission and values, Smith College is committed to promoting a culture of equity and inclusion among students, staff and faculty. The College will not discriminate in employment on the basis of age, race, color, ethnicity, national origin, creed, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, pregnancy, genetic information, age, veteran status, physical or mental disability, or any other classification protected by law.

Smith College is an equal opportunity employer and complies with all state and federal laws that prohibit discrimination.

Submit an application at  with a cover letter, curriculum vitae or resume, three letters of recommendation, a 10-to 15-page writing sample, and 1-page teaching statement. Finalists may be asked for additional materials. Review of applications will begin in mid-January.