Open call: Let the Artists in! at Manchester Metropolitan University Special Collections

‘The Shell Seekers’ by Su Blackwell, 2015. Photography by Yeshen Venema

Let the artists in! is a project from First Draft, which commissions brand new work inspired by collections in museums and libraries across the north of England. Let the artists in! is generously supported by Arts Council England and The Writing Squad.

As part of Let the artists in!, Manchester Writing School and the Manchester Poetry Library are excited to be offering three spaces on a programme for poets who would like to—but have never been—a poet-in-residence. The programme consists of

• a short residency at Manchester Metropolitan University Special Collections
• a fee of £500
• one day of training with Malika Booker (poet and lecturer at the Manchester Writing School), Louise Clennell (Education & Outreach Officer at Special Collections) and Dr Martin Kratz (Manchester Poetry Library) on everything that being a poet-in-residence involves—from object handling and negotiating fees to creatively responding to holdings the opportunity to explore and respond to materials from Special Collections through either writing an artistic commission or running a creative writing workshop open to the public.

The training will be held at MMU Special Collections on the 18th May. The residents will need to complete their chosen activity (artistic commission or workshop) by the 23rd June, and should factor in time to visit the museum at least once independently in their own time. We are able to support travel and accommodation where necessary.

To apply, please submit an expression of interest including a cover letter, CV and a sample of your work (no more than three pages of A4) before the 5th April 2019. Please send submissions by email to poetrylibrary@mmu.ac.uk with the subject header ‘Let the Artists in!’. The chosen poets will be contacted on the 19th April 2019.

To find out more and read the full terms and conditions, please click here.