PGRA

Post-Graduate Residency Assistant (PGRA) Positions

Help out at a Spalding residency in Louisville or virtually by volunteering to be a Post-Graduate Residency Assistant. PGRAs help residencies run smoothly by doing the behind-the-scenes work that makes for a memorable student experience. In a given day, you might staff the welcome table, record a faculty lecture (training provided!), assist with A/V, set up for an event, or escort guests between the Brown and campus. The School of Writing usually appoints six PGRAs for each residency.

By way of thanks. At on-campus residencies in spring and fall, PGRAs are included in all residency activities and meals. They also receive a room at the Brown Hotel and may participate in a workshop alongside current students if space is available—or they can use workshop time as an informal writing retreat. PGRAs at the virtual residency may also workshop alongside students if space is available; they also receive a small token of appreciation from the School of Writing.

Requirements. PGRAs are integral to the running of residency, so they need to be available for the entire residency. (That said, you won’t be busy every minute, and you’re free to attend lectures and other sessions that interest you if you’re not on duty elsewhere.) The best PGRAs bring a spirit of resourcefulness and the stamina for daily walks up and down Fourth Street.

How to apply. To apply, just email Karen Mann, administrative director of the Naslund-Mann Graduate School of Writing, saying that you’d like to be a PGRA. Be sure to mention your top two areas of concentration for workshop if you’d like to participate, and let Karen know of any anticipated scheduling conflicts during residency (for example, if you’d need to arrive late or leave early). You can apply anytime up to the application deadlines: February 1 for spring on-campus residency, April 1 for summer virtual residency, and August 1 for fall residency.